The Cup of Elijah: A Symbol of Waiting and Yearning
One of the more poignant moments of the Passover seder comes at the end of the order of service. The order itself includes the telling of the story of the Exodus, and partaking of traditional elements which give us a sensory experience of the bitterness of slavery and the sweetness of redemption. We also drink from and refill four cups of wine.
The four cups are to sanctify the service, recall the plagues in Egypt, remember our redemption, and praise God for his sovereign mercy. There is one cup on the table that is left untouched. Filled with wine but not consumed. It’s called the Cup of Elijah.
The Cup of Elijah is a cup of hope for the religious Jewish community. It is a cup of anticipation. A symbol which is an expression of the deep plea by the Jewish community for the Messiah to come.
The yearning for the coming of the Messiah is as ancient as the scriptures themselves. From the first messianic prophecy in Genesis 3:16, throughout all of the prophets there is an anticipation of the Anointed One who will bring redemption and restoration to Israel. He is described as one who will crush the head of Satan and rule as a King, but at the same time he will enter Jerusalem on a donkey as a lowly servant and suffer and die for the sins of Israel and humanity.
Jewish people who are looking for the Messiah today have woven traditions and prayers into their festivals and culture which vividly express the desire for Messiah to come.
The heart of the Jewish prayer life consists of a prayer known as the Amidah (18 Blessings). Often said three times a day, while praying with others, this prayer becomes the cornerstone of each service. The following prayer is included in the daily Amidah:
“The offspring of your servant David (Messiah) may you speedily cause to flourish, and enhance his pride through your salvation, for we hope for your salvation all day long. Blessed are you, Lord our God, who causes the pride of salvation to flourish.”
During the daily morning prayers the Jewish community recites one of the principles of faith, “I believe with complete faith in the coming of Messiah. And though he may tarry, I shall wait anticipating his arrival each day.” - Rambam
Most importantly, in the last book of the Jewish scriptures, the Book of Malachi, we are told that before the Messiah comes he will be preceded by Elijah the prophet who will announce his coming.
“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their father; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” Malachi 4:5-6
Towards the end of the Passover seder a song is sung longing for the Prophet Elijah:
“Elijah the Prophet, Elijah the Stranger, Elijah the Giladi. May he soon come to us, with the Anointed One (Messiah), the successor of David. May he soon come to us with the Savior, the lad of David. May he soon come to us. Come to us with the Liberator, the son of David with the Messiah, the offspring of David.”
The cup of Elijah is left on the table, untouched. In fact, in many Jewish homes a complete place setting is left on the table for Elijah. No one drinks from the cup. No one eats from the plate. As the song is sung, a young child gets up from the Passover table and goes to the nearest door to the outside of the house. He or she opens it wide, inviting Elijah to come into the home. Everyone sits in anticipation and waits for a few minutes. They wait, hoping that Elijah will hear the invitation, enter the home, take his place at the table, lift the cup and announce the coming of the Messiah.
Then, after the Cup of Elijah the concluding words of the Passover are shouted by all, “Next Year in Jerusalem!” Religious Jewish people know that the culmination of the Messianic promise will be fulfilled in a very special city. A city that is the epicenter of the past, the present, and the future. Messiah is going to come to Jerusalem, bring peace to the world and establish his Kingdom.
“Next Year in Jerusalem!” is an expression of that ancient Jewish hope. The great expectation that Messiah will come and we will be with him in the Kingdom, centered in Jerusalem. However...
Those of us who know Jesus recognize that Elijah has already come. Jesus said of John the Baptizer:
“This is the one about whom it is written:
‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’
Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” Matthew 11:10-15
John the Baptizer fulfilled the role of the one who would herald the coming of the Messiah:
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’” Matthew 3:1-3
John was not literally Elijah, but he did what Elijah was supposed to do. He prepared the way for Jesus the Messiah. He was the voice calling in the wilderness. His baptism was of water and repentance. One day while baptising others in the Jordan River, he looked up and proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). He introduced the One who would die for the sins of humanity and enable the indwelling of the Holy Spirit for all who believe.
There are many who think that Elijah will literally come in the future. At the end of the Great Tribulation, and just before the return of Jesus, the Book of Revelation speaks of two witnesses who are given power and proclaim Jesus to Israel. Moses and Elijah are seen as possibilities for the two witnesses due to the specific miracles that John says they will perform.
The witnesses will have the power to turn water into blood (Rev. 11:6), which duplicates a famous miracle of Moses (Ex. 7). And the witnesses will have the power to destroy their enemies with fire (Rev.11:5), which corresponds to an event in Elijah’s life (2 Kings 1). Moses and Elijah both appeared with Jesus at the transfiguration (Matt.17:3–4). Also, Jewish tradition expects Moses and Elijah to return, based on the prophecy of Elijah’s coming in Malachi 4:5 and God’s promise to raise up a prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:15, 18), which some religious Jewish people believe necessitates Moses’ return.
Regardless of one’s perspective on the end times and whether Elijah will literally come in the future, we are confident that Messiah has come, and John is “the Elijah who was to come” in Jesus’ day. As much as religious Jewish people yearn for Messiah to come, we yearn for them to know Messiah!
During this Passover season we have had opportunities to talk to Jewish people about our hope in Jesus as Messiah. We have also helped hundreds of people who attended our “Jesus in the Passover” services to learn about their Jewish roots. I cannot tell you how many people asked us the question, “What is the best way for me to talk to my Jewish friend or family member about Jesus?”
We want you to know how grateful we are for your support of our work as we take Jesus back to the Jewish community. It is an unfortunate reality that most Christians do not think about the gospel to the Jewish people. Rather than, “...to the Jew first” (Rom 1:16), it is “to the Jew last,” or not at all. My people need Jesus.
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him” (John 14:6-7). Jesus said those words at his last meal. He was speaking to eleven disciples - Judas had already left. He was speaking to his Jewish disciples. There were no non-Jews present.
My people need to see Jesus to know the Father. The disciples left that Passover with Jesus, and they witnessed his crucifixion and resurrection. They then went out to reach the world beginning in Jerusalem and “to the Jew first.”
The Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world also wept over Jerusalem and sent his disciples out with the Jewish people as a priority of mission. We believe in the same priority. We also pray along with the Jewish community, “Next Year in Jerusalem.” May more Jewish people know Jesus as Messiah next Passover season.