Luke 22:18Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Or He says this, because after that Passover the Cross was at hand. But we find Him frequently prophesying of His own Passion, and desiring it to take place.

But how is our Lord said to sit down, whereas the Jews eat the Passover standing? They say, that when they had eaten the legal Passover, they sat down, according to the common custom, to eat their other food.

As soon as the disciples had prepared the Passover, they proceed to eat it; as it is said, And when the hour was come, &c.

He stated that He would no longer partake of this product of the vine until the kingdom of His Father, indicating the imminent moment of His departure from them. By saying “until the kingdom of My Father,” He referred to His resurrection. This is affirmed by Simon in the Acts of the Apostles, who noted that for forty days following His resurrection, we shared meals with Him, particularly on the first day of the week. Additionally, it is written that they shall not experience death before witnessing the kingdom of God, a promise fulfilled six days later.

The Cup

In His journey to endure suffering and proclaim the good news to Abraham and his followers regarding the opening of the inheritance, Christ gave thanks over the cup before partaking. He expressed His intention to share in the new fruit of the vine with His disciples, revealing two important truths: the promise of the earthly inheritance from which the new wine is enjoyed, and the bodily resurrection of His followers. The very flesh that will be resurrected at the end is the same that will partake in this new cup. It is not conceivable for Him to drink of the vineyard's produce while He is exalted alongside His own in a realm beyond the heavens. It is uniquely the flesh, rather than the spirit, that receives the drink from the vine; thus, those who partake do so in the flesh.

Hereby we may refute the folly of the Ebionites concerning the eating of flesh, seeing that our Lord eats the Passover of the Jews. Therefore He pointedly said, “This Passover,” that no one might transfer it to mean another.

Or else; When our Lord was celebrating the new Passover, He fitly said, With desire have I desired this Passover, that is, the new mystery of the New Testament which He gave to His disciples, and which many prophets and righteous men desired before Him. He then also Himself thirsting for the common salvation, delivered this mystery, to suffice for the whole world. But the Passover was ordained by Moses to be celebrated in one place, that is, in Jerusalem. Therefore it was not adapted for the whole world, and so was not desired.

By the hour of eating the Passover, He signifies the fourteenth day of the first month, far gone towards evening, the fifteenth moon just appearing on the earth.

During the Passover celebration, a cup of wine was traditionally served following the consumption of the lamb, symbolizing love and joy. The Saviour mirrors this practice to fulfill the ceremonial law, but He introduces a profound new concept as He offers the cup. He states, "I will not drink of the fruit of the vine till the kingdom of God come," or as St. Matthew clarifies, "I will not drink till the day when I drink new things with you in the kingdom of God" (Matthew 26:29).

In the evening, the Lord arrived at this home accompanied by all His disciples. When the moment arrived, He initiated the meal, likely following the customary rites of Passover. “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer,” were His opening words. “I will not partake of it again until the true Passover arrives, with the complete revelation of the kingdom of God” (Luke 22:15-16). Following tradition, He offered thanks to His Father, who had liberated His people from the bondage of Egypt with mighty power, over a cup of wine. He passed this cup to His disciples and instructed them to share it among themselves, reiterating that He would not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God is fulfilled (Luke 17-18).

In this context, it is clear that the Hebrew text refers to the initial cup that begins the celebration of the Passover. Here, Christ expresses a profound longing to share this specific Passover meal with His disciples, as it marks the final observance of the Old Testament Passover that He would celebrate with them. Soon, the significance of this meal will come to fruition, leading to the revelation of the kingdom of God—the Messianic kingdom—where believers will experience communion with their Lord through the very essence of this foreshadowing. They will partake of the body and blood of Christ.

Jesus expressed a strong desire to share this final Passover meal with His disciples prior to His impending suffering, highlighting that He would not partake of it again until it was complete in God's Kingdom. Similarly, He stated that He would not drink from the fruit of the vine until the day He would share new wine with them in His Father’s Kingdom. John Chrysostom interprets these statements as Jesus foreshadowing that, following His Resurrection, He would dine and drink with the Apostles to confirm the reality of His Resurrection. Bishop Michael considers this to be sacramental language within a sacramental conversation.

I will refrain from drinking, etc.; this will be my final meal with you until the kingdom of God is established through my resurrection. Refer to the note on Matthew 26:29.