Exodus 6:6-7 (New King James Version)

6 Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

What I want to bring to our minds this morning is the scene of the Last Supper. Jesus was in the upper room with His disciples to conduct the Passover meal. This ceremonial meal has many parts, but Jesus pulls two of them out and institutes what we celebrate every week. At the beginning of the meal, the host would take three pieces of unleavened bread. He would break the second one, and then take the broken piece and put it in a cloth bag. The bag is then hidden until after the main course. During the Passover meal, or seder, there are four times when a cup of wine was drank, and those times were based on the verse we just read. The cups were from “I will bring you out” at the beginning, then “I will rescue you” before the main meal, then “I will redeem you” after the meal and finally “I will take you” at the end of the ceremony.
Let’s pick up the narrative in Luke 22 verse 19: 19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

We can see that Jesus is saying these things after the main course, or supper is completed. He is taking the bread that was broken, wrapped in cloth, and then hidden, and giving it new significance. From now on, this bread, which is called “the bread of affliction” would remind them of the affliction that Jesus bore for their sins.

Since Luke records that the cup was “likewise” raised after supper, that means the cup he raised was the cup of redemption. Well wine is produced from grape juice that is made with a winepress. The grapes are crushed, not in the sense of the breaking of bones (which we know did not happen to Jesus), but in the sense of the weight being applied as pressure on the grapes and causing the juice to flow.

The winepress is symbolic in prophetic scriptures of the wrath of God. Isaiah 53:5 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.”

As Jesus was on the cross and the weight of our sin and the wrath of God was brought to bear, He was crushed for our iniquities and his blood flowed forth. 1 Peter 1:18 – 19 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
As we partake of these emblems on the Lords Day, let us reflect on the price that was paid for our redemption. Think of the weight our sin and the wrath of God for that sin that he endured in our place. And let us praise God for the love that has been shown to us in the sacrifice of His Son.

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