The Four Cups of Passover and their Beautiful Significance
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We continue our look at the Passover by looking at the other elements of the Seder, with a focus on the four cups. The four cups of Passover, although part of a Jewish seder (including Messianic), can help the Christians learn more about the Jewish foundation of their faith!
We will look at each of the Passover cups individually and I will show you their significance both in the Seder and as it pertains to our Messiah, Yeshua.
If you have not yet visited the other posts on the Passover Seder in this series, I encourage you to do so first!
What Are the Four Cups of Passover?
1. The Cup of Sanctification
2. The Cup of Deliverance
3. The Cup of Redemption
4. The Cup of Hallel (Praise or Acceptance)
The 4 Cups of Passover in Detail
The four cups of Passover are a picture of God’s deliverance of Israel. For Christians this also points to their own deliverance since Jesus our Messiah descends from the Jewish people. Learning about the Passover overall can be so important for the Christian and deepen their walk with the Lord.
The First of the Four Cups of Passover – The Cup of Sanctification
Exodus 6:6
Therefore say to Bnei-Yisrael: I am Adonai, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.
TLV
Just as Hashem brought Israel out from under the bondage of the Egyptians, He also brings us out of the bondage of sin and death and brings His people into the promised Messianic Kingdom.
1 Corinthians 1:30:
It is his doing that you are united with the Messiah Yeshua. He has become wisdom for us from God, and righteousness and holiness and redemption as well!
CJB
The Second of the Four Cups of Passover – The Cup of Deliverance
Exodus 6:6 again says
I will deliver you from their bondage…
TLV
While the nation of Israel were slaves in Egypt, we too experience deliverance from slavery as Yeshua delivers us from slavery to sin and death!
Romans 6:20:
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in relationship to righteousness;
CJB
The Third of the Four Cups of Passover – The Cup of Redemption
We go back again to Exodus 6:6:
…and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.
TLV
Hashem redeemed the Jewish people for Himself. As believers, we experienced redemption through Yeshua!
His blood was shed on the cross as a final atonement, as a payment for sins. His arms outstretched on a tree, He gave Himself up for us to pay the price that was ours to pay! The One who knew no sin became sin for us and He paid our debt. He took the curse of sin on Himself in our place.
Galatians 3:13:
The Messiah redeemed us from the curse pronounced in the Torah by becoming cursed on our behalf; for the Tanakh says, “Everyone who hangs from a stake comes under a curse.”
CJB
This is referring to Deuteronomy 21:22-23 which says:
Suppose a man is guilty of a sin with a death sentence and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree. His body is not to remain all night on the tree—instead you must certainly bury him the same day, for anyone hanged is a curse of God. You must not defile your land that Adonai your God is giving you as an inheritance.
TLV
The Fourth of the Four Cups of Passover – The Cup of Hillel (Praise or Acceptance)
Exodus 6:7
I will take you to Myself as a people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am Adonai your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
TLV
This is the cup Yeshua speaks of in Matthew 26:29:
But I say to you, I will never drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father’s kingdom.
TLV
It is this last of the Passover cups that have the Jewish people look toward their acceptance into the Kingdom of the Father!
As a believer, you look forward to the hope that is in your acceptance through Yeshua the Messiah and how He is your hope and your praise to the glory of God!
Silver Kiddush Cups, Buy Kiddush Cup | Judaica Web Store
from: JudaicaWebStore.com
Reflection
Passover for the Jewish people is a time to reflect on God’s plan for humanity since the foundations of the earth. It is a time to reflect on how our God is a redeeming God and how He does not EVER abandon the people He has set apart for Himself.
For Messianic Jews and also for Christian Gentiles alike, we reflect on the time we are with Yeshua in the Messianic Kingdom!
If you are invited to experience a Passover Seder with Jewish friends and family, I hope you find this helpful in understanding the four cups of the Passover Seder!
Revelation 21:1-4
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city—the New Jerusalem—coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. I also heard a loud voice from the throne, saying,
“Behold, the dwelling of God is among men, and He shall tabernacle among them. They shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them and be their God. He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Nor shall there be mourning or crying or pain any longer, for the former things have passed away.”
TLV
CJB – Taken from the Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern. Copyright © 1998. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Messianic Jewish Publishers, 6120 Day Long Lane, Clarksville, MD 21029. www.messianicjewish.net.
Tree of Life (TLV) – Scripture taken from the Holy Scriptures, Tree of Life Version*. Copyright © 2014,2016 by the Tree of Life Bible Society. Used by permission of the Tree of Life Bible Society.
Thank you so much for teaching on this. It’s so important for Christians to have a proper understanding of Passover.
You’re absolutely right! Thank you Bailey!!
Thank you for making this series, I took a lot of notes! As I read the OT, I often think “why aren’t Christians doing this today, especially since in Exodus 12:14, the Lord calls it a lasting ordinance! Not one word from the book of Law as so this law is for us as well 🙂 there are not many articles that speak of the Messianic meaning of these elements, they are looking back to the days of Egyptian bondage. We can look at the present at our deliverance from bondage to the law of Sin and Death and look forward to the new heaven and earth out Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is coming back to establish!
I’ll be hosting a Seder at my place this Easter and will explain each element to my girlfriends, God bless you sister!
I am so glad you enjoyed it and found it helpful!! Bless you!!
Thank you for teaching the Jewish customs to the Gentile Christians! It is is wonderful to be able to learn the depth and meaning of your custom!!
I am so happy you enjoy learning about it Pamela!! Thank you so much!
Excellent articles and videos. Brief and to the point, an excellent springboard for devotion and study. Thank you and may the LORD bless you richly. John
Thank you so very much!
Hello worthy! thank you for posting this I have a question for you. In Luke 22 verse 17 Jesus talks about the 1st cup of wine although it doesn’t say the 1st cup it doesn’t mention any other cup before that. it sounds like it’s the first cup and this is the one he says. “for I tell you that from now on I will not drink the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes” so that sounds like it’s sanctification which makes sense to me because that tells me he’s taking a Nazirite vow.
Hi Geneva. I think this is more a case of brevity to get to the heart of the narrative. The writers were assuming the readers of those days were familiar with the Passover so I think their focus was more on what was about to take place and the Kingdom He spoke of was about (which is actually a very Jewish thing by the way).
I appreciate and love this word, and the explanation of the Passover and the 4 cups. As a servant of God, I search the scriptures and the information you gave, was very helpful, and I appreciate the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that open my mind, and heart to the meaning of what God was teaching and telling the whole world, and that is get Understanding. Many read God words, but very few understands what God word means in their lives spiritually. Now I understand the cup has more than one purpose and Jesus taken the cup and fulfilled all 4 purposes of the Jewish Passover.
I am so glad you enjoyed the article and that you got so much out of it! That always makes my heart happy!
Please help me to understand.
(Mark 14:26 [AKJV]) And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
(Mark 14:36 [AKJV]) And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible to you; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what you will.
Is it the fourth cup – The Cup of Hallel (Praise or Acceptance)? Why Jesus asked this cup to be removed by the Father? It says they left for the garden after they had sung a hymn. Then Jesus drank this cup on the Cross and said Telestai, which means “It is finished”. He was supposed to speak at Upperoom, where they had the Last Supper. But Jesus said it on the Cross.
I apologize for taking so long to answer this but I took time off due to health reasons. This cup symbolizes completion and acceptance. After singing a hymn, Yeshua and His disciples went to the Mount of Olives, but Yeshua didn’t drink this fourth cup at the Last Supper. Instead, He fulfilled it on the cross when He said, “It is finished.” By doing so, He completed His mission and accepted God’s will, offering redemption for all of us.