John 19
"After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, "I am thirsty." A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon {a branch} {of} hyssop and brought it up to His mouth... "
"After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, "I am thirsty." A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon {a branch} {of} hyssop and brought it up to His mouth... "
This day commemorates the day Jesus went to the cross. I cannot imagine the grief of the disciples. It's hard for me to guess the terror of the bystanders as they saw Jesus bloody, torn, exhausted and yet prodded on to His place of earthly death. This day must have been soul-shattering for some who did not fully understand the Master's plan.
It must've seemed like a lonely day. A lost-in-the-desert day.
This is what it's all about, though, isn't it? This is the Memorial Day Weekend of the grassroots of why we believe and what we exist to do. This is our heart because He is our heart. His willingness to die in such a torturous manner is still astounding to me, and to the unregenerate world it is revolting because they just don't understand.
On this weekend I want to reconnect with the foundational story of Jesus. I don't want the social aspect of it so much (large crowds seem to bother me more and more lately) as I want an intensive, no-holds-barred understanding of the suffering He willingly endured for me, and all of us.
To those who were there and personally witnessed the brutal torture of Jesus, this must have been the end of the world to them. A horrible, terrible day.
But in reality, it was a good day. A very good day.
Because on Sunday...
"Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit."
