Luke 22:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The phrase "I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes" has been interpreted by some saints to signify the moment of resurrection. After His resurrection, when He interacted with His disciples, He shared food and drink with them, as noted by Peter in his address to Cornelius, who said, "who ate and drank with Him, after His resurrection from the dead" (Acts 10:41). It is clear that the resurrection signifies the arrival of the kingdom of God, as it represents the defeat of death. From Adam to Christ, death held dominion, but since Christ's victory, it has been vanquished, and the kingdom has been granted to the Lord, as it is written, "Death, where is thy victory?" (Hos. 13:15). David proclaims, "The Lord reigneth" (Ps.

In this instance, Christ proclaims a significant and enigmatic truth, the understanding of which He reveals to us. It is His practice to identify ‘the kingdom of heaven’ with righteousness through faith, purification through sacred baptism, and the active engagement of the Holy Spirit, along with spiritual worship made possible through adherence to the gospel. These elements serve as pathways for us to partake in the promises and to reign alongside Christ. Therefore, He states, ‘I will no more approach such a passover as this,’ referring to the traditional meal, for the lamb of the flock was sacrificed as a foreshadowing of the true Lamb. He declares, ‘until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God,’ meaning until the advent during which the kingdom of heaven is proclaimed.

In the sixty-fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, one should seek an understanding of the phrase, "I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of this vine until the day when I drink new (wine) with you in my Father's kingdom." By examining this in its entirety, one can uncover the details surrounding its meaning.

At a different moment, He can no longer partake in the Passover lamb with His cherished disciples as He once did, for His imminent sacrifice approaches. While He will observe the Passover with them, it will be in the realm of God’s kingdom, until they depart from this world, prior to the fulfillment of the symbolical Passover, until the true, everlasting Passover is unveiled. The Jewish Passover commemorates the execution of the firstborn in Egypt and the liberation of Israel (Ex. 11, Ex. 12).

Before evening, the Lord arrived at this residence accompanied by all His disciples. When the moment arrived, He initiated the meal, likely in accordance with the traditional rituals of Passover. "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer," He stated initially. "I will not partake of it again until the true Passover occurs, along with the complete revelation of the kingdom of God." Following established practice, He expressed gratitude to His Father, who had liberated His people from Egypt with mighty power, over the cup of wine. He passed the cup to His disciples, instructing them to share it amongst themselves, and reiterated that He would not drink from the vine again until the kingdom of God was established.

The Hebrew text clearly refers to the initial cup that marks the beginning of the Passover celebration. In this context, Christ reveals His heartfelt desire to share this particular Passover meal with His disciples, understanding that it signifies the final Passover of the Old Covenant He will partake in with them. Soon, the prophetic significance of this event will be actualized, leading to the manifestation of God's kingdom, the reign of the Messiah. In this kingdom, believers will enter into communion with their Savior by receiving the true essence of this foreshadowing—by consuming the body and blood of Christ.

In speaking to His disciples, Jesus expressed His deep desire to share in the final Old Testament Passover meal with them prior to His impending suffering, declaring that He would not partake in it again until it was completely realized in the Kingdom of God. Furthermore, He stated that He would refrain from drinking the fruit of the vine until the day He rejoiced with them in the new wine in His Father's Kingdom. John Chrysostom interprets these words as Jesus’ prophetic statement to the Apostles regarding His post-Resurrection fellowship, where He would eat and drink with them to affirm His genuine Resurrection. Bishop Michael views this as a sacramental declaration within the context of a sacramental dialogue.

“I will not partake of it,” signifies that this is our final consumption of the Passover lamb. It was merely a symbol, a foreshadowing of the genuine Lamb, the Messiah, the Son of God; shortly, this shadow will fade, and the Lamb of God will eradicate the sins of all humanity. The authentic Passover will then be realized in the Kingdom of God, replacing the consumption of this temporal Passover with the partaking of the true Paschal Lamb, which involves receiving His body and blood. - 'Until': refer to the notes on Matthew 1:23, Matthew 26:29.