Why is this story interjected here when the focus is on Joseph's life journey having been sold into slavery by his brothers? We know every story in God's Word has meaning and each smaller story in the Bible points forward in some way to the main story of the Bible of Jesus’ death and resurrection for the church.
And here we learn once again that this story points to Jesus. He is our "Chief Cupbearer.” "The Vine," who would grow, bud, be lifted up on the cross and die for us. But after three days be raised to life and restored to His Father. Jesus would drink the cup of His Father’s wrath which He willingly took from His hand, "Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath…" So I took the cup from the Lord's hand..." (Jeremiah 25:15; 17).
Friend, Jesus is the Chief Cupbearer who drank every last drop of God's suffering and wrath that was poured out on Him while on the cross. Look with me now at the grapevine in front of you who was squeezed to death and drank the cup for us as He gave up His life to purchase the Church.
Jesus our Chief Cupbearer:
The cup of suffering
The cup of the New Covenant
The cup of bitterness
The cup that cannot be removed
The cup we share
The cup I will not drink again until...
"He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." Matthew 26:39 (NLT)
Jesus drank the cup of suffering for you and in your place and mine as He went to the cross. He suffered far greater than any human has ever suffered because He was bearing the sins of the world as He drank this cup of suffering. Jesus drank the cup of suffering so you could drink the cup of blessing and forgiveness.
The Cup Of The New Covenant
"And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, "Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Matthew 26:27-28 (NLT)
Jesus poured out this cup of the New Covenant for you. It was in pouring out His blood as a sin offering on the altar of the cross where the curtain was torn, providing access to God the Father. The New Covenant was instituted through the tearing of the curtain, the tearing of Jesus' flesh so that by His wounds, you could be both healed and forgiven (Hebrews 10:20). Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant in our place, keeping the Law perfectly for us, and at His death, He instituted a New Covenant based on forgiveness of sin.
"But Jesus answered by saying to them, "You don't know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?" "Oh yes," they replied, "we are able!" Matthew 20:22 (NLT)
Jesus drank down the bitter cup of suffering so that all our bitterness may come to a complete end through His death. He took the bitter cup from you and drank it for you. He drank down this cup so that your cup might be sweet. Jesus is The Vine that was squeezed into the cup, who drank our bitter cup "for us," which in turn satisfies our souls and removes our bitterness "from us." (Exodus 15:22-25)
The Cup That Cannot Be Removed
"Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, "My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done." Matthew 26:42 (NLT)
Friend, unless Jesus drinks this cup, sin cannot be removed from us. In other words, if Jesus did not drink the cup of suffering and wrath, God's wrath could not be removed from us as we would still be under sin's judgment and penalty. We find our life in Jesus' suffering and death because He indeed did drink the cup. And because He drank the cup, God's wrath has been taken away from us. This was the Father's will that He would send His Son to drink the cup to be our propitiation (Romans 3:25).
"God sent him to die in our place to take away our sins. We receive forgiveness through faith in the blood of Jesus' death. This showed that God always does what is right and fair, as in the past, when he was patient and did not punish people for their sins." Romans 3:25 (NCV)
"Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?" 1 Corinthians 10:16 (NIV)
Jesus drank the cup of death so that we could drink the cup of life! Jesus drank the cup of judgment so that we can drink the cup of forgiveness! Jesus drank the cup of condemnation so that we could drink the cup of salvation and sanctification! Jesus drank the cup of God's wrath, but we drink the cup of thanksgiving! At the cross, we have "participated" in the death of Christ and, therefore, also the resurrection of Christ as we have taken of the bread that was broken for us and the cup that was poured out for us. "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3 NIV).
Question 5: What thoughts do you have about this "cup of thanksgiving" and the "bread we break" as you consider the cross and what Jesus did for you?
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