This changed the way I see the cross.
- Amy Loflin
- Mar 30
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 24
Before His death, Jesus held up a cup of wine. And soon, He would drink a very different kind of wine.
Jesus sits at a table of celebration and remembrance, lifting a cup to His disciples: “This is My blood… poured out for you.” (Mark 14:23–25)
This act of communion continues today as a symbol of the new covenant—of unity among His followers, of His authority over His purpose. The cup represents an invitation into a life of faith, connection, and belonging.
Hours later, Jesus is no longer seated. He is hanging. A sponge soaked in sour wine is lifted to His lips (John 19:29–30). A very different kind of cup.
This sip is not given in love, but in mockery—bitter in both taste and intent. The offer is not an act of unity and devotion, but of rejection and cruelty.
The same Jesus who shared the cup with His closest friends is the One who drank from the other.
As His followers, we all want the first cup—the one representing oneness and intimacy with our Lord. While this cup is freely offered to us, I wonder if we can fully appreciate its significance without considering the lengths to which Jesus went to provide it.
The only way we receive the cup of His new covenant is because He did not turn away from the bitter cup of suffering that represented all it would cost Him.
The cup of life He offers is only possible because He accepted the cup of suffering.
Reflections
When you picture these two contrasting cups of wine, what stirs in you?
What does it mean to you that Jesus did not turn away from the cup of suffering? How is God inviting you to respond to His sacrifice?
“Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” — Jesus (John 18:11)
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