Blessing, Cup of
Paul's Use of the Term
In 1 Corinthians 10:16, Paul writes: 'The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?' This phrase: 'the cup of blessing', is a technical term borrowed directly from Jewish liturgical practice and applied to the cup used in the Lord's Supper. Paul uses it to establish a profound connection between the communion cup and the sacrifice of Christ, arguing that sharing this cup creates a genuine spiritual participation in Christ's atoning work.
Jewish Background: The Passover Cups
In Jewish Passover tradition, four cups of wine were consumed during the seder meal, each associated with a specific moment in the liturgy. The third cup, drunk after the meal, was known as the 'cup of blessing' because the host pronounced a blessing (berakah) over it, giving thanks to God. This was the cup over which a formal prayer of thanksgiving was offered, making it the most liturgically significant cup of the evening. Most scholars believe Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper using this third cup at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:27-28; Mark 14:23-24).
The Blessing and Thanksgiving
The phrase 'cup of blessing that we bless' involves a double emphasis on blessing. The cup is called 'the cup of blessing' (its liturgical name), and 'we bless' it (we offer thanksgiving over it). In Jewish practice, blessing God was the act of acknowledging His goodness and provision. When Paul says 'we bless,' he means the Christian community offers thanks to God over the cup, consecrating it through prayer. This act of thanksgiving transforms ordinary wine into a vehicle of spiritual communion.
Participation in Christ's Blood
Paul's key theological point is that the cup of blessing creates genuine 'participation' (Greek: koinonia) in the blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16). The word koinonia means fellowship, sharing, or communion, it implies a real, substantive connection, not merely a symbolic remembrance. By drinking from the cup of blessing, believers share in the benefits of Christ's sacrifice: forgiveness, reconciliation, and covenant relationship with God.
The Context of Paul's Argument
Paul invokes the cup of blessing in 1 Corinthians 10 to warn against participation in pagan feasts. His argument is that just as the communion cup creates real fellowship with Christ, eating food offered at idol temples creates fellowship with demons (1 Corinthians 10:20-21). The two are incompatible. This reasoning depends on the cup of blessing being more than a mere memorial, it establishes an actual spiritual bond between the believer and Christ.
From Passover to Communion
The cup of blessing beautifully illustrates how Jesus fulfilled and transformed Jewish worship practices. What had been a cup of thanksgiving for deliverance from Egypt became a cup of thanksgiving for deliverance from sin. The blood of the Passover lamb that protected Israel's firstborn (Exodus 12:13) found its fulfillment in the blood of Christ that provides eternal salvation. Every time Christians share the cup of blessing, they participate in this continuity between old and new covenants.
Biblical Context
The cup of blessing appears in 1 Corinthians 10:16 within Paul's discussion of the Lord's Supper and its incompatibility with pagan worship. The concept connects to the Last Supper accounts in Matthew 26:27-28, Mark 14:23-24, Luke 22:20, and Paul's own institution narrative in 1 Corinthians 11:25. It draws on the Passover tradition described in Exodus 12.
Theological Significance
The cup of blessing teaches that the Lord's Supper is more than a memorial, it is a genuine participation (koinonia) in Christ's sacrificial death. Paul's use of this Jewish liturgical term anchors Christian communion in the Passover tradition while transforming its meaning. The cup creates real spiritual fellowship with Christ and with fellow believers, making it incompatible with any form of idol worship or spiritual compromise.
Historical Background
The Passover seder, as practiced in the late Second Temple period, included four cups of wine at prescribed intervals. The third cup, known as the 'cup of blessing,' followed the meal and was accompanied by the Birkat Hamazon (grace after meals). Rabbinic literature discusses the proper procedures for blessing this cup. The early church understood its communion practice as rooted in this Passover context, though it gradually developed its own distinctive liturgical forms.