The cup of wine, emblem of divine Spirit of Truth, symbolizes the bestowal and ministry of the new dispensation of grace and truth as Jesus blesses it for his apostles. [1]
Jesus refused the drugged wine offered to lessen his suffering during crucifixion, choosing to retain his human consciousness until the very end in order to conquer death by voluntary submission to the full human experience. [2] Wine replaced blood in adoption ceremonies, symbolized by touching cups and sealed by drinking the beverage. [3] Jesus moistened his parched lips with wine on the cross. [4] Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana, surprising even himself with the manifestation of his Messianic power. [5] Melchizedek offered bread and wine as a sacrament of a substitute for the older sacrifice of flesh and blood. [6] The new gospel of the kingdom must not conform to the old, for new wine must be put into fresh wine skins. [7]
The sacrament of cakes and wine in the Mother of God cult replaced older human sacrifices and has roots in Hebrew Passover ceremonies, influencing the Christian sacrament. [8] The wine served at Passover was considered by Jesus as “the water of life” and “the fruit of the vine.”. [9] Wounds treated with oil and wine were an early medicine for the sick, dating back to ancient civilizations like the Greeks and Sumerians. [10]