Jesus's Cup of Passover

There are four cups of wine served in the Passover Seder. While there was no wine served during the original Passover in Egypt, traditions have been added to the meal of remembrance. But Jesus after the meal with his disciples leaves for the garden, Where Jesus deals with the 5th Cup.

What is the background of this 5th Cup of Jesus? It comes from Jeremiah 25:17-29, the Cup of Wrath.

Jeremiah 25:15-27 ¹⁵ Thus the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink it. ¹⁶ They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of the sword that I am sending among them.” ¹⁷ So I took the cup from the Lord's hand, and made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink it: - - - and near, one after another, and all the kingdoms of the world that are on the face of the earth. And after them the king of Babylon shall drink. ²⁷ “Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink, be drunk and vomit, fall and rise no more, because of the sword that I am sending among you.’

During the Passover service, each cup has its own story and function in the ceremony. For example, the participants remove drops of wine with their pinky finger to represent the Ten Plagues. After the "Grace after the meal" this is recited

“Pour forth Your wrath over the nations that do not recognize You, and upon the kingdoms that do not invoke Your name. For they have devoured Jacob and destroyed his habitation. Pour forth Your indignation upon them and let Your burning wrath overtake them. Pursue them with anger and destroy them from beneath the heavens of God.”

This disturbing text is comprised of three verses from the Psalms, followed by one from Lamentations. These verses are known as the Sh’foch Hamatcha, after their first two Hebrew words which means “pour forth your wrath, which are recited before pouring the fourth cup of wine; which according to most traditions includes the additional fifth cup for the prophet Elijah. 

This fifth cup hints at the final and complete redemption that will occur after it is announced by Elijah and by the final redeemer; the Messiah. The first part of the Seder night deals with the redemption from Egypt and the second half with the future redemption. That is when Elijah brought in at this point.”

Putting the above with Jesus’s actions after their Passover strikes a cord. Jesus uses the imagery of a cup as he prayed so earnestly later that night. “Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me!” (Matthew 26:39) And don’t forget, Jesus referred to John the Baptizer as the “Elijah who was to come.” So there is no Elijahcoming, no Elijah cup in Jesus’s story (Matthew 11:14) By this logic, Jesus was “drinking” the cup of God’s wrath, The Sh’foch Hamatcha, that He alone would bear God’s judgment against sinful people. Jesus also told his disciples “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” (Matthew20:22)