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Matthew 26:27 – What is the Cup?
When instituting the Lord’s supper during the Passover, did Jesus give any emphasis or meaning to using one container? Admittedly, there is no doubt Jesus used a physical cup, just Jesus used a table (Matthew 26:20). Both a table and cup are used in 1 Corinthians, where Paul uses them metaphorically (i.e. employing metonymy), meaning the physical table and container are not the emphasis. Let’s look at Matthew 26 to see if, when Jesus uses “cup”, He means container or contents.
Matthew 26:27: “Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you” (CSB).
Is Jesus emphasizing using a container or sharing the contents? Let’s allow Jesus to answer this:
[ ] V. 28 – “for this (i.e. “cup”) is My blood of the covenant” – is the container the blood?
[ ] V.28 – “which (i.e. the “cup”) is poured out” – is the container poured out?
[ ] V.28 – “for forgiveness of sins” – does the container grant forgiveness?
As we see the contents represent what Jesus is calling attention to: the fruit of the vine is His blood.
Now notice the exact same language used in 2 verses:
[ ] v.28 “pino ek it” (i.e. drink from the cup);
[ ] v.29 “pino ek fruit of the vine” (i.e. drink from the fruit of the vine).
Sharing the cup is sharing the fruit of the vine. This reminds me of Hebrew parallelism wherein the second stanza clarifies the first.
No doubt there was a container just like there was a table. But the Jesus Himself in Matthew 26 defines the cup as the fruit of the vine, and not as a container. The contents has significance, not the container.
See below for a chiastic explanation:
A – 26) While they were eating, Jesus took some bread,
B – and after a blessing,
A’ He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
Notice how the chiastic structure shows the bread is the body and not that they were literally eating Jesus flesh.
Now let’s see if the chiastic structure helps define what the cup is.
A – 27) And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink (pino) from (ek) it, all of you;
B – 28) for this (i.e. “cup”) is My blood of the covenant,
B’ – which is poured out (i.e. “cup” which is blood) for many for forgiveness of sins (i.e. “cup” which is blood).
A’ 29) “But I say to you, I will not drink (pino) of (ek) this fruit of the vine (i.e. “cup” which is blood) from now on until that day when I drink (pino) it (i.e. cup) new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
Notice how the flow of nouns and pronouns shows what we drink is not literal blood, but is the fruit of the vine.
Also, the chiastic structure shows that the cup of v.27 is the fruit of the vine of v.29.
As we allow the context to define the blood that we drink to be the fruit of the vine, so should we take cup as referring to the fruit of the vine and not the literal container.
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