But
I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Matthew 26:29-30
Matthew 26 [25.] Judas, who betrayed him, answered, “It isn’t me, is it, Rabbi?”
He said to him, “You said it.”
Matthew 26 [26.] As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, “All of you drink it, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins. But I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Matthew 26 [31.] Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of me tonight, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee.”
Meaning:
Jesus has just given the bread and the cup a new meaning: “this is my body” and “this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28). Now he looks beyond the cross to a future feast, and the meal closes with a hymn as Jesus leads his disciples out into the night. Mark records the same words (Mark 14:25-26).
- “I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on”
“Fruit of the vine” was the traditional phrase used in the Jewish blessing over wine. Several cups were drunk during the Passover meal. Jesus solemnly declares that this is his last meal before his death. In a few hours he would be arrested, and the next day crucified. His words show that he knows exactly what lies ahead, and he goes to it willingly.
- “until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s Kingdom”
This is a promise of reunion. Jesus’ farewell is not final. The phrase “with you” is found only in Matthew, and it assures the disciples that they will share the coming Kingdom with him. The prophets and Jesus himself pictured the age to come as a great banquet. Jesus had said, “many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 8:11). Every time the Lord’s Supper is shared, it looks back to the cross and forward to that day. Paul wrote, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). Jesus calls it “my Father’s Kingdom.” Even on the night of betrayal he speaks with confidence about his relationship with the Father and the triumph to come.
- “When they had sung a hymn”
The Passover meal ended with the singing of the second part of the Hallel, Psalms 113 to 118. So the last words Jesus sang with his disciples before his arrest were probably from Psalm 118: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner” (Psalm 118:22), and “Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever” (Psalm 118:1). Jesus had applied that “rejected stone” verse to himself only days earlier (Matthew 21:42). To sing praise on the way to suffering shows a heart at rest in God. Paul and Silas did the same in prison at Philippi (Acts 16:25-26).
- “they went out to the Mount of Olives”
The Mount of Olives rises east of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley. Jesus had spent his nights there during that week (Luke 21:37), so Judas knew where to find him. The place had a history. When David fled from his son Absalom, betrayed by his trusted counsellor Ahithophel, he “went up by the ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up” (2 Samuel 15:30). Now the Son of David climbed the same hill, betrayed by a friend. The prophet Zechariah also spoke of the day when the Lord’s “feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives” (Zechariah 14:4).
The Significance of Matthew 26:29-30
- The Lord’s Supper is full of hope
Communion is not only a memorial of death. It is a pledge that Jesus will return and that his people will share his table in the Kingdom. Each time believers take the cup they look forward to drinking it “anew” with him.
- Praise in the dark hour
Jesus sang before Gethsemane. Worship is not only for good days. Singing God’s faithfulness in times of fear and grief strengthens faith and turns our eyes to the Lord who “is good.”
- Walking willingly into God’s will
Jesus did not hide. He went out to the place where he could be found, knowing what was coming. His obedience invites us to follow God’s will even when it leads through hardship.
Cross-References:
Mark 14:25-26: "I will no more drink of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it anew in God’s Kingdom." Mark’s account of the same promise.
1 Corinthians 11:26: "You proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes." The Supper looks forward to his return.
Psalm 118:22: "The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner." From the Hallel psalms sung at Passover.
2 Samuel 15:30: "David went up by the ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up." The betrayed king on the same hill.
Conclusion: Matthew 26:29-30 records Jesus’ promise at the Last Supper that he would not drink the fruit of the vine again until he drinks it anew with his disciples in his Father’s Kingdom. After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. The passage joins the sorrow of the coming cross with the sure hope of the Kingdom, and shows Jesus walking willingly, with praise, toward his suffering.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible