Stained Glass Windows: The Cup and The Rose

The Cup

This evening I want to continue to look at the windows of our sanctuary. The window I want to look at this evening is the one that has the cup and the rose. Let’s first look at the cup. At first I thought perhaps this was a representation of the laver where the priests washed their hands outside the tabernacle, however it seems much more likely to be a representation of a traditional communion chalice.

Luke 22:20 “Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” So of course our minds are first turned to the blood shed by our Lord. The blood He shed for us began in the garden as he seat drops of blood as our grief and guilt was laid upon Him, innocent and holy. The blood shed by our savior then continued as he was whipped, as He was beaten for us. Yet that bloodshed did not satisfy the mob as they cried for His life. The bloodshed continues as they mocked Him by placing a crown of thorns upon His head, insulting the King of Kings as if He were a common man who claimed to be King and God instead of truly King over all, and God indeed. He shed more blood again as they pierced His Hands and His feet as they nailed Him to the cross. And finally they pierced His side with a spear and blood and water poured out. Our Lord, our King had just become our Saviour.

But this cup is a communion cup. It represents us, following the admonition of Jesus to do this in Remembrance of Him. To practice a symbolic last supper to remember the last supper of our Lord. And in that last supper we partake of the representation of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. By taking this cup to ourselves we are identifying ourselves with the death of Jesus. We are covenanting to become living sacrifices for the one who gave Himself for us. It is not just a remembering of His sacrifice, but by taking the cup of His blood we are joining in the sacrifice of Jesus. We are like Him in the garden giving our all over to Him. As the verse says, this cup is the new testament, or covenant in my blood. What is the new covenant? The new covenant is the fulfillment of the old. It is the covenant written on the hearts of all believers, it is the covenant of love. It is defined by two great commandments. Matthew 22:36–40 “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” By taking the cup at communion we remember the blood that purchased our salvation and we signify our covenant to Love Him with our whole being and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Yet it is not just sacrifice that we take on when we take the cup and enter the covenant. Let us look at the other image. The Rose of Sharon.

The Rose of Sharon

Song of Solomon 2:1 “I am the rose of Sharon, And the lily of the valleys.”

Now Song of Solomon is a bit like Revelation. No one can agree on anything about the book nor anything that it says or even the point of the book. While people disagree on what this verse means, or even says, the phrase that this picture represents does have some consensus. Jesus is the Rose of Sharon. What does that mean? This, in the context of Song of Solomon, if that book is viewed as allegory of Christ love to church plays into the consistent allegory of us being the bride of Christ as in the parable of the 10 virgins, and in God comparing idolatrous Israel to Gomer in the book of Hosea. By partaking of the cup of God’s sacrifice and entering into covenant with Him we become allegorically His betrothed bride. If we are like the wise virgins, this cup of sacrifice becomes a cup of joy. Both here, but even more over there at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Allegory and imagery is always a bit subjective, but lets run with it a bit further. Jesus as the Rose of Sharon is perfect and beautiful to us. As the lily of the valley he is beauty in dark place, hope in the trials.

Yet another view arises if we look at the next phrase, the lily of the valleys. Many would take these to be references to the church or believers rather than to Jesus Christ Himself. I am no horticulturalist, I looked that word up just to make it sound like I know about plants while I am stating that I do not. I don’t. To me, there is grass and not grass. I guess there is also flower, and not flower. Tree, and not tree. That’s about as deep as my plant analysis goes. So, don’t blame me if I say something silly! If we are the Lily, we are weak like the stem of a lily, but upheld by Christ. Nothing on our own. Only significant through His grace. The allegory goes deeper in the next verse. A lily among thorns. In the world, but not of the world. Rising above and standing by His strength.

I think it likely that the artist tied these images together on purpose. That they were places together and ought to be thought of together.

On the one hand the rather horrific cup that symbolizes the blood of Christ. The sacrifice and pain that He bore for us and that we are to enter into with Him since He has already entered into it with us! But the other hand the image of the result. Whether it be Jesus as the Rose of Sharon, the perfect bridegroom who loves his bride as the love displayed in the Song of Solomon. The bridegroom who will one day welcome that waiting bride into eternal joy with Him. Or if it represents the result of that sacrifice. Thorns being made as beautiful as Roses and lilies. Being made perfect and being kept pure and given strength by His work so that one day we may be presented by Jesus faultless before the presence of His glory. Whichever image it represents it is a stark contrast from one image to the other, and yet both images call us to glorify Jesus in His work in our lives.