The Seven Last Words on the Cross (5)

 

 

[John 19:28-30]

 

The fourth word Jesus spoke on the cross was, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani” (Matthew 27:46). This phrase of Jesus is in Aramaic, and its meaning in Korean is “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (verse 46). What this fourth word of Jesus on the cross shows us is that God is just and holy, and not only without sin but also unaware of sin. Yet, He placed my sins, our sins, all of our sins on His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and by forsaking Him on the cross as the payment for our sins, He redeemed us and saved us. Also, this fourth word of Jesus on the cross shows how heavy and fearful the price of our sin is. Furthermore, this word fulfills the prophecy of King David in the Old Testament, Psalm 22:1. Moreover, Jesus’ words “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani” on the cross concretely and surely reveal to us God’s love.

When Jesus cried out loudly on the cross, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,” we can concretely and surely know the love of the loving God (1 John 4:8, 16). Romans 5:8 in the Contemporary Korean Bible says: “But God demonstrates His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We are sinners from birth [(Psalm 51:5, Contemporary Korean Bible) “I was born a sinner, and I have had a sinful nature from the moment my mother conceived me.”], and while we were sinners, God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, was forsaken by God the Father on the cross in our place [“Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani” (Matthew 27:46)] and died, thus surely demonstrating God’s love for us. Romans 5:10 says: “For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” There was sin between God and us, and so we were enemies of God. But God’s Son, Jesus Christ, took on all our sins and was forsaken by the Father on the cross [“Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani” (Matthew 27:46)] and died, and through this, we have been reconciled with God (Romans 5:10). The apostle John in 1 John 4:9-10 explains how God’s love was concretely and surely manifested on the cross: “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” John explains how God’s love was shown to us—namely, that God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as an atoning sacrifice to save us by covering our sins. The apostle Paul said in Romans 8:32: “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” God loved us and wanted to save us, so He sent His only Son as an atoning sacrifice into this world, freely giving Him to the cross to forgive all our sins and reconcile us with God.

 

The fifth word Jesus spoke on the cross was, “I thirst.”

 

Today’s passage is from John 19:28: “After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), ‘I thirst.’”  Here, “after this” refers to the moment after Jesus cried out loudly from the cross, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). And when it says, “Jesus, knowing that all was now finished” (John 19:28), the phrase “all was finished” means that Jesus knew He had completed everything necessary—coming to this earth, being crucified, shedding His blood, and dying—for our salvation. In other words, Jesus knew that the work of redeeming us and saving us from eternal destruction had been accomplished.  Also, in today’s verse, John 19:28, it says, “to fulfill the Scripture.” This Scripture refers to Psalm 69:21 in the Old Testament: “They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”  [(Modern translation) “They gave me gall for my food, and when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar.”]  Before Jesus cried out, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani” from the cross, Roman soldiers offered Him “wine mixed with gall” (Matthew 27:34) or “wine mixed with myrrh” (Mark 15:23), but after tasting it, He refused to drink it. This “wine mixed with gall” or “wine mixed with myrrh” was a type of anesthetic added to wine to dull the senses and lessen the pain. Jesus rejected it because it would have reduced His suffering.  However, even after Jesus cried out, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,” one of the people present ran and took a sponge, soaked it in “sour wine” (vinegar), and put it on a reed (Matthew 27:48; Mark 15:36) [John 19:29 (modern translation) mentions it was placed on a branch of hyssop] and brought it to Jesus’ lips as He hung on the cross. This time, Jesus accepted the sour wine (John 19:29–30, modern translation).  There is debate over whether the “sour wine” and the “wine mixed with gall” or “wine mixed with myrrh” are the same or different. Most scholars say they are the same, while a few argue they are different. I believe they are different, for three reasons:

  1. The original Greek words for “sour wine” and for “wine mixed with gall” or “myrrh” are different.

  2. The wine mixed with gall or myrrh contained anesthetic properties, while “sour wine” was wine mixed with vinegar.

  3. Jesus did not accept the anesthetic wine (Matthew 27:34; Mark 15:23), but He did accept the sour wine (John 19:30).

I believe Jesus refused the wine mixed with gall or myrrh because He knew it would lessen His pain. But He accepted the sour wine because He knew it would intensify His suffering. The basis for this understanding is that when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He accepted the “cup of suffering” according to the will of the Father (Luke 22:42).  [Reference: At the Last Supper, Jesus took the cup, gave thanks, and said to His disciples: “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27–28; Mark 14:23–24).]  After enduring the suffering of being forsaken by the Father on the cross (“Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,” Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34), Jesus accepted the sour wine mixed with vinegar (John 19:30). This shows that His purpose in drinking it was not simply to quench His thirst (“I thirst,” v. 28), but to inflict more suffering upon Himself.  In other words, Jesus—who came to give life to us who were dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1), who wanted to save us (1 John 4:9), and who laid down His life for us (1 John 3:16)—rejected the pain-dulling anesthetic wine and instead accepted the sour vinegar wine, which would intensify His suffering (John 19:28).

Now, consider the lyrics of hymn #311 from the New Hymnal, “I Gave My Life for Thee”: (Verse 1) I gave My life for thee, My blood I shed, That thou might'st ransomed be And quickened from the dead.  I gave, I gave My life for thee, What hast thou given for Me?  I gave, I gave My life for thee, What hast thou given for Me?  (Verse 2) My Father's house of light— My glory-circled throne I left for earthly night, For wanderings sad and lone.  I left, I left it all for thee, Hast thou left aught for Me?  I left, I left it all for thee, Hast thou left aught for Me?  (Verse 3) I suffered much for thee, More than thy tongue can tell, Of bitterest agony, To rescue thee from hell.  I've borne, I've borne it all for thee, What hast thou borne for Me?  I've borne, I've borne it all for thee, What hast thou borne for Me?  (Verse 4) And I have brought to thee Down from My home above Salvation full and free,
My pardon and My love.  I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee, What hast thou brought to Me?  I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee, What hast thou brought to Me?  God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, came to this world for us, who were spiritually dead, to redeem and save us freely from our sins. He gave His life and shed His blood on the cross so that we might have life.  This loving Jesus asks you and me: “I gave My body for you—what are you giving Me?”  “I sacrificed Myself—what are you doing for Me?”  “I atoned for your sins—what are you offering in return?”  “This is precious—what are you giving in response?”