A JEWISH PHRASE , “L’chaim,” used at celebrations such as festivals, or marriages. On the surface, it simply means “To life!” But it contains within it the unexpressed yet conscious thoughts of the complexities of life. Life’s journey is one of many opposing forces. There is sorrow, and there is joy. There is love, and there is indifference. There is anger, and there is forgiveness. There is pride, and there is brokenness. And there is sin, and where there is sin, there is need for repentance. And all of this is mixed into the cup held high to God, who is the one who fills the cup.
The cup is a metaphor for life, and all of life’s experiences. Paul warns, “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.” (1 Cor. 10:21) It is a warning that has ancient roots, reaching back into God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt. “Why arouse my anger, burning incense to other gods in Egypt, where you have come to live? You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves a curse.” (Jer. 44:8) The chosen people lived in the Promised Land, but still honored other gods.
God is a jealous God. “They made me jealous by what is no god and angered me with their worthless idols.” (Deut. 32:21) Indeed, the ultimate outpouring of God’s wrath, not just on ancient Israel, but on all the nations surrounding her, is prophesied in the Book of Jeremiah. “‘Drink, get drunk and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword I will send among you.’ But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink, tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it!’” (Jer. 25: 27-28; cf. Jer. 25:15-38)
What bearing do these ancient prophecies have on those who are Christ-followers? Aren’t we cleansed by the blood of Jesus, and through God’s mercy, don’t we live in a state of forgiveness? The distinction needs to be made between Christ-followers and those who claim to be. John issues a strong warning. “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” (1 John 3:6) There is a cautionary theme that works its way through all of the scriptures. In the N.T., Jesus severely warns, “No one can serve two masters.” (Matt. 6:24) These warnings extend to genuine believers in Jesus who somehow fall away, like the Israelites who still worshipped the gods of Egypt. “Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?” (Gal. 3:1-2)
The life of following Christ is from first to last a life of faith. But it is also a life of obedience. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” (James 1:22-24) Paul’s stern advice stands. “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” (2 Cor. 15:5)
Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10a) The devil always promises more than he delivers; whatever he gives, his objective is to take our life. Peter pleads with us, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Pet. 5:8)
The life that Jesus offers is one of a “good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over.” (Luke 6:38) Jesus embraced a life from God that was not without anxious thought. At Gethsemane, he prayed “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42) But he already knew of himself, his trials, and God’s love and protection through the scriptures. “My cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psa. 23:5-6)
We are the metaphor for the cup that is filled with life. Our bodies are a vessel for our own soul and for our spirit that is in union with the Spirit of God. Paul describes our lives as a “treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Cor. 4:7) When we celebrate life, when the cup is held high, there is no time when that cup is honoring life more than at the time of the Lord’s Supper. We remember that “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20)
Peter encourages us with these words: “His divine power has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature.” (2 Pet. 1:3-4) As we hold up our cups, we are asking God to fill us with joy despite sorrow, with revelation rather than merely knowledge, with hope despite failure, with assurance rather than doubt, and with trust rather than anxiety. Father, may our cups run over. L’chaim!
Q. Is my cup empty, half-empty, half-full, full, or overflowing?
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