John 19:28-30

The Death of Jesus

²⁸ After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” ²⁹ A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. ³⁰ •When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

This year I started some True Hyssop seeds for my garden. Hyssop is a useful plant that has had a variety of uses for thousands of years. There’s always been a connection between hyssop and medicinal uses, and a lot of people today will use hyssop oil to treat respiratory problems.

I never quite understood how the traditional Good Friday gospel reading that records the death of Jesus says that a sponge of sour wine was brought up to Jesus using a hyssop branch. Hyssop doesn’t really have branches like that, long sticks you could use to lift something up. Its branches are a bit flimsy.

Hyssop is an herb in the mint family, not some sort of tree. One of my husband’s Good Fridays sermons from a few years ago helped me break down what’s going on here.

A more literal rendering of John’s words here says “Therefore a sponge filled with the sour wine with hyssop wrapped around it, they carried to the mouth of Him (Jesus).”

It’s not a sponge of sour wine on a hyssop branch, it’s a sponge full of sour wine with hyssop wrapped around it that’s lifted up to Jesus’ mouth for Him to drink.

Oh, how things had changed since the early days of Jesus’ ministry. The first miracle recorded by John that Jesus did also included wine in a jar. But the wine in today’s Bible reading isn’t the good stuff that Jesus created in Cana; it’s sour. We might even call it “vinegar” at this point. Jesus, the True Vine, is drinking sour wine instead of the good wine He created for the wedding feast. He’s taking the cup of God’s wrath on our behalf. 

But why hyssop?

And why does John record that Jesus said this to fulfill the Scripture? 

Did the Old Testament prophesy that the messiah would drink sour wine? No. Did the Old Testament predict that the Messiah would thirst?  No.

So then what biblical text is Jesus fulfilling in asking for a drink?

David wrote in Psalm 51, “Wash me with hyssop and I shall be clean, cleanse me and I shall be purer than snow.” But Jesus isn’t taking a bath here.

Why would you wrap hyssop around a sponge of sour wine? 

The answer comes from the event that Jesus was completing by His crucifixion, the holiday that everyone else in Jerusalem was trying to prepare for: the Passover.

Exodus 12 says,

“Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.  For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.” (Ex. 12:22-23)

What this means is that ever since the Passover, priests in Israel always used Hyssop when applying sacrificial blood to anything.

Hyssop is God’s chosen delivery system for the blood that cleanses us from sins.

It’s not like they used hyssop to give drinks to people being crucified on a regular basis. This stands out because God is connecting the blood of Jesus to wine from there on out. We see this when taking communion in church.

By using hyssop to bring sour wine to Jesus’ lips, we can see that Jesus is fulfilling the Promise that the Passover had been pointing to all along!

But wait a minute here.

They don’t lift blood up to Jesus’ mouth in a sponge, it’s…wine. Jesus has plenty of blood up there already. It’s…wine. Are we talking about blood or wine here? The answer is “Yes”.

Didn’t Jesus just say last night (Maundy Thursday) that He wouldn’t drink wine again until he drinks it anew in the Kingdom? Is this the Kingdom? Is this what Jesus’ Kingship looks like? This is why Jesus declares, “It is finished”, or “It is accomplished, completed, and fulfilled.”

God’s Kingdom didn’t look like what everyone may have been expecting. They thought perhaps Jesus would have run the Romans out of town, not allowed Himself to be crucified by them.

But the Kingdom of God has come in the fact that Jesus’ crucifixion and death has defeated sin and death forever. If sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake, there’s no power or authority on earth that can hold anything against us!

The Kingdom of God had arrived in its fullness at this moment when all was accomplished when Jesus breathed His last and partook of the fruit of the vine in the Father’s Kingdom.

The hyssop and wine raised up to Jesus was not because he needed it, but because we did.

He made good on His promise to them, His blood of the covenant was shed for the forgiveness of many. And we too are made partakers of that wine anew with Him in His kingdom, just as He said.

Jesus connects wine with His very own blood, the blood of the covenant. Just as the hyssop branch was used to mark the doorposts and lintels of the Israelites to spare them from the angel of death, so too are we marked with His blood to spare us from ultimate death.

And instead of the Egyptians suffering the loss of their firstborn, God Himself suffers the loss of His firstborn.

The True Vine is cut off for the sake of His branches, and He establishes wine, the fruit of our earthly grapevines as a delivery system for the fruits of His crucifixion. Jesus gave up His life so that we may truly live. But He certainly didn’t stay that way…(Stay tuned)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, the source of all goodness and life, in your thirst upon the Cross you established the Cup which brings us everlasting life. You were anointed with hyssop as our great sacrifice, and offered Yourself as our Great High Priest. Keep us always in faith in Your promises, because You have accomplished everything needed for our salvation and won the victory over death forever. Amen.

John 15:1-12

I Am the True Vine

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes •away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes•, that it may bear more fruit.  Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered•, thrown into the fire, and burned.  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

This spring, I’m starting seeds for my second garden. I’ve always loved gardening, and I’ve learned a little bit about it from my mom and grandma over the years. Last spring we moved to the Midwest and finally had the right climate for a nice vegetable garden. I still have a lot to learn about it, but just seeing how much I’ve learned in one year has given me a lot of encouragement and joy. It’s fun! I know it’s not for everybody, but I really enjoy gardening. It’s a great way to get some delicious fruits and vegetables, see God’s magnificent creation, and relieve my chronic anxiety.

My husband is a pastor, and he’s talked a lot over the years about all the plant imagery in the Bible, so this spring we started talking about looking at gardening connections in the Bible and especially during Holy Week. In these devotions for today, tomorrow, and Sunday morning, we’re going to look at some really amazing insights in John’s Gospel that deal with plants. I think we can learn a lot just from the process of planting, caring for plants, and harvesting, and Jesus uses this kind of thing as an example a lot too. 

When my husband first suggested we use John 15’s famous quote, “I am the Vine; you are the branches”, I shuddered at first. I’ve seen this passage used a lot over the years, and often used in what I can only describe as a “legalistic” reading. “Make sure you’re bearing fruit, or God’s gonna cut you down”, and all sorts of variations of that. However, I’m not sure that’s the point of what Jesus says here. In fact, what if we look at it within the context of Jesus’ words?

John 15 is one part of a very long talk that Jesus had with His disciples on Maundy Thursday in the Upper Room. Bible scholars often refer to this whole sermon as “Jesus’ Upper Room Discourse”. There’s so much good stuff here, and we’ll be returning to this upper room conversation later on in our devotions. But here, Jesus in the Upper Room with His disciples is explaining what’s going to happen to Him. He’s going to be betrayed, crucified, and die. He’s going to rise again. And He’s not going to leave them alone, now or ever. 

They’re connected to Him, now and always. And the things that He’s prepared for them to do, they’re the natural consequence of their connection to Him. He says, “I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in me and I live in him, that’s the one who bears much fruit, because if you’re separated from Me, you’re unable to do anything.”  This is where a little bit of gardening can shine a light on what Jesus is saying here. Now, I don’t grow grapevines in my little corner of Southern Illinois, but I did grow a lot of tomato plants last summer and have a whole bunch started this year. There are a couple basic insights I’ve learned just from growing these plants that explain a lot about what Jesus is saying here. 

First, there’s never really a case of a vine removing it’s own branches. It’s not a thing. Jesus calls the Father the vinedresser or literally “soil-worker”. The farmer is the one who has tended the soil, planted the vineyard in the right place; the right soil, the right sunshine, the right climate. The farmer or vinedresser is the one who prunes the plant, and the vinedresser is the one who cuts of dead branches. Let me say that again: the vinedresser cuts off dead branches. He doesn’t kill branches. He removes ones that are already dead. I’ve never cut off a living, producing branch from any of my plants. But the branches that are already dead continue to drain the life out of the whole plant, hence they’re cut off.

I think we can all agree that the season of motherhood is unique. 

And during the Coronavirus pandemic, it’s even more “unique”. What we’re going to do together today is examine a topic in the Bible that can strengthen, encourage, and comfort us right here and now. We’re going to examine the concept of comfort in the Bible and how it gets used in various passages. It’s really powerful stuff, and I was surprised to find a connection in examining the biblical basis for comfort that I never realized before. 

What we’ll be doing together is called a “bible word study”, and rather than looking directly at just one passage of Scripture in context, we’re going to mix it up a little bit and see how a very powerful word gets used all over the New Testament. 

Comfort in the Bible Study

The first word we’re looking at today is the New Testament word for comfort and encouragement, and in the Greek word behind our English words is “παράκλησις”. [PAIR-UH-CLAY-SIS]. Now, my goal is always to make the words of the Bible as accessible as possible, and if we’re pulling out the Greek today it’s for a good reason.

This word isn’t just something we translate and move on, but the New Testament word for comfort actually stands with God Himself behind it. We’ll get to that shortly. This word is used a few different ways when translating the Bible into English. The first is “encouragement or exhortation”. 

In other words, it carries the sense that what Jesus has accomplished for us also empowers us to keep moving forward on life’s journey when we otherwise wouldn’t be able. To encourage literally means to give courage, and we could say that Jesus’ death and resurrection means that we have both the comfort to face the present circumstances and the courage to press on. 

We are no longer trapped by our present circumstances.

Let’s look at 3 different usages of this word in the Bible

1. encouragement, exhortation– “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” (Phil. 2:1-2)}

2. appeal, request– This usage frequently occurs when the Apostles are making a request, either of their hearers or of God, rooted in the work of Jesus for us. This word, Paraklesis, is a word of comfort, but it’s also a word of power. 

3. comfort, consolation– This is the main definition that I’m working with because it’s what we so desperately need in life as moms and especially during a global panic. How else do we find comfort when the world is falling apart? It’s only through Jesus Christ. We receive comfort from God directly through His Word and Sacraments, but we also receive comfort from God by means of other people. My little Bible study group here in Prairietown is living proof of that. 

This word is so versatile and powerful because it’s rooted in the fact that God has called you as His own, and this comfort and encouragement stem from the fact that you are God’s own beloved child.

The following are a few bible verses that show exactly this point, that we are comforted through God’s people and comforted by God Himself, and that comfort also encourages us and empowers us for life in the present time.

Philemon  1:7

“For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.”

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,  comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. “

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.  If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. 

Now we’re going to turn to a different word that is absolutely mind-blowing when we compare it with what we’re looked at so far.

This new word isn’t just a concept or an action, it’s a Person. In the Upper Room on Maundy Thursday, the night Jesus would be betrayed and arrested, He did quite a bit of teaching to His disciples. He was explaining to them that He would be going away. Their teacher and master would no longer be with them face-to-face, but He also wouldn’t ever leave them alone.

John 14:15-26

 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, to be with you forever,  even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 

 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.  “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

The word that Jesus uses here for Comforter (also translated “Helper” or “Advocate” in English bibles) is “παράκλητος” [PAIR-UH-CLAY-TOSS]. It’s a title of the Holy Spirit. What does the Holy Spirit do? He comforts us. He helps us. He brings our needs to the Father and advocates on our behalf. 

Comfort in the Bible is not just a concept or an action, it’s the Holy Spirit, the 3rd Person of the Holy Trinity. Since Jesus was going to the Cross, the Tomb, and Ascending to the Father, He wasn’t about to leave His people alone. 50 Days after Jesus’ resurrection and the Holy Spirit fell upon the entire gathered Church (the Day of Pentecost). And the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in each and every one of us through our Baptism into Christ. (Luke 3:22, Titus 3:5). The Holy Spirit is the presence of God with us and in us 24/7. 

One of the primary ways that the Holy Spirit brings us this comfort is through the Words of Jesus. The Spirit brought all of Jesus’ words to the 4 Evangelists when they wrote the Gospels, and now we have the joy and privilege of hearing for ourselves what Jesus said and did in reading the Bible. 

And the Holy Spirit also brings to our remembrance the things that Jesus said and did. He is there to constantly remind us that we are God’s beloved child, that Jesus died for our sins, that we have been given everlasting life, and that God is working all things together for our good, even when we can’t see it (Romans 8). 

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, and we see here that True Comfort can only come from the truth, even if we often prefer comforting lies to true comfort. The truth of Scripture is true comfort for us because it’s not just another illusion. And the truth is this: Jesus has done everything necessary for your salvation. Your future is completely under control, even when it seems like the present is absolute chaos. 

The comfort of the Gospel is found in the fact that Jesus has done it all. He has saved us from our sins. He has set us free from our slavery to our present circumstances.

We are truly free in Him.

Martin Luther once claimed that a person’s humor was the measure of their faith. He said, if the ultimate, or the end of all things, is already secure, then everything that comes before that is a lot less scary. 

Faith in Jesus Christ means being able to laugh and rejoice and celebrate even in the midst of the chaos and uncertainty of life. You’re not alone in any of this. God is actively at work to bring you the comfort that Jesus secured for you with the power of the Holy Spirit. He brings you this comfort through handing over His gifts in worship and through the study of His Word. 

He brings you this comfort through fellow believers, dear sisters and brothers in Christ. And that comfort is the way forward to face all the challenges of life that we face today and in the future.

You’ve got this, momma, because God’s got you. 

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Dear God,

In a world full of unknowns, You are my constant comfort. 

I’m not always graceful with my thoughts or words when it comes to politics, Lord. I sometimes forget to use patience, kindness, and understanding. 

I get lost in anxiety when I’m not able to know the outcome of the presidential election. I know I’ve done all that is in my control and I know I should trust in You, but it’s hard. This is hard. I need you, God. 

Thank you for establishing civil authority and preserving peace, justice, and freedom through their work. 

Thank you for allowing us to live in a country where we can make our voices heard and participate in the election of our leaders.

Thank you for providing the freedom to worship You without fear and the freedom to share the Good News of Jesus with our family, friends, and neighbors. 

Calm our anxieties today (and in the future) and remind us to trust in You and Your plan. 

Allow us to speak about politics freely and respectfully with family and friends.

Turn our thoughts to remember that no matter what the outcome of our elections is, Jesus is still King over all the universe. 

In Your Name we pray, Amen.

BIBLE VERSES TO READ TODAY:

Psalm 102:15

Nations will fear the name of the Lord,  and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory.

Isaiah 40:31 

but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Romans 8:38-39

 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 13:1

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

Luke 10:27

 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

1 Tim 2:1-4

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.  This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,  who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Colossians 1:16

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

As a young single woman in my 20’s I cackled along with movies and tv shows as a scene showed a mom hiding in her closet or pantry. Surely moms with houses don’t need to HIDE from their kids. Plus, my kids will be such a blessing I won’t ever have to hide from them. What kind of mom even does that?!

Add that to the long list of “things I was wrong about before I had kids”.

Now I understand.

Now I empathize.

Now I want to hug any mom who has ever hidden in a small room of their house. I want to hug you and whisper “I get it, me too” (the whisper is only to keep things light and creepy).

One of my favorite features in the Southern Illinois farm town parsonage we moved into about 6 months ago is my walk-in pantry. I knew I would store food and ingredients in there, I did not predict it would become my favorite hiding place. We have a basement, I have a home office, there are many places I could hide out, but I always choose the pantry in my low moments.

In my hiding place, I can take deep breaths and sometimes shed a few tears. I can reach for a loose Oreo or stale cracker while organizing my thoughts and feelings. I can pull up scripture or a devotion on my phone and dive in headfirst. I can tell God I feel alone and beg Him to help me. 

Maybe you have a place like this in your house. David wrote Psalm 142 from inside a cave. I highly doubt it was a “Cave of Wonders” type situation. No jewels or genies, just dirt and rock. 

David was in this cave seeking safety from King Saul and his people. David was alone and being attacked from all angles. 

Momma, do you ever feel alone? How about attacked from all angles? I know I do these days.

*** This is actually my pantry in real life!

Even if we are not retreating to our own hiding places, our hurts and habits can make us feel just as isolated as being alone in a cave. 

One of the things I love about the book of Psalms is that it covers every emotion we moms deal with. One-third of the Psalms are categorized as “laments”. This means someone else (usually David) also cried out things like “God, help, I’m struggling” or “Please help, things are not ok in my life”. If you have ever lamented, you are not alone. 

Interestingly enough, David wrote at least two Psalms from a cave. He also wrote Psalm 57 from inside a cave, but that Psalm is full of confidence and praise. Psalm 142 is full of defeat and desperation. The book of Psalms relates to our own real emotions, showing how David also bounced around from feeling to feeling much like we moms do. 

It’s OK to lament.

Let’s follow some of David’s examples in his lament Psalm to form our own laments.

Take a few moments to read Psalm 142.

David wrote this Psalm while he was feeling overwhelmed and alone.

David starts the first section by laying out all the stressful things happening to him at the moment. Writing “my spirit faints within me” can be translated to “feeling overwhelmed”.

King Saul and his army were coming after David. Essentially, David was more popular than Saul, and Saul was jealous.

Verse 4 of Psalm 142 expresses great loneliness that I think we moms can relate to. Look around, no one takes care of me. No one even sees me. I feel alone. This is often a mom’s plea. 

What we don’t get from the psalm here (but we do read in 1 Samuel) is that when David’s household and family heard he needed help, God sent them to his aid.

David was trying to handle it all on his own without seeming like he needed help. 

So, was David valid in his lonely feelings? Absolutely. 

Your parents and siblings may not run to your rescue when you cry out for help, but God will, and did, and does. You might have a few friends and family members help along the way too. 1 Samuel tells us that God did deliver David. 

In verses 5-7, David is smart to turn his focus on God for true rescue. Sometimes the very act of switching our focus from our problem to our problem solver does the trick. If you need a little more help, God, our ultimate problem solver, is here to rescue you His way, the RIGHT way. 

• David felt alone and overwhelmed. 
• We feel alone and overwhelmed.
• Jesus felt overwhelmed and alone. Jesus was forsaken and attacked and abused. 
• Jesus’ Father’s household didn’t come to His aid on the cross, but instead, Jesus came to our aid.
• Jesus experienced the low moments we feel on an extreme level. 
• Jesus was abandoned so you would never have to be.

Learn To Lament

Don’t worry, this is not an e-learning assignment, we all have more than enough of those. This is an application FOR YOU. 

If you have a favorite hiding spot in your house or car, start to stash some paper, a pen, and a Bible.

Or if you’re like me….some crumpled scribble paper, a Fancy Nancy glitter gel pen, and my phone’s Bible app (with 20% battery left). Work what’s working momma. 

Next time you’re hiding out, write a lament, David Style.

Step 1

 Write out your current struggles. Don’t be shy, you can trust God.

Step 2

 Write a little bit about a time God was there for His people. For example, “God, remember that one time you brought your people out of Egypt to save them? I remember too, that was rad.”

Step 3

 Write about a time God was there for you. 

Step 4

 Write a line or two about how you trust God will be there for you too, HIS way. 

Keep these prayers and read through them when you don’t have the words to write. 

CLICK HERE to read the previous post in this Bible Study Blog Post Series on Mom Guilt!