The Cup He had to Drink

The Cup He Had to Drink
Matthew 20.17-28

When I was a boy we used to read eagerly about the heroes of old. One of the most famous was King Arthur, a British king from the early sixth century. We had plenty of books that told stories about him, and you can go and see his various castles, like the spectacular one at Tintagel in Cornwall. But there isn’t actually much known about him that will pass as serious history. Most of it comes to us through legend, poetry, song and (frankly) romantic wishful thinking.

However, one of the most important stories about Arthur, and about the knights that sat at his famous Round Table, still carries power today. It’s about their quest for the Holy Grail – the cup that Jesus supposedly used at the Last Supper. In this cup, according to legend, Joseph of Arimathea (whom we shall meet in Matthew 27.57) had then caught Jesus’ blood as it drained from his body on the cross. Another legend suggested that Joseph had brought the cup to Britain. Somehow it had become lost; but the knights were determined to find it, and their quest then became a great act of devotion, loyalty and courage...

Taken from Matthew for Everyone – by Tom Wright