Matthew 26:27-28
26:27 a He gave thanks. The traditional blessing for the Passover cup was “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.” An early Christian variant is, “We give thanks to you, our Father, for the Holy Vine of David, your child, whom you made known to us through Jesus your child; glory be to you forever” (Didache 9.2).• The four cups of the Passover meal correspond to the fourfold promise of Exod 6:6-7 b, with two for deliverance, one for redemption (see Matt 26:27-28 c), and one for fellowship (see 26:29 d).
26:28 e the covenant: Under God’s covenant with Israel, the blood of sheep or goats (Exod 12:5 f, 13 g; 24:8 h) was shed and placed on the two doorposts and on the lintel at Passover (Exod 12:7 i). The blood of Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, establishes a new covenant (see Jer 31:31 j). The idea of the covenant is God’s unilateral commitment to establish salvation for mankind, fulfilling the promise to Abraham (see Gen 12 k; Gal 3:15-29 l; 4:12-31 m).
• to forgive the sins of many: Jesus shed his blood as a sacrifice for sin (see Jer 31:31-34 n; Mark 14:24 o). Some have understood many to refer only to God’s chosen people, while others have understood many to be an expression meaning “all” (cp. Matt 20:28 p).
Copyright information for
TNotes