1. The Cup of Suffering
2. The Cup of Wrath
3. The Cup of Salvation

If your house is anything like mine, you have a bunch of mugs in your cupboards. So I brought a few of our favorites. As I was packing them up last night, Yvonne said, "No, no, no, no," because they are very precious to us. So I was very careful with them. I packed them with bubble wrap on the way here, and I'll pack them with bubble wrap on my way home.

This is by far my favorite mug. I like the thick and robust ones. This is a little symbol of Daily Dose of Greek, which is a two-minute video every day, taking one verse of Scripture, reading it in the Greek, translating it, and explaining any of the hard spots. That's my favorite.

Here's Yvonne's favorite mug. This is a cup that has the state capital of California. It has Sacramento, the Golden Gate Bridge, panning for gold, Yosemite, the California Redwoods, and the three Shastas. She loves her California. She's a California girl who sacrificed much to be here, so this kind of reminds her of her California warmth.

This mug is a favorite. It should be of all of yours, right? It's a Rock Valley Bible Church mug with our vision statement on it: "Enjoying His Grace, Extending His Glory."

This mug has pictures of our family. It is pictures from our Christmas card, that Yvonne had put on a mug. God has graced us with a lovely family.

I like the robustness of this mug. This is Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. I got my D.Min from there, and Stephanie is going to the college at the seminary (Boyce College).

Finally, this is one of my favorites. Why would I like this one? It's homemade. Do you know who made it? Yvonne made it. So it's really one of my precious ones that I really like. It's sort of like you can't buy this. This is precious for me.

Why do I show you our favorite mugs from our cupboard? I show you because I want to talk about cups today. I want to talk about cups because, last week, in our exposition of the gospel of John, as we began in chapter 18, Jesus mentioned a cup in the last verse of our text. I commented on it ever so briefly, but not too much. I think that it will help us to ponder more deeply what Jesus said, because Jesus spoke in a way that we normally don't speak, and it would be helpful for us to consider what he said.

So, open your Bibles to John 18. I want to direct you to verse 11. In this verse, Jesus mentions a cup. He only mentions it after telling Peter to put his sword away. If you remember, Peter had just lopped off the ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest. Jesus was being arrested, and he wanted to protect his disciples from being harmed or being arrested themselves. So, Jesus says to Peter,

John 18:11
"Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?"

You can see Jesus mentioning a cup in the second half of this verse. It is upon this half of the verse that I want to focus our attention this morning. The title of my message this morning is, "Shall I Not Drink the Cup?" This morning, I'm interested particularly in having us understand what Jesus was speaking about when he talked about "the cup."

In the way that we normally speak, we have a vague notion of what Jesus is talking about here. Here's Webster's dictionary defining "cup." The first two definitions address what we normally think about when we talk about "cup." When we think about a "cup," we normally think about a "bowl-shaped drinking vessel" and "its contents." (1) An open usually bowl-shaped drinking vessel. (2) A drinking vessel and its contents. However, the third usage of the word in Webster's dictionary begins to get at what Jesus is speaking about in this verse. The third definition says this: "something that falls to one's lot." This is getting at what Jesus speaks about in our passage. Something has fallen into his lot, and he is willing to accept it. "Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?" (John 18:11). Yet, the meaning of what Jesus says here goes far beyond merely accepting what has come across his path.

So, let's consider the Biblical usage of the word, "cup." I looked up the word, "cup" in the Bible, something that anyone of you can do for yourselves on Biblegateway.com. Regarding Webster's first two definitions, I counted that there were some 42 times in the Bible when physical "cups" are mentioned.

- There was a cup that the cupbearer placed in Pharaoh's hand (Genesis 40:9, 11, 13, 21).
- There is the cup that Joseph placed in Benjamin's sack (Genesis 44:2, 12, 16, 17).
- The Lampstand of the tabernacle and temple had cups fashioned into it (Exodus 25:31, 33, 34; 37:17, 19, 20; 1 Kings 7:50).
- The bronze basin of Solomon's temple was like a giant cup (1 Kings 7:26; 2 Chronicles 4:5). The temple had cups of gold (1 Chronicles 28:17).
- When Nathan came to confront David, he spoke about a lamb so precious to a poor man's family, that it used to lie in his arm and drink from his cup (2 Samuel 12:3).
- Proverbs 23:31 speaks about the cup of wine that goes down so smoothly.
- Isaiah speaks of cups that are hanged on pegs in a house (Isaiah 22:24).
- Isaiah speaks of those drinking from cups, that are toasted to false ideas (Isaiah 65:11).
- Jeremiah speaks of how devastating the destruction of Jerusalem will be that even a cup given to comfort someone in distress will not be given (Jeremiah 16:7).
- Jeremiah speaks of the Rechabites, who never drank even a cup of wine (Jeremiah 35:5).
- Jesus speaks about a cup of cold water given to missionaries (Matthew 10:42; Mark 9:41).
- Jesus speaks of how the people wash pots and cups, but don't cleanse their hearts (Mark 7:4).
- Jesus also speaks of how the Pharisees were hypocrites, cleaning the outside of cups, but not the inside (Matthew 23:25, 26; Luke 11:39).
- There are references to the cup at the Lord's Supper (Matthew 26:27; Mark 14:23; Luke 22:17, 20; 1 Corinthians 10:16, 21; 11:25, 26, 27, 28).

But I'm not really interested in those Biblical references. I'm interested in another way that the Bible speaks about "cups." It speaks about them as a metaphor. I'm interested in this, because this is the way that Jesus speaks in John 18. When Jesus said, "Shall I not drink the cup," he wasn't talking about a physical cup that he was soon to drink. Rather, he was using the imagery to speak about the physical sufferings that he would endure upon the cross. This is "the cup of suffering." If you are looking to hang your thoughts on a point, here is my first point:

1. The Cup of Suffering

Now, the best way to understand this cup is to remember the prayer that Jesus prayed in Gethsemane. So, turn in your Bibles to Matthew 26. I want to start reading at verse 36. These verses come right after Jesus had been with the disciples in the Upper Room, and before he was arrested.

Matthew 26:36-46
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go over there and pray." And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me." And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, "So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."

Now, there is great application in these verses for our own lives. Jesus warns the disciples to watch with him, that is, to pray with him. Yet, when he returned, they were sleeping. He exhorted them, "Could you not watch with me one hour?" (Matthew 26:40). Apparently, that's how long Jesus was praying, and the disciples were not able to watch and pray with him for an hour. In verse 41, Jesus explains the issue: "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Does this resonate in your own heart, regarding prayer? You have a willing heart, but your flesh is weak. Your distractions are great. Your mind wanders. Your thoughts of other things are strong. You have difficulty sitting still, as you have so many other things to do. Oh, may the Lord strengthen us to pray.

The disciples had three opportunities to watch and pray for Jesus (Matthew 26:40-41, 43, 45), and they failed every time. Every time Jesus came back from his prayers, he found them sleeping. In his hour of greatest need, the disciples of Jesus were sleeping at the post. It's understandable, this is all happening late at night. Yet still, there is no excuse for their prayerlessness. There is no excuse for our prayerlessness. Oh, may the Lord strengthen us to pray.

I digress. This morning, we are looking at the cup that Jesus will drink. It is the main topic of his prayer here in Matthew 26. Do you see it? Jesus prayed (in verse 39), "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." This "cup" was the "cup of suffering" that he was soon to experience. It was "the cup of his death" upon the cross. His upcoming death was on his mind. He told his disciples in verse 38, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me." So, Jesus prayed, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." "My Father, if it be possible, let me not experience the suffering of this death that awaits me on the cross, yet not as I will, but as you will."

In verse 42, he prays much the same thing: "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." Again, Jesus uses this metaphor of the cup and drinking a second time to describe his suffering. Again, Jesus entrusts himself to God's will, not his own desire at this particular point in time. In verse 44, we aren't told what he prayed the third time. Yet, we know what he prayed, "He went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again." That is, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."

This was not easy for Jesus. Jesus was in great peril. Luke said that he was sweating great drops of blood (Luke 22:44). I think that this is because the "cup" means a bit more than mere suffering. I told you in the introduction that the Bible speaks about a literal drinking "cup" some 40 times in the Bible. Yet, in the Bible, a "cup" is used metaphorically some 19 times (by my count). Most often, it refers to the cup of God's wrath, that is pictured as being poured out in judgment. This is my second point. We have seen 1. The Cup of Suffering. Now, we see:

2. The Cup of Wrath

This is what so troubled Jesus. Not merely the suffering that Jesus would face, but the wrath of God that he would experience upon the cross. Let me show you this in the Old Testament. The best place to start is with a few Psalms. Turn with me to Psalm 11. This Psalm speaks about how the LORD is in his holy temple (verse 4) and how he will test the children of men (verse 4). Look at verse 5,

Psalm 11:5-6
The LORD tests the righteous,
    but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
Let him rain coals on the wicked;
    fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.

Here you see what the wicked will receive. They will receive a cup of wrath for their evil. It's awful. It's like the fire and sulfur that came upon Sodom and Gomorrah.

Let's look at another Psalm. Turn with me to Psalm 75. This is a Psalm of judgment. It's a Psalm of certain judgment. The LORD says in verse 2, "I will judge with equity." When the Psalmist comes to describe the judgment, he uses this "cup" language. Look at verse 8,

Psalm 75:8
For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup
    with foaming wine, well mixed,
and he pours out from it,
    and all the wicked of the earth
    shall drain it down to the dregs.

That's the cup of wrath that the Old Testament talks about. The picture is of wine that is poured out like blood upon the rebellious, who don't repent, but keep their wicked ways. The cup of wrath is not pleasant.

Let's look at one more Old Testament passage: Jeremiah 25. So, turn there if you will. In this chapter, Jeremiah is prophesying of the 70 years that Judah will be in exile in Babylon. It will be a hard time for them. But he gives them hope about his vengeance that he will take upon Babylon. It's a little bit like God promising those in Ukraine, who are experiencing a Russian invasion, to the loss of many lives, that he will punish Russia for all of the evil that they have done.

Look at Jeremiah 25, verses 12-14. In these verses, God declares the devastation that he will bring upon the nations.

Jeremiah 25:12-14
Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the LORD, making the land an everlasting waste. I will bring upon that land all the words that I have uttered against it, everything written in this book, which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. For many nations and great kings shall make slaves even of them, and I will recompense them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.

Beginning in verse 15, the LORD describes this devastation as a cup of wrath.

Jeremiah 25:15-16
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 I send you drink it. They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of the sword that I am sending among them."

This is the cup of God's wrath. Notice how this cup is associated with "the sword," that is the war and death that the LORD will bring upon those nations that have rebelled against him. Verses 17-26 speak about the cup of wrath poured out against all nations. "So I took the cup from the LORD's hand, and made all the nations to whom the LORD sent me drink it" (Jeremiah 25:17). There is a list of all the cities and nations that will drink this cup of wrath: Judah, Egypt, Uz, the land of the Philistines, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Sidon, Dedan, Tema, Buz, various kings of Arabia, Zimri, Elam, and Media. Finally (in verse 26), "Babylon shall drink."

Then verse 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.'" Again, it's military language, as the LORD will destroy these nations. It will surely come to pass. Verse 28, "And if they refuse to accept the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: You must drink! For behold, I begin to work disaster at the city that is called by my name, and shall you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth, declares the LORD of hosts.'"

This is the cup of wrath that was spoken of in the Old Testament. A cup of judgment. A cup of devastation. When Jesus says, "Shall I not drink this cup?" he had this "Cup of Wrath" in mind. It was a cup of judgment that he was about to drink. This is a bit stronger than the Webster's definition: "something that falls to one's lot." No, this is something awful and devastating that is falling to the lot of Jesus. It's God's wrath poured out against him. It's why Jesus was so troubled on that night, as he knew of the awfulness of God's wrath that would come upon him in drinking the cup of the cross. This language of the cup of wrath also comes in Isaiah (51) and in Ezekiel (23) and in Habakkuk (2) and Zechariah (12). But I don't think that I need to dwell more in the Old Testament upon this theme. I trust you feel how awful it is.

But the cup of wrath also comes in the New Testament, at the end of Revelation. Turn with me to Revelation, chapter 16. This chapter describes the "bowls of the wrath of God." It may not be a "cup," but the imagery is the same: a drinking vessel, filled with God's wrath, that is poured out upon the rebellious. Look at the very first verse of the chapter.

Revelation 16:1
Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God."

I won't take the time to read of the horrors of the first six bowls, but they describe the awful judgment that will come upon those who don't trust in Jesus. But I will read about the seventh.

Revelation 16:17-21
The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, "It is done!" And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.

This is awful! A devastating storm with a great earthquake, that flattens the earth. Giant hailstones falling from heaven and crushing people. But this is 2. The Cup of Wrath. This is what was on the mind of Jesus, as he thought of drinking this cup. He was thinking of going to the cross, where he would bear the wrath of God that our sins deserved in his body on the cross! This is why Jesus was dripping drops of blood in the garden of Gethsemane, because he was about to face the cup of the wrath of God upon the cross for us.

He, the innocent one, was to bear the punishment that we deserved! "But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:5-6). "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13). "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God" (Romans 5:8-9).

Yes, the cross was good for us who believe. But it was awful for Jesus! Upon the cross, Jesus bore the wrath of God in our place. That's what Jesus was talking about when he said, "Shall I not drink the cup?"

Now, there's another cup in the Scripture. It's not all bad. We have seen 1. The Cup of Suffering and 2. The Cup of Wrath. Let's consider now:

3. The Cup of Salvation

This is a cup of blessing that God will bring to those who believe and trust in Christ. Part of this is shown in Psalm 23.

Psalm 23:1-6
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
   He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
    He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
    forever.

This is the cup of blessing that comes to the one who is trusting in the LORD. David views his life as a cup that is filled and overflowing with the goodness and the blessing of God. This can be true of all of you as well. When the LORD is your shepherd, you need not fear when evil comes your ways, because you are safe in the hands of God. The LORD will be kind to you. The LORD will show his favor toward you. The LORD will sustain you.

This cup of blessing is called "the cup of salvation" in Psalm 116. Listen to verses 12-14.

Psalm 116:12-14
What shall I render to the LORD
    for all his benefits to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
    and call on the name of the LORD.
I will pay my vows to the LORD
    in the presence of all his people.

This is the blessing of following and trusting in the LORD. What can I give to him? I will simply call upon him and serve him!

Now, in our message, we come full circle. We come back to Jesus. We come back to Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed. Let's look at this account in the book of Luke. So, turn with me to the book of Luke, and chapter 22. Beginning in verse 14, Luke describes the scene at the Last Supper. Jesus was eager to eat it with his disciples.

Luke 22:14-15
And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer."

Certainly, Jesus was eager, in part because of the festivities surrounding this meal. The Passover celebration was like our Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter celebrations all wrapped into one. But I think that the better reason is because he would transform the holiday from being a celebration about Moses and the LORD's work of redemption from slavery in Egypt, to being the way that we will remember the work of Jesus to redeem us from our sins! Pertaining to my message this morning, I think that Jesus was eager to eat the meal because he was bringing the cup of salvation to the meal.

Then, Jesus says that this will be his "Last Supper." "For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God" (Luke 22:16). Jesus chose this to be his last meal. Those scheduled for execution are often given an opportunity to request a last meal. They may request steak or shrimp or even McDonald's, fast food, which those in prison don't get to enjoy. I remember reading of one man who requested ice cream for his last meal. This meal that Jesus celebrated is different than the meal that we will celebrate at the end of our service. We will eat a little bit of bread. We will drink from a tiny plastic cup. But Jesus and the disciples were feasting! At various points in the feast, they would raise their drinks, and drink to God! "And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, 'Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes'" (Luke 22:17-18). This was one of them. Jesus had told them that he would not eat until the kingdom of God comes (in verse 16). Here (in verse 18), Jesus says that he will not drink again until the kingdom of God comes.

Then, in verse 19 comes the big reveal. "And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.'" The big reveal is that Jesus is changing this holiday. For 1400 years, the Passover feast was about remembering Moses, and the redemption that he brought about in leading the Jews out of slavery in Egypt. But now, Jesus changes the holiday. Jesus said, "On this night, celebrate me! Eat in remembrance of me!" We eat the bread and drink the cup to remember the salvation that Jesus has provided for us. "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24). "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit" (1 Peter 3:18).

But this morning, I want for you to look especially at verse 20,

Luke 22:20
And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood."

Here's the cup! This is the cup that Jesus was about to experience. Yes, it was "The Cup of Suffering." Jesus would die a painful and shameful death upon the cross. Yes, it was "The Cup of Wrath," where Jesus, in dying, didn't just die for himself. Rather, Jesus died for us in our place. He, the innocent one, took our punishment for us. We were the guilty ones, who get to go free, because Jesus paid the price for our sins upon the cross. It was also "The Cup of Salvation." It was all three of these things at the same time. Yet they were all separate. It was a "Trinitarian Cup."

It was "The Cup of Suffering" in that Jesus physically suffered. It was "The Cup of Wrath" in that Jesus suffered spiritually. It was "The Cup of Salvation" in that Jesus provides salvation for us.

Now, more particularly, Jesus said, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood" (Luke 22:20). This refers back to Jeremiah 31, in which God promised to do a new thing for his people.

Jeremiah 31:31-34
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

This cup is the symbol of that new covenant!

It was the cup that the Father had given to him. "Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?" This was all according to the plan of God in sending his son. Jesus was sent to earth to die for our sins, that whoever believe in him will not perish but have eternal life.

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on February 8, 2026 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.