The Cup He Drank; The Cup We Drink

Fourth Sunday in Lent

March 30, 2014

Matthew 20

The Cup He Drank; The Cup We Drink

In the name of Jesus.

I.

Why so mad?

Why were the other disciples so angry with James and John? We could try and take their indignation in the best way and think that they were upset that James and John would be thinking about seating charts when Jesus was talking about His own death.

However, the truth is much more likely that they were angry because James and John and their mom had cut ahead of them in line. Jesus had just told them that they would be seated around Him.

Matthew 19:28

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

So they were not angry at the question itself; they were mad that they hadn't asked Jesus the exact same question first!

Strangely the only person who wasn't upset was the one person who should have been: Jesus. They had missed the point completely (again), yet Jesus is mercifully still teaching them why He had come. He had come and the time was near at hand to drink His cup.

II.

The Cup He Drank

Jesus' cup was a bitter one. The all-powerful ever-active Ruler of the universe, the One who keeps all galaxies and quarks and atoms spinning, is going to be passive. His enemies will act against Him and He will remain quiet.

Matthew 20:18-19

The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death. Then they will hand Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified, and He will be resurrected on the third day.

All the verbs reveal how Jesus took His cup: He will be handed over, He will be condemned, He will be handed over again, He will be mocked, He will be flogged, and He will be crucified. This is how He drank His cup, passively, quietly, obediently.

III.

The Ingredients of His Cup

Where did His cup come from? What was in it? The pride of the disciples was in it, wickedly fighting over who was the best of the bunch.

Our pride is in His cup also. Like the disciples, it is always easy to point out pride in others. But isn't it pride that assumes that we aren't proud? When your wife accuses you of being too proud, do you become defensive? Do you go on the offensive and point out her sins, so that your contribution to Jesus' cup is forgotten? Children, when your dad points out your pride when you refuse to obey him, do you scream and shout? Do you run and pout? That's pride because you know better than he does. Pride is a bitter cup. And Jesus drank our sinful pride for us.

IV.

The Cup We Drink

Jesus' cup is the cross. And He drank it to the last dregs, to the last drop. And now He calls you to drink your cup. Dead men tell no tales and drink no drink. But the Spirit has called you by the Gospel and now you are alive. For the living, drinking is one of the most important things that you do.

For the living Christian, Jesus calls you to drink your cup, which is like His. He calls you to carry your cross.

Mark 8:34

If anyone wants to be My follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.

Drink your cup. Take your lumps. When your wife accuses you of pride, you'd better assume that she's right. Take it like a man and ask for forgiveness. Don't rationalize. Don't make excuses. Don't bring up her contributions to Jesus' cup. So what if she's bringing up your sins to avoid her own. She's still right. And when you aren't defensive about your own pride, you may give her breathing room to be honest about her own. Bear your cross to help her bear hers.

Drink your cup, kids. When your dad punishes you for not listening, don't shout or pout. Say that you're sorry and then listen to him and do what he says. Dads don't always know what they're doing, and they do make bad calls (your brother probably was the one who started it) but your dad is trying to help you. And when your dad asks you for your forgiveness for losing his temper, don't despise him. Thank God that you have a dad who knows what it is to forgive and to be forgiven. He is drinking his cup by bearing the cross of a father. Drink yours by bearing the cross of a child.

V.

A Family Cup

Jesus and His followers are a family. And families fight. We fight about who's the best. He drank your cup of pride. He forgives us for the sake of the cup He drank. By drinking He has brought you into His family and made His Father in heaven, your Father. And You now give us food and drink, Your Body and Blood, as we gather as Your family at Your supper table to be fed. You put the food and drink in our mouths like a dear father feeding his dear little children. And that is what we will always be, seated around You now and in eternity.

In the name of the Father

and of the † Son

and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.