Many Cups

Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.”

Matthew 20:22

Baptised by John, then 40 days and nights fasting in the wilderness whilst being tempted by the deceiver. Would any of us be able to drink from this cup?

During Lent, as a token act of self-denial we abstain from things like chocolate and biscuits, but would any of us want to fast for 40 days and nights? In truth, my answer is a definite NO! But through the token gestures that we abstain from, we remind ourselves of what our Lord went through in the wilderness. In this albeit small way, we drink from the same cup, but maybe we should describe it more like taking a sip!

Medical experts know that humans can survive between 1 and 2 months without food. They know this not from medical trials, but from observational studies made of hunger strikers. Those who for various reasons have decided to starve themselves while trying and bring about change.

So, 40 days and nights fasting is doable. But going without food for long periods is dangerous due to the immense strain that it places on our organs. We need food to function properly, and in particular, the vitamins and minerals from our food that enables our bodies to function properly So, setting out on a prolonged fast, isn’t something I’d recommend to anyone, It’s dangerous!

Recently I was watching an episode of “Shtisel”, a soap based on a Hasidic Jewish family (it’s on Netflix, and well worth watching, but you have to read the subtitles). In the episode there was a wedding, at the end of which the groom is handed a glass full to the brim, the groom takes it and drinks half, he then hands the remainder to his bride, who drains the glass. She then gives the empty glass back to her groom, who wraps it in a cloth and stamps on it. The breaking of the glass means that it can never be used by anyone again, symbolising that everyone else is excluded. But in celebration, the sound of the breaking glass releases cheers of "mazel tov" (good luck) from the guests.

In this act, the marriage is symbolically sealed. Everything that the future holds for the couple, it holds for them alone, and in sharing the one glass, they have demonstrated that they will share all the good and the bad that the future holds. The symbolism of the act is so simple, yet also deeply meaningful. Marriage is a legal contract, but in the eyes of God, it is a covenant that is perfect and complete as the bride and groom profess “ together we are able” to drink from "one glass".

In the Gospels, Jesus frequently talks about drinking from a shared cup. At the last supper, he passes the cup to His disciples to share and says, “take drink this is my blood given as a sacrifice for you”

In the garden of Gethsemane, the night before he was crucified Jesus prayed “Father take this cup from me, yet not my will but yours be done”.

As Christians, we believe in one God revealed through scripture as the Triune God of, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our creeds start, in short:

"We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity: neither   confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one" (excerpt from the Athanasian creed)

Jesus’s prayer to the Almighty, “Father take this cup from me” reveals the enormity of the pain and suffering that was to be endured by Jesus. So much pain that he sweat drops of blood as he prayed. Yet in the physical suffering that was endured by Jesus, the Godhead shared in Unity in the suffering.

Some theologians believe that God is immutable and cannot suffer. They argue that suffering causes change, and because God is perfect, he cannot change because this would detract from his perfection. For me, this thinking is incorrect as by it the Trinity cannot be one in unity. Surely saying that God cannot suffer is no different than saying God cannot love, experience joy, feel anger, or peace, be passionate, or show compassion. Are these not the attributes that are revealed to us in Jesus, the Son of God? Also, all of these are the attributes that God gave to us, whom He made in His image, and we experience all of them!

The God that scripture reveals experiences of these things because to feel nothing is equivalent to nonexistence. Our God who is revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ, had compassion for the sick, wept when he learned of his friend Lazarus’ death, he looked at people with eyes of love and healed their sickness, There is no doubt our God has suffered, he suffered through his passion on his cross and he has compassion for us when we suffer.

The son of God, Jesus Christ, in perfect love and obedience, surrendered his life to death on the cross. He paid the price for our sins as the perfect sacrifice. He was the only one able to drink from the cup that was given to him before the dawn of creation and the universe began. But this cup was a cup that was shared by the Triune Godhead

Our God loved us from before he created us, but when humanity fell, sin entered, and we became separated from Him. But he didn’t abandon us, he made a way for us to return to a right relationship with Him.

Our God longs for all of us to come home, to return into a right relationship with Him. God gave of himself when He sent His Son to redeem us, and today His arms are open wide ready to welcome us home. He longs to embrace us and say welcome home child, it’s all right, it’s going to be fine, I’ve got you. If you haven’t yet, turn around and come home to your heavenly Father, and there's no better time than right now.

There’s another cup waiting for you, it’s a cup of welcome that's full to overflowing and you’re able to share in it for ever and ever.

Have a wonderful day and God bless,

Trev.