the cup of wrath

April 10, 2019

The stressful baptism to come (Lk 12:50-12:50)

“I have a baptism

With which

To be baptized.

What stress

I am under,

Until it is completed!”  

 

βάπτισμα δὲ ἔχω βαπτισθῆναι, καὶ πῶς συνέχομαι ἕως ὅτου τελεσθῇ.  

 

Luke indicated that Jesus said that he had a baptism (βάπτισμα δὲ ἔχω) with which he was to be baptized (βαπτισθῆναι).  He was under a lot of stress (καὶ πῶς συνέχομαι) until it was completed or finished (ἕως ὅτου τελεσθῇ).  This was one of the few times that Jesus mentioned anything about his stress or distress.  There is something similar to this in Mark, chapter 10:28, but slightly different.  There Jesus asked his disciples if they were able to drink the cup that he was about to drink.  The idea of a cup as suffering or the cup of wrath could be found among the major prophets.  Jesus then asked them if they were ready to be baptized with the baptism that he was going to undergo (ἢ τὸ βάπτισμα ὃ ἐγὼ βαπτίζομαι βαπτισθῆναι)?  This baptism was a form of suffering, probably a reference to his future passion and suffering of his death.  Do you consider baptism a time of stress?

December 3, 2016

The cup of wrath (Jer 25:15-25:17)

“Thus Yahweh,

The God of Israel,

Said to me.

‘Take from my hand

This cup

Of the wine of wrath!

Make all the nations

To whom I send you,

Drink it!

They shall drink.

They shall stagger.

They shall go out of their minds

Because of the sword

That I am sending among them.’

So I took the cup

From Yahweh’s hand.

I made all the nations,

To whom Yahweh

Sent me,

Drink it.”

This is sort of an introduction to Jeremiah’s oracles against the various nations. However, there will be more to come later in this work. Yahweh wanted Jeremiah to take a cup of wine that was the cup of wrath from his hand. Yahweh then told Jeremiah to make all the countries that he would send him to, drink from this cup. After they drank from it, they would stagger and go out of their minds. He then would send a sword to them. Thus Jeremiah, as usual, did what Yahweh had asked him to do. He took the cup to the various countries that Yahweh sent him. Then he made them drink from this cup of wrath. This sounds like a difficult task to carry around this wine cup of wrath.

September 22, 2016

The time of the cup of wrath is over (Isa 51:21-51:23)

“Therefore hear this!

You who are wounded!

You who are drunk!

But not with wine!

Thus says your Lord!

Yahweh!

Your God pleads

The cause of his people.

‘See!

I have taken from your hand

The cup of staggering.

I have taken from your hand

The bowl of my wrath.

You shall drink no more.

I will put it into the hand

Of your tormentors.

They have said to you.

‘Bow down!

Thus we may walk on you.’

You have made your back

Like the ground,

Like the street

For them to walk on.”

Second Isaiah has Yahweh end his wrath towards the Israelites. They had been wounded and drunk, but not from wine. Now Yahweh, the Lord, was going to take their staggering ways away. There would be no more drinking from the cup of wrath. Yahweh was going to take away this bowl so that he could give this bowl of wrath to their tormentors, who now would have to drink from this angry cup. These tormentors had made them bow down so that they could walk over their backs. They were like street coverings so that these oppressors could walk all over them without getting their feet dirty.