It’s Thursday. Jesus ate His final Passover meal with His followers. When He broke the matzoh, the unleavened bread, He said, “This is My body which is given for you…” Then He lifted a cup, choosing the third cup of the Passover Seder, called the Redemption Cup. He said, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.” (Luke 22:20) This signified the shedding of His blood for the redemption of mankind. “In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” (Ephesians 1:7)

After the meal, Jesus went to the nearby Garden of Gethsemane. He prayed about yet another cup, one He would drink alone. “He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.’” This was “the wine of the wrath of God,” poured full-strength into the cup of His judgment. The penalty for every sin, every failure, and every transgression of mankind was in that cup. He would drink that cup on the cross, so we would never have to.