How to use this devotional. Forty days, five sessions per chapter. Begin each day with the Scripture reading, then the longread excerpt, then the reflection, then the prayer. 15–20 minutes is enough. Use this devotional as a Lenten or Holy Week discipline, or any 40-day stretch leading toward Easter.
Day 1 — Chapter 1, opening
Scripture: Exodus 6:6–8 — the four 'I will' verbs
Reflection. Begin with the promises. The God of Israel binds himself with four 'I will' verbs to deliver his people. Linger over each one. Which of these promises do you most need to hear today?
Prayer. LORD, you have brought out, delivered, redeemed, and taken your people to be your own. I am one of yours by the blood of your Son. Strengthen me today in this knowledge. Amen.
Day 2 — Chapter 1, the four cups in order
Scripture: Westminster Confession of Faith ch. 8 (Christ the Mediator)
Reflection. The four cups: Blessing, Wrath, Reservation, Consummation. The structure is theologically simple: Christ gives, Christ drinks, Christ reserves, Christ will consummate. Where in your own worship do you encounter each of these four moments?
Prayer. Father, set me apart to you today. Open my eyes to the cup your Son blessed, the cup your Son drank, and the cup your Son has reserved for me. Amen.
Day 3 — Chapter 1, the framework as Reformed teaching device
Scripture: Westminster Shorter Catechism Q. 25
Reflection. The four cups are not a doctrinal innovation; they are a teaching device for what the Reformed confessions already teach. Christ executes the office of priest 'in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice.' That sacrifice is the cup of wrath drunk on the cross.
Prayer. God of truth, ground my faith in the confessions you have given to your church. Help me hold the four cups as scaffolding for the doctrine, not as a substitute for it. Amen.
Day 4 — Chapter 1, the disputed fifth cup
Scripture: Mark 14:25
Reflection. Even the rabbinic tradition holds open an unfilled cup for the eschaton. Jesus's vow at the Last Supper resonates with this hope: he will drink with us in the Father's kingdom.
Prayer. Lord Jesus, you are coming. Maranatha. Hold open my hope today. Amen.
Day 5 — Chapter 1, conclusion
Scripture: Revelation 19:6–9
Reflection. The marriage supper of the Lamb is the cup that meets us at the end. Today's faith is the down-payment on that day's joy.
Prayer. Bridegroom of the Church, I belong to you. Bring the day. Amen.
Day 6 — Chapter 2, opening
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:16–17
Reflection. Paul names the cup with a technical title — the cup of blessing. Calvin reads this phrase as a fixed Jewish meal-blessing idiom that the apostle deploys with no explanation. When Christ took the cup after supper, he reached for a category his disciples already knew.
Prayer. Father, I bless you for the cup of blessing. Make me one of those who drink it in faith and not in unworthiness. Amen.
Day 7 — Chapter 2, the Synoptic comparison table
Scripture: Luke 22:14–20 (slowly, twice)
Reflection. Luke gives us two cups. The first (v. 17) and the second (v. 20). The second is post-meal: 'after supper.' This is the institution cup, the cup of blessing.
Prayer. Lord of the Supper, lead me deeper into this meal. Amen.
Day 8 — Chapter 2, the cup of blessing
Scripture: Westminster Confession of Faith ch. 29
Reflection. The Lord's Supper is 'a perpetual remembrance of the sacrifice of himself in his death; the sealing of all benefits thereof unto true believers.' Five things in one paragraph. The cup is not a bare memorial; it is the visible word of the new covenant.
Prayer. Father, settle my mind on this. The Lord's Supper is the means of grace by which your Son strengthens my weak faith. Amen.
Day 9 — Chapter 2, this cup is the new covenant
Scripture: Jeremiah 31:31–34
Reflection. The new covenant promises forgiveness ('I will remember their sin no more'). This is forensic. The cup of blessing is the seal that the new covenant has been inaugurated in the blood of the Mediator.
Prayer. God of forgiveness, you remember my sins no more. Help me to live as one whose record is clear. Amen.
Day 10 — Chapter 2, the fourth cup vow
Scripture: Mark 14:25, Matthew 26:29
Reflection. Jesus reserves a cup. He will drink it new with us. Today, your hope is anchored to a future drink.
Prayer. Bridegroom, set the table. I am ready. Amen.
Day 11 — Chapter 2, Calvin on the Lord's Supper
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:23–26
Reflection. Calvin's *Institutes* 4.17 sets the Reformed sacramental position: the believer truly partakes of Christ in the Supper, not by a change in the elements but by the Holy Spirit lifting the heart to where Christ now is. *Sursum corda.*
Prayer. Father, lift up my heart. Strengthen my faith with the body and blood of your Son. Amen.
Day 12 — Chapter 3, opening
Scripture: Mark 14:32–42
Reflection. Read the Gethsemane account slowly. Notice the intensity of Jesus's distress. The articular 'this cup' is the door into the prophets.
Prayer. Lord, I have read this story many times. Today, let me hear it as new. Amen.
Day 13 — Chapter 3, Psalm 75:8
Scripture: Psalm 75:8
Reflection. The cup is in God's hand. He pours from it. The wicked of the earth drink it to the dregs. This is the cup Jesus is asking about.
Prayer. Holy God, your wrath is real. Your love is real. Your Son has drunk what would have been mine. I worship you. Amen.
Day 14 — Chapter 3, Isaiah 51:17, 22
Scripture: Isaiah 51:17–22
Reflection. The cup of staggering. The bowl of God's wrath. And then — astonishingly — taken from one hand and placed into another's. This is the prophetic foundation of substitution.
Prayer. Father, the cup that should have been ours has been given to your Son. There are no words for this gift but praise. Amen.
Day 15 — Chapter 3, the cup is divine wrath, not generic suffering
Scripture: Hebrews 12:2
Reflection. Jesus did not merely fear physical pain. The martyrs faced crucifixion with composure. What Jesus dreaded was bearing the wrath of a holy God. The dread is part of the gospel.
Prayer. Lord, when I forget what your Son endured, remind me. Amen.
Day 16 — Chapter 3, why Gethsemane is in olive country
Scripture: Isaiah 53:5
Reflection. Gat-Shemanim — 'olive press.' The Anointed One is crushed in the place of crushing. The geography preaches the gospel.
Prayer. Crucified Lord, the very ground bears witness to what you did for me. Amen.
Day 17 — Chapter 3, the Father does not remove the cup
Scripture: Romans 8:32
Reflection. If the omnipotent Father had any other way to save the elect, he would have provided it. The cross is therefore the measure of how much he loves you.
Prayer. Father, you did not spare your own Son. There can never again be a question of your love for me. Amen.
Day 18 — Chapter 3, engaging dissenting readings
Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15
Reflection. Dissent is not the enemy of faith; bluster is. Today, learn to hold your reading with both confidence and openness.
Prayer. Spirit of truth, make me both bold and humble. Amen.
Day 19 — Chapter 4, opening
Scripture: John 19:28–30
Reflection. Three Greek verses. Two cups (one received, one announced). One declaration that finishes the world. Read these verses today as if you are reading them for the first time.
Prayer. Father, the most consequential moment in human history happened at three o'clock on a Friday. Help me feel its weight. Amen.
Day 20 — Chapter 4, tetelestai
Scripture: John 19:30; Hebrews 10:14
Reflection. It stands finished. Perfect passive — abiding completion arising from a definite past act. There is nothing for you to add.
Prayer. Lord, I keep trying to finish what you finished. Forgive me. Today I rest. Amen.
Day 21 — Chapter 4, the 'paid in full' correction
Scripture: Colossians 2:14
Reflection. Tetelestai is *more*, not less, than 'paid in full.' It is the announcement that the whole work of redemption is done. The receipt-illustration flattens the verb. Let it be retired.
Prayer. Father, take all my sermon-clichés and replace them with your truth. Amen.
Day 22 — Chapter 4, oxos and the soldier's posca
Scripture: Psalm 69:21; John 19:28
Reflection. The Lord drinks the soldier's ration to fulfill the psalm. Even the cheapest wine on the cross is foretold and intentional.
Prayer. Sovereign Lord, no detail is accidental. Amen.
Day 23 — Chapter 4, hyssop and Passover
Scripture: Exodus 12:21–23
Reflection. The soldiers — without knowing it — apply the blood of the true Passover lamb to the door of the world. The destroyer passes over those marked by his blood.
Prayer. Lamb of God, mark me with your blood. Amen.
Day 24 — Chapter 4, the Lamb, the blood, the door
Scripture: 1 Peter 1:18–19
Reflection. Every detail of John's Passion narrative speaks Exodus 12. The Lamb without blemish; no bone broken; the hour of slaughter; hyssop applied; blood and water flowing.
Prayer. Father, give me eyes to read the Scripture as a unity. Amen.
Day 25 — Chapter 4, the forensic completion
Scripture: Romans 3:24–26
Reflection. What is finished? The law fulfilled. The cup of wrath drained. The new covenant sealed. The Passover consummated. The record of debt canceled. *All five* are complete.
Prayer. Just and justifying God, in the cross you have done both. Hallelujah. Amen.
Day 26 — Chapter 4, what the unbeliever should hear in tetelestai
Scripture: Ephesians 2:8–9
Reflection. The verb tense alone refuses every form of works-righteousness. *It stands finished.* Pray today for someone you know who is trying to finish what Christ has finished.
Prayer. Father, give my friend ears to hear. Amen.
Day 27 — Chapter 5, opening
Scripture: Acts 17:11
Reflection. The Bereans were noble for examining the Scriptures daily. The Reformed exegete should be the most careful reader of evidence in the room.
Prayer. Spirit of truth, train me to read carefully. Amen.
Day 28 — Chapter 5, the chronological problem
Scripture: John 18:28; 19:14
Reflection. Three solutions are on the table; each can be held with integrity. The deeper point: the theological content does not depend on which solution is correct.
Prayer. God of all truth, where I cannot resolve, grant me peace. Amen.
Day 29 — Chapter 5, the Arminian objection
Scripture: Proverbs 18:13
Reflection. Hearing the matter before answering. The Arminian objector raises real questions about assurance and the free offer. The Reformed reply through Owen, Murray, and Macleod is patient and biblical: Christ died for the elect, and the gospel is freely offered to all.
Prayer. Lord, give me ears that listen. Amen.
Day 30 — Chapter 5, sacramental disputes
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:21
Reflection. Test everything; hold fast what is good. The Reformed sacramental position stands between Roman transubstantiation and Lutheran consubstantiation. Calvin's *Institutes* 4.17 sets it out: Christ is truly present at the Supper, but his presence is by the Spirit, lifting our hearts to where he is.
Prayer. Father, save me from tribal reading. Amen.
Day 31 — Chapter 5, Luke 22:19b–20
Scripture: Read Luke 22:14–23 with attention to vv. 19b–20
Reflection. The textual case for these verses is overwhelming. The cup is poured out for you. Receive it.
Prayer. Lord Jesus, your blood is poured out for me. I receive it. Amen.
Day 32 — Chapter 5, what the Reformed reading concedes
Scripture: Psalm 51:6
Reflection. Truth in the inward parts. Concede what should be conceded. Hold what is decisive. This is the discipline of Reformed exegesis.
Prayer. Father, make me honest. Amen.
Day 33 — Chapter 6, opening
Scripture: Matthew 26:26–29
Reflection. Read the institution narrative slowly. Listen for the four-fold cup-language: blessing, wrath, reservation, consummation.
Prayer. Lord of the Supper, settle the framework in my heart. Amen.
Day 34 — Chapter 6, the four-fold table
Scripture: Hebrews 9:11–15
Reflection. Christ is the mediator of a new covenant — by means of his death — so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. The four cups hold this together.
Prayer. Mediator of the new covenant, I rest in your priestly work. Amen.
Day 35 — Chapter 6, the Reformed confessional summary
Scripture: Westminster Shorter Catechism Q. 25
Reflection. Christ executes the office of a priest in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice. The four cups are the longread; the catechism is the bone.
Prayer. Catechized God, train me by the wisdom of the saints. Amen.
Day 36 — Chapter 6, for the believer afraid of dying
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:54–57
Reflection. The cup of wrath has been drunk. There is none left for those who are in Christ. The cup that meets you on the other side is the kingdom cup.
Prayer. Father, take from me the fear of death. Replace it with the joy of meeting your Son. Amen.
Day 37 — Chapter 6, for the weary believer
Scripture: Matthew 11:28–30
Reflection. The verb is tetelestai. You do not finish it. You eat the bread and drink the cup as one who is given the body and blood of Another.
Prayer. Lord Jesus, I am tired. Feed me. Amen.
Day 38 — Chapter 6, for the believer in dryness
Scripture: John 6:53–58
Reflection. The cup of blessing is the appointed sign and seal of the present Christ, given to weak faith for the strengthening of weak faith.
Prayer. Father, where my soul is dry, water it with the cup of your Son. Amen.
Day 39 — Chapter 6, for the believer in conflict
Scripture: Matthew 5:23–24
Reflection. The cup that holds you to Christ holds you to his Body. Reconcile before you approach the cup.
Prayer. Father, give me the courage to seek peace. Amen.
Day 40 — Chapter 6, for the unbeliever
Scripture: Revelation 22:17
Reflection. Come and drink. The Spirit and the Bride say, Come. Today, pray for the unbeliever you most love.
Prayer. Father, by the cup of your Son, draw [name] to yourself. Amen.