In the context of sharing in experiences, the cup serves as a powerful metaphor for suffering. Drinking from a cup symbolizes accepting whatever consequences, whether good or bad, joyful or sorrowful, that the cup contains. At Jesus' final Passover service, He poured wine into His cup, blessed it, and passed it to His disciples, inviting them to drink from it. This act of drinking from His cup signifies a deeper participation in what the cup represents. When the mother of James and John requested prominent positions for her sons in His Kingdom, Jesus responded by asking if they were able to drink from the cup He was to drink, implying a share in the suffering and challenges it held. Drinking of His cup, as Christ commands, adds profound meaning to the act, encompassing not only the acceptance of His blood for the remission of sins but also a willingness to embrace the trials and sacrifices that come with following Him.

When the Bible speaks of drinking of the cup, it signifies sharing in the consequences of whatever the cup contains, implying an acceptance of all resulting experiences. Jesus Christ, when approached by the mother of Zebedee's sons for positions of honor, asks James and John if they are able to drink the cup He is about to drink, indicating that reigning with Him in glory requires sharing in His entire experience, including suffering. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prays to the Father to let that cup pass from Him, if possible, referring to the cup He had just drunk from at Passover, which He identified as the new covenant in His blood. By drinking from that cup, we agree to share in the results of that covenant, including the price of suffering that must be paid in this life. Suffering is an integral part of uniting with Christ, as His life exemplified, and though our minds resist it, we cannot attain glory without enduring some measure of suffering first. Jesus Himself confirms this sequence, emphasizing that suffering precedes glory, as seen in His own journey and in His messages to the faithful, urging them not to fear the suffering they are about to endure, promising the crown of life for their faithfulness.