Was there just one cup at the Last Supper?
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.
This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Matthew 26:27-28
As Christians, we remember Jesus’ death on the cross with communion: the cup representing His shed blood for our sins, and the bread symbolizing His body that was broken. Arthurian legend and Hollywood have made much of the supposed “Holy Grail” that was used at the Last Supper – the meal that Jesus had with His disciples on the night He was betrayed. Let’s take a deeper look at this meal.
The Last Supper took place at Passover, which precedes the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and was called the Seder. During this feast, God’s people ate bread without yeast for one week. Yeast symbolized sin, and they were recognizing the need to purge it from their homes and hearts. My family and I once had the Passover Seder at our church and it was truly a unique experience.
Passover memorializes the event when God brought judgment on Egypt. Only those homes that had the blood of a slaughtered lamb on its doorposts would have their firstborn sons spared from death (Exodus 12:1-30). Jesus took the place of the slaughtered lamb once and for all. We are delivered from sin by His death on the cross! This is why John the Baptist proclaimed when he first saw Jesus, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
Now back to this special meal to share a twist you probably weren’t expecting. There were actually four cups used at the Passover, a.k.a. the Last Supper meal, not just one cup. The four cups represented the four “I will” promises of God in Exodus 6:6-7 to deliver His people out of Egypt: “I will bring you out”, “I will free you”, “I will redeem you”, and “I will take you”. These cups are still used at Passover today.
There is so much more to this special meal. It is fascinating, both in regards to it being practiced for thousands of years, but also how Jesus fulfilled each cup. In addition, there are Biblical meanings for each part of the meal. This is definitely worth your further study. Only when you have a better understanding of this meal can you read the Last Supper accounts in Matthew and Luke to discern which cups are being mentioned at particular points during the evening. For example, the two verses quoted at the top just reference the fourth and final cup.
Jesus fulfilled all four cups, including the third cup:
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Luke 22:20