The history that we find recorded, as Jesus is on the cross, is intentional and specific. There are things that John wants us to know about Jesus. And so, what he records is very careful. We know from things he says elsewhere in John that he doesn't record everything. This is not everything that could have been said about the cross, but specific things that are recorded for us, John says, so that we would know "that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you (we) may have life in his name." So, here's the next words of Jesus on the cross. This is John 19:28 and 29.
After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said, (to fulfill the Scripture), (I like that parenthetic little phrase.) "I thirst." A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.
There is so much here in this brief little vignette of Jesus on the cross. Here he is in the throes of death. But Jesus knows who he is, and he knows what he has come to do. And even though, again, this looks like a totally out of control moment, God is under complete control of everything that's happening. And specific promises of God, specific prophecies of God, are being fulfilled. The first one is there in Psalm 22:15, that of the thirst of Jesus, direct fulfillment when he says, "I thirst." And then there's Psalm 69:21, which prophesies that they will give him, Jesus, sour wine. In the twenty-four hours surrounding the death of Jesus, there are twenty Old Testament prophecies that are being fulfilled. This is God in control, knowing what he's doing, in order that we would have eternal salvation.
There's another amazing connection here that's easy to miss; it's the hyssop branch. The last time the hyssop branch is mentioned prominently in the Bible is when Israel is being released from their captivity in Egypt. It's the final Passover and the hyssop branch is dipped into blood and painted on the doorway of the houses of the children of Israel so when the angel of death saw that, they would pass over the house. Why is John recording this? Why does he mention the hyssop branch? He wants you to know this is the Passover Lamb so the curse of death will pass over all who believe in Jesus. This is the giver of eternal life. It's not an accident that John mentions the hyssop branch. He wants you to know this connection. Here's the fulfillment of the Passover promises made way back so many years ago. So, this is not Jesus, the sad victim of others, who had a great run, but now it's over. This is God in control! This is the Lamb of God. This is the member of the Trinity who was part of the planning of everything that actually he's experiencing now.
At the same time when he says he thirsts, this is the second Adam who stands in the place of the first Adam. Instead of being disobedient to God, he's obedient to God, even to the point of death. He stands in our place so that, through him, we would have eternal life. Fully God, part of the Trinity that planned all these events; fully man, thirsting in death; the God-Man who came to provide what we could not provide for ourselves, to defeat what we could not defeat, and to give us life eternal. What an amazing scene we are invited to see and to understand and to remember!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. How does the fact that twenty Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in the twenty-four hours surrounding the death of Jesus impact the way you look at Scripture? How does it affect the way you view God and his control over all things? How does it influence the way you understand Jesus himself?
2. Why do you think the details John includes in his book like the hyssop branch are significant to you as a reader today? How do those kinds of details help you understand the importance and eternal significance of how we respond to Jesus and his work on the cross? How do those details help you grasp the fact that God is in control of all things?
3. Why do you think John wanted to include the detail of Jesus being thirsty? How does this help you appreciate the fact that Jesus was fully God and fully man?
4.In his crucifixion, what does Christ provide for you that you could not provide for yourself? What has he defeated for you that you could not defeat? What has he given to you that you could never attain on your own?
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• Why do you think details are important to understand and pay attention to when we read the Bible? Why is the detail of the hyssop branch so important in John 19:28-29?
• When Jesus was crucified on the cross, do you think God was in control of that? How can something so bad (like killing Jesus) also be so good at the same time?
For Older Children:
• Why do you think the crucifixion of Jesus was both horrible and wonderful at the same time? Why is the answer to that question significant for you personally?
• Why do you think the detail of the hyssop branch is so important in John 19:28-29? How do details like the hyssop branch point us to the care and ultimate control God has over all things?
•In his crucifixion, what does Christ provide for you that you could not provide for yourself? What has he defeated for you that you could not defeat? What has he given to you that you could never attain on your own?
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