Forsaken!
A good friend of mine asked me a question the other day about a part of the story of Jesus of which I should have been more familiar. It had to do with the events associated directly with His crucifixion, which are some of the most respected and honored passages in the Bible. And yet I had to admit to him that I was not certain of the answer to the question. But I committed to re-familiarizing myself with the details and to letting him know what, if anything, of significance I might discover.
(PS – the same good friend was gracious enough to point out that in my focus on the “sour wine” I had overlooked a couple of points of distinction – those edits have been made with this update. Thanks Mike!)
The question: Why did Jesus reject the sour wine (which could have been vinegar) from the soldier, offered soon after He was hung on the cross, but accepted it later on?
Our youngest daughter and I talked about that story as well – she let me know that this seems to be a question that comes up cyclically; that she had heard it before and even listened to some comments on the subject but that nothing significant stood out to her…at least that she could recall.
And so I decided to poke around a bit and see if anything jumped out at me.
What I uncovered was a bit – okay – a lot deeper than I expected!
I have come to understand that the work of Christ, like the seventieth week of the prophecy Gabriel brough to Daniel, is divided. That His ministry on earth, was what we sometimes refer to as His Suffering Servant ministry, which is clearly described in Isaiah 61:1-2a:
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and an opening to those who are bound; to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD.”
And that it was by that work that He paid the price of Ransom for all – leaving us to decide whether to accept the liberty He offers.
It is undeniable that the sacrifice He made in the midst of the week satisfied the entirety of the New Covenant made with the many. And it seems that His ministry in the throne room of God, as our Near Kinsman, is what will allow us to re-possess our inheritance and to fulfill our Eternal Destiny. It will be at the end of the seventieth week that the rest of Isaiah 61 – the verses Jesus did not read – will be realized by all of those who accepted His Ransom. We will, because of Him be a kingdom of priests and joint-heirs with Him!
The Cross of Christ is the Crux – the core and heart of the Eternal Purposes of God for His creation. And so, the details we are given about that day matter; they matter more than my lack of familiarity with them suggested.
The Cross is when our Anointed Prince – who was revealed as the Messiah at His baptism – is cut off and left with nothing. His sacrifice ends all other sacrifices, fulfilling the Law – and as we will see the dividing of the week is declared by the rending from top to bottom of the veil.
But what has that to do with sour wine? That’s what I wondered. Here is what I saw.
(I will summarize my findings first – if you are curious about the details, you will find them below the two stars.)
Mankind was created in His Image and Likeness solely to fulfill the desire within God to have a family of those of His creation who were fit to share eternity with Him. The requirements for that to happen where built into the Man He created. But the “fitness” of Man would be proven when he chose God over anything and everything else (“you will have no other God but Me”). Choice is a simple equation that compares something that is wanted with something that is possessed and determines if giving up some or all of the possession is desirable.
It is crucial to hold on to the reality that none of what I have said (or will say) was a surprise to God – not the formula of choice or the sides of the equation or the consequences were unknowns…in fact they were all accounted for. So, when His creation chose poorly, an answer already existed. In fact, we are told, God not only already knew the answer, He already balanced the scales. Jesus, we are told, is the Lamb slain before the foundations of creation were laid. Before Man was made. Before sin and death entered His world. (By the way – if that were not true the first act of disobedience would have resulted in the absolute destruction of all that was created.)
Jesus’ great miracle (what were are told in Revelation 5:5 was His overcoming to open the book), was becoming Man – the epitome of the miracle of God (who lives in the Eternal Now) interacting with His creation within the confines of time. It was the only way He could Ransom each of us and Redeem our Inheritance. But why did He have to become sin? The price set by God to save Mankind – each one of us – was the life of a sinless man. And, if such a Man was found, God would allow Him to substitute Himself for any and all of those who were not sinless…for them the Price would be paid – they still, however, must choose to accept the ransom.
God had laid the whole thing out in a covenant – the Everlasting Covenant. He had determined exactly what needed to be done and when. He even shared those details with His Creatures using creation and promises and blessings and even the outpouring of His own Spirit as the languages He spoke.
So, when Jesus was baptized – it was exactly on schedule. And when He was taken in the garden – it was exactly on schedule. And when He was tried and sentenced and scourged and mocked – it was exactly on schedule. (By the way – when Jesus battled in the garden, sweating drops of blood, it was not because of the physical pains associated with the torture which ended with His crucifixion – thousands of men had and would be subjected to that – and worse. His agony was over, as the Son of God, being separated from His Father.
He had never sinned. Which meant He could offer Himself as the eternal sacrifice for all sin and iniquity. But that would require Him to actually become the sins that others have or will commit. And at the very moment – when He was made sin for all of His creation – He was no longer in the Presence of God. That was His great overcoming, that was His great agony, and that was the great price that He was willing to pay (and in a very legal sense – had paid before the foundations).
Jesus was still without sin, when He refused the offered drink, whether sour wine or wine mixed with either gall or myrrh (as described by Mark and Matthew) at the third hour – the refusal was not because the soldier mocked Him – He had already prayed for the Father to forgive that – but because it was not yet time.
About a thousand years before Golgotha, David was inspired to write a song to the Lord. In it he spoke of the thirst that would cause his tongue to stick to his teeth. When the sour wine was first offered – Jesus was still able to talk to the thief beside Him and to His mother and to John.
When He said, “I thirst” He had just spoken, cried out actually, of being forsaken by His God, but His tongue was so swollen and His mouth was so dry that His tongue stuck to His teeth and those around could hardly understand Him, because He was made sin – and He was separated from His Father. It was then, when the sponge of sour wine was brought to Him – that it was exactly on schedule. And after He drank, He said, “It is finished” – and it was exactly on schedule. And the veil rent, and the earth shook and the tombs opened, and the centurion (and those with him) recognized that He was the Son of God – and so, innocent of the charges placed by Pilate on His cross – exactly on schedule.
Luke tells us that coming to the place of the Skull – they crucified Jesus on the third hour. But Jesus was not the only one being crucified there and then. His first words from the cross: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” The context in Luke suggests these were words directed to the Romans who had just nailed Him to the cross; maybe even those who were or would mock Him. It was likely still near the third hour but was most definitely before noon (the sixth hour), so the soldiers were still energetic enough to mock Him. Matthew and Mark join Luke in the recounting of one of the criminals being crucified next to Him who also had enough strength to fling mockeries at Him. Interestingly enough, at this point in the crucifixion ordeal, conversation seems to be possible – their mouths were not yet so dry that “their tongues stuck to their teeth”. In that exchange a great Truth is revealed: that very day the one thief who asked to be remembered would be with Jesus in Paradise – but that is for another time.
Luke’s gospel is the only one that tells us of the instance when Jesus refused the sour wine while being mocked by a soldier who offers the drink to Him, in what appears to be the hour of His crucifixion; the third hour (or 9:00 AM) – the same sour wine (as best we can tell) that is offered to Him later and which He drinks. Was it the mocking?
(Matthew and Mark also retell of His refusal, though in their recounting they distinguish the drink as wine (not sour wine) and suggest that it is mixed with some form of bitter herb (myrrh or gall – which is not the same substance that is translated “gall” in Psalm 69:21). And Mark makes note that passers-by “hurl insults”, specifically regarding the destruction of the temple – which would suggest that the passers-by were not Romans.)
Luke’s is also the only gospel that does not include the instance when He not only took the sour wine but requested it. However, from that distinction comes a very helpful piece of information: a significant amount of time passed between when He turned it away and when He told those nearby “I thirst”.
Mark and Matthew agree with Luke that the next significant event associated with our Lord’s suffering occurs when, at the sixth hour (noon) – the apex of the day – in the month Abib which would be close to the equinox – it became dark, on the whole land, for at least three hours. And when the ninth hour came Jesus cried out.
We know that the Father made Jesus – who knew no sin – sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God…in Him (2Cor.5:21). And we know that “through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.” (Rom.5:19). And we know that sin cannot be found in the presence of God.
I can imagine that when Jesus began to climb up to Golgotha, that, just as Abraham walked side by side with Isaac – who was carrying the wood for the sacrifice on his back – the Father – though unseen by men – walked side by side with His only Begotten – the One in Whom He was well-pleased, who was carrying the cross upon His back.
And then in the three hours of darkness, something happened. Something that changed everything. We know of the significance because Jesus, Who previously did nothing that He did not see the Father do; said nothing that He did not hear the Father say cried out the words from the Psalm of David: “My God, My God why have You forsaken Me!?!”
And I believe He was, at that moment, made to be sin. The sinless Son of God – made to be sin; and so, the Father must turn from Him. And Jesus cries out: now the man alone, for the first time, He cries out from the sheer horror: “My God, My God why have you forsaken Me?” Both Mark and Matthew describe that moment.
Jesus was overwhelmed; His tongue sticking to His teeth. As He cries out (in Aramaic) those around Him misunderstand. They hear, “Elijah”; He said, “Eloi, Lama”. For the Romans this would mean nothing; for the Jews nearby it might sound like a cry for Elijah to come and rescue Him.
From this point the exact sequence varies from gospel to gospel.
Matthew reports that one ran immediately to get the sponge of sour wine and Jesus drank. After which He cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit; at which point the centurion, and those who were with him become frightened and declare, “Truly this was the Son of God!” And then the veil is rent from top to bottom, an earthquake, tombs opening and saints being raised (but not until after His own resurrection).
Mark’s report is very similar. The differences: he does not note the earthquake or the opening of tombs; he also only attributes the revelation of Jesus being the son of God to the centurion.
Luke’s gospel, as noted earlier, does not address anyone bringing Jesus anything for His thirst and only has Him crying out the one time; attributing His final words to a quote from the Psalms. The Son of God – knowing that the appointed hour had come – even the appointed moment – cried out: “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Psalm 31:5 – a psalm of David that subsequently speaks of the ransom paid by the LORD God of truth). Jesus understood that, having been made sin, His only hope was in the hands of the Father!
John’s gospel, remembering that John was the only gospel writer known to be on Golgotha with Jesus, adds a bit of confirmation regarding Jesus’ recognition of the appointed moment; he tells us that, “Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished said, to fulfill scripture. “I thirst” a reference to Psalm 69:21. After receiving the sour wine, John tells us He says, “It is finished!”
And on the third day…