Then taking the cup, He gave thanks and gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
The cup becomes the sign of Christ’s blood. The Lord gives thanks, even though He knows that this cup is connected with His approaching death. His thanksgiving shows perfect obedience to the Father and a sacrifice accepted in love. That all drink shows the disciples’ participation in the grace of the New Covenant. They were weak, but the Lord gives them the sign of His blood as a confirmation of salvation. The believer is not saved by his own strength, but by the grace of Christ’s poured-out blood, which cleanses from sin and confirms reconciliation with God.