Remember when Jesus said that He would not drink the fruit of the vine until he is with the Father, yet he drinks it when He is at the Cross? You see, that seems to not fit correctly since he "appears" to not be in the Kingdom and with our Father. I say that because if you remember Jesus said, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" By that I have been taught that Jesus became "separated" by God because of death. Unlike the Protestant understanding that Jesus was INFUSED within. Which we both know that that would be impossible for God to be infused with Sin. What I am trying to ask is how would you explain this…how do you understand that Jesus drank of the fruit of the vine yet not being with the Father? Or was he still with the Father at that time? And if so, why did He ask the Father, "Eloi Eloi lama…"?
here are three sections of the Synoptic gospels where the statement in question is made by Jesus.
I tell you I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. (Matthew 26:29)
Truly, I say to you, I shall not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God. (Mark 14:25)
…for I tell you that from now on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. (Luke 22:18)
None of them talk about Jesus being "with the Father" in Heaven. Only Matthew mentions the Father at all and what he quotes is that Jesus will drink it "in my Father's Kingdom". It is actually better to translate this as "in my Father's reign" since the Greek word "basileus" does not have a geographic reference but rather one of authority. In short, Jesus said that he would not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the coming of the reign of God on Earth which we identify with the new covenant that Jesus established by his death on the cross. In essence, he swallows the wine at the moment of his death while simultaneously establishing the new covenant/kingdom of God.
When Jesus said "Eloi, Eloi lama sabachtani" He was quoting Psalm 22:
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent. Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: "He trusts in the LORD ; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him." Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast. From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother's womb you have been my God. Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. But you, O LORD , be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me. Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen. I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you. You who fear the LORD , praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows. The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the LORD will praise him- may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD , and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him – those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn – for he has done it.
As you can see, this psalm prophetically described the event of the crucifixion. When it started out, the just man cried out to God asking the rhetorical question why God had abandoned him. Unfortunately, most western people think of this abandonment as existential. This was Hebrew Psalm. They were a bit more concrete than we westerners. The abandonment that the speaker referred to was the abandonment of physical providence, not an absence of God's presence. Salvation in the OT always referred to salvation from the problems and tribulations of this world. It did not refer to the NT idea of salvation from sin or death. The Psalm ends with a clear affirmation of the Just man that he will be vindicated by God in the end. Some Catholics have postulated the separation of Jesus from God on the cross as a devotional meditation. I do not agree with this view. What Jesus was doing with this quote was drawing attention to Psalm 22 as an explanation for his suffering. He Identified himself with the singer of that Psalm and was saying to those who listened to him that this Psalm would explain why he had to suffer. This Psalm was also an affirmation of Jesus' belief that he would eventually be vindicated.
Art Sippo
