"Jesus knew that by now everything had been completed; and in order to make the scripture come true, he said, "I am thirsty". A bowl was there, full of cheap wine; so a sponge was soaked in the wine, put on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted up to his lips. Jesus drank the wine and said, "It is finished!" Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." (John 19:28-30)

 

These words above are Jesus' last words on the cross according to John. Many Christians take these words "it is finished" as the place where Jesus redeems us. Yes we are redeemed, however this verse is not speaking as such to the redeemed, as He had not died or risen yet.

 

John 19:28 says that all things were accomplished, so we see that Jesus' earthly ministry was accomplished. However, just before Jesus announced it was completed, the last Scripture to fulfil was drinking the sour wine. When Jesus says "It is finished", he is referring to the Passover. To understand this more, we have to look at the Passover rituals of the Old Testament.

 

Ian the traditional Jewish Passover ritual, the meal was divided into parts - four parts are commonly said. Each cup of wine in each of the parts had a special meaning to it. In the Last Supper accounts, we mostly see the third part of the Passover meal, which consists of eating bitter herbs and partaking in the cup of wine. After eating, they take part in the third cup of wine, also known as the "cup of blessings". It is believed that it was at this time of the Passover that Jesus instituted the Eucharist. We get a hint by Paul's letter to the Corinthians that it's the 3rd Cup of wine, the cup of blessings that Jesus blesses ( see 1 Corinthians 10:16)

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After the 3rd cup of wine, traditionally the participants in the Passover celebration would sing a hymn, then go into the night's climax, the 4th and final part, with the 4th cup. However, when we read the last supper accounts, we notice something unusual; We discover that after they had sung a hymn, they retreated to the Mount of Olives (Mark 14:26). So the question is - did they have the fourth cup of wine or not? We get an idea that Jesus was not going to partake in the fourth cup of wine until he shares it with us in Heaven. (see Matthew 26:29)

 

We notice through Christ’s words that it is the Father’s will that He drinks this cup at the right time. (Matthew 26:42, John 18:11)

 

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