Fr. Simon shared biblical wisdom that ties the Last Supper, the Cross, and ancient Jewish tradition together in a way that will help you to love the Mass even more!

The Setup: A Question from John in Jacksonville

John calls in and asks about the significance behind the fourth cup, and Father explains the Jewish Passover tradition and how Jesus fulfills it.

The Four Cups of Passover

In a traditional Jewish Passover meal (Seder), there are four cups of wine, each tied to a specific promise from God (Exodus 6:6-7):

The Cup of Sanctification: “I will bring you out of Egyptian bondage.”

The Cup of Deliverance: “I will deliver you.”

The Cup of Redemption: “I will redeem you.” (This one’s huge! )

The Cup of Acceptance (or Consummation): “I will take you as my people.”

Wait… Jesus Didn’t Drink the Fourth Cup?!

Here’s where it gets interesting. At the Last Supper, Jesus and the disciples drank the third cup: the Cup of Redemption (which totally makes sense because Jesus is literally about to redeem the world). Then… no fourth cup! Instead, they leave the table and head to the Garden of Gethsemane.

The Final Cup Comes on the Cross

Fast forward to Calvary. Jesus is hanging on the cross, and what happens? A soldier lifts up a sponge soaked in wine on a hyssop branch (very connected to Passover, since hyssop was used to spread the lamb’s blood on the doorposts in Exodus).

Jesus drinks. Then He says, “It is finished.”

There it is. The fourth cup. The Passover meal: the very first Mass… is now complete. With that, Jesus fulfills the final promise: “I will take you as my people.”

Why This Changes Everything

Jesus didn’t just celebrate Passover; He became the Passover. The lamb whose blood saved the Israelites? That’s Him. The final sacrifice? That’s Him. By drinking that last cup on the cross, He wasn’t just ending a meal; He was sealing the New Covenant, adopting us into God’s family forever.

So next time you’re at Mass and you hear “This is my Blood… the Blood of the New and Eternal Covenant”: remember, this is the Fourth Cup. This is God saying, ‘You are mine.’

 

 

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