Luke 22:17-18 17And after taking the cup and giving thanks, he said, “Take this, and share it among yourselves. 18For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
There are four cups in the Passover, based on four promises of God in Exodus 6:6-7: “I will take you out . . .”; “I will save you . . .”3. “I will redeem you . . .”; “I will take you as a nation . . . .” Drinking these cups reminds us of God’s Freedom, Deliverance, Redemption, and Thanksgiving for fulfilling his promises of salvation to his people. It is unclear which cup of the four is mentioned in verse 17, but likely the first or second cup that is part of the meal.
Passover is an occasion for family to gather and worship together. In this passage, Jesus and the disciples function as a family. Jesus invited the disciples to share in the cup, which was likely one that they each sipped from. It is not clear if Jesus drank from the cup, but it is clear he served as the host or father figure of the meal. He was clearly the leader. The next time he shares this meal with his followers will be a great occasion because we will come to know how he fulfills each part. It will be a time when the meaning of all of history makes sense.
Jesus repeats the same idea of verse 16 that after this meal, he would not drink again fruit of the vine until he comes again and the kingdom of God is fulfilled. It is difficult to know what the great Passover celebration will be like in the kingdom, whether the “fruit” is literal, as in a physical type of meal, or figurative. The Bible has a theology of food that begins in the garden of Eden and continues to the great messianic banquet in God’s fulfilled kingdom. We will not need physical food in heaven because of our resurrected spiritual bodies that are not bound by the needs of flesh and blood. Food takes on a different meaning after the resurrection and serves as a symbol of fellowship. When Jesus comes again, and the kingdom is fulfilled, he will celebrate another Passover where each element will have deep meaning, and everything will make sense.
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