Verse 27 says, “And taking the cup and giving thanks, He gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you.” The bread is mentioned before the cup because God’s eternal purpose is not to have redemption. It is to have the Body of Christ. Therefore, the bread as the symbol of the Body of Christ comes first. Nevertheless, we need to be reminded that as sinners we have the problem of sin and that the Lord Jesus shed His blood to cleanse us. His blood has made a complete redemption for us so that all our sins might be forgiven.
The Lord’s blood redeemed us from our fallen condition back to God and back to God’s full blessing. Concerning the Lord’s table (1 Cor. 10:21), the bread signifies our participation in life, and the cup, our enjoyment of God’s blessing. Hence, it is called the cup of blessing (1 Cor. 10:16). In this cup are all the blessings of God and even God Himself as our portion (Psa. 16:5). In Adam our portion was the cup of God’s wrath (Rev. 14:10). Christ has drunk that cup for us (John 18:11), and His blood has constituted the cup of salvation for us (Psa. 116:13), the cup that runs over (Psa. 23:5). By partaking of this cup we also have the fellowship of the blood of Christ (1 Cor. 10:16).
Verse 28 says, “For this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” The fruit of the vine (v. 29) within the cup of the Lord’s table is also a symbol, signifying the Lord’s blood shed on the cross for our sins. His blood was required by God’s righteousness for the forgiveness of our sins (Heb. 9:22).
Some manuscripts insert the word “new” before the word “covenant” in verse 28. The Lord’s blood, having satisfied God’s righteousness, enacted the new covenant. In this new covenant, God gives us forgiveness, life, salvation, and all spiritual, heavenly, and divine blessings. When this new covenant is given to us, it is a cup (Luke 22:20), a portion for us. The Lord shed the blood, God established the covenant, and we enjoy the cup, in which God and all that is of Him are our portion. The blood is the price Christ paid for us, the covenant is the title deed God made to us, and the cup is the portion we receive from God.
Verse 29 says, “And I say to you, I will by no means drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in the kingdom of My Father.” By speaking this word, the Lord made it clear that from the time He established the table He would be physically away from the disciples and not drink the fruit of the vine with them until He drinks it new with them in the Father’s kingdom. This is the heavenly part of the millennium, the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, in which the Lord will drink with us after His coming back.
Verse 30 says, “And having sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” This hymn was a praise to the Father by the Lord with the disciples after the Lord’s table. It is based upon this verse that we sing praises to the Father at the end of the Lord’s table.