Passover and the Cup of Wrath

All of us believe that Christ died for our sin and that He was crucified for our iniquities. He is our Passover Sacrifice as mentioned by Paul in 1Cor 5:7. It is rare for a Christian to think about the suffering He went through, and not feel his or her eyes tear up. But looking past the physical torture He endured, I wondered why Mark mentions Pilate marvelling about Yeshua dying so soon. Was the pains of crucifixion not enough? I believe that the agony of the cross was only the tip of the iceberg.

God’s Fury and Wrath
A Holy and Just God cannot let sin go unpunished as the Apostle Paul says in Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness”. His Wrath is equated to a cup in many passages that He would let those who dwell in iniquity, drink.

Rev 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
Jer 25:15 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.
Job 21:20 His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
Psa 75:8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.
Isa 51:17 Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.
Rev 14:9,10 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

Yeshua and the Cup
If all who dwell in iniquity would need to drink of the Cup of Wrath/Fury of the LORD, should we also not drink from the same? But it says that Christ bore our grief, carried our sorrows, that he was wounded for our transgressions, and was bruised for our iniquities. He was chastised to bring us “Shalom”(Isa 53:4,5). Then it is a simple fact that He would have had to drink the Wine of Wrath and Fury which proceeded from the Father, in our stead. In fact we see the “Cup” playing a significant part in His Death on Passover.

Yeshua asked that the Cup pass from Him if it is the Fathers Will
Christ in His human form, struggles with having to drink the Cup of Wrath which was rightfully ours, but bows to the Father’s Will.
Mat 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
Mat 26:42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

Yeshua said that He will surely drink of the Cup that God has given Him
By the time He gives himself to the band of men headed by Judas, He is firm in His decision of Drinking the Cup that the Father has handed over to the Son.
Joh 18:11 Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

Yeshua did not drink of the vinegar that would numb the pain
Christ refuses to drink the wine which would help with the pain as given below.
Mat 27:34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
Mar 15:23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.

But why did He then take the Vinegar at the Moment of Death?
Joh 19:28-30 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

As we see above Yeshua knows that He has exhausted the Wrath of God on the Cross, and knowing this He receives the Vinegar just before He breathes His last breath proclaiming “IT IS FINISHED”!

What is Finished?
The words “It is Finished” being said after He tastes the bitter Vinegar, in my mind brings us back to the Cup of Wrath which the Father had handed the Son, the Cup that He had set out to drink, and was His ultimate goal on this earth. He had drunk it to the last drop… the last drop that was meant for me and for you – We are surely alive, because “It – the Cup of Wrath/Fury is Finished”.