The Hyssop Branch

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John 

October 3, 2024

The Hyssop Branch

A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said,

“It is finished!”

Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John  19: 29-30

We are looking for details in John’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion that point us to deeper truths about God’s plan of redemption for humankind. John identifies by name three people at the foot of the cross; “Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene” (John 19:25). While the Gospel doesn’t specifically mention John by name, he is the fourth person identified in verses 26-27, the disciple who took Jesus’ mother into his own home. Decades after the crucifixion, groups opposing Jesus’ resurrection claimed that Jesus never died. John identifies six eyewitnesses to Jesus’ death, five by name and one by inference. (Joseph and Nicodemus, the other two named eyewitnesses will be mentioned in a following passage)

To see another detail in John’s account, it is helpful to first stand back to see the bigger picture. Fifteen times in this Gospel, John mentions Passover, three times in Chapter 19. With that in mind, we now can wonder why he tells us about the hyssop branch that the soldiers used to extend a sponge soaked in wine to Jesus. God commanded the Jews to use hyssop branches to brush the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts. (Exodus 22) Hyssop was also used by Moses to confirm the Covenant God made with Israel (Exodus 24): “For after Moses had read each of God’s commandments to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God’s law and all the people, using hyssop branches and scarlet wool” Hebrews 9:19). 

My Takeaway: John wants us to know that Jesus is the Passover Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. He wants us to know Jesus confirmed the New Covenant by his own blood.

Sē’lah                                                                                         

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.