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with me in your Bibles to John's 
Gospel, John chapter 19, as we continue our way through the 
crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our focus this morning will be 
on verses 28 and 29. Mentioned several weeks ago, 
we call the things that our Lord said from the cross, the seven 
sayings of the Savior on the cross. So we've got two here, 
we've got the fifth, and then we've got the sixth. We'll take 
those in succession, but I do want to read beginning in verse 
17 to verse 20, or verse 30. And He, bearing His cross, went 
out to a place called the place of a skull, which is called in 
Hebrew Golgotha, where they crucified Him and two others with Him, 
one on either side and Jesus in the center." Now Pilate wrote 
a title and put it on the cross, and the writing was, Jesus of 
Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Then many of the Jews read this 
title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, 
and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Therefore the 
chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, Do not write the King 
of the Jews, but he said, I am the King of the Jews. Pilate 
answered, What I have written, I have written. Then the soldiers, 
when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four 
parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic 
was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said, 
therefore, among themselves, let us not tear it, but cast 
lots for it, whose it shall be, that the scripture might be fulfilled, 
which says, they divided my garments among them, and for my clothing 
they cast lots. Therefore, the soldiers did these 
things. Now, there stood by the cross 
of Jesus his mother and his mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, 
and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his 
mother and the disciple whom he loved standing by, he said 
to his mother, woman, behold your son. Then he said to the 
disciple, behold your mother. And from that hour, that disciple 
took her to his own home. After this, Jesus, knowing that 
all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, 
said, I thirst. Now a vessel full of sour wine 
was sitting there, and they filled the sponge with sour wine, put 
it on hyssop, and put it to his mouth. So when Jesus had received 
the sour wine, he said, it is finished. And bowing his head, 
he gave up his spirit. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father in heaven, we thank you for this beautiful day. We thank 
you for the revelation of your glory in the created order. We 
thank you for the revelation of your grace and your loving 
kindness in redemption. We thank you for our Lord Jesus 
Christ, and as we stand at the foot of the cross, As we hear 
the Savior from the cross, give us ears to hear, hearts to receive, 
and may we be encouraged and edified and strengthened. God, 
as well, may you effectually call sinners out of darkness 
into that light, which is Christ Jesus our Lord. Be merciful in 
the application of your Holy Scripture amongst all of us here 
today. Guide us by the Spirit. Forgive us now for all of our 
sins, and we ask in Jesus' name, amen. Well, as I said, we've 
got the 5th and the 6th saying here. We'll take up the 5th this 
morning and, God willing, the 6th next week. But by way of 
a reminder, the 1st is, Father, forgive them. The 2nd is, today 
you will be with me in paradise. The 3rd, woman, behold your son. 
4, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 5, here I thirst. 
And then sixth, it is finished. And then finally, in Luke's gospel, 
Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. I had mentioned several 
weeks ago that A.W. Pink had a book on this subject. 
At that time, I didn't have the book. I now have been gifted 
the book, and I've read the book. And he gives the titles this 
way. The first is the Word of Forgiveness. The second, the Word of Salvation. 
Third, the Word of Affection. Fourth, the Word of Anguish. 
Fifth, the word of suffering. Sixth, the word of victory. And 
seventh, the word of contentment. And I think that's an apt description. 
His book and handling of that is most edifying if you can get 
your hands upon that. So we'll look specifically at 
the fifth saying of the Savior on the cross in verses 28 and 
29. of suffering, and there's two things to notice here. First, 
the declaration of the Savior in verse 28, and then secondly, 
the provision of this sour wine in verse 29. So let's look first 
at the declaration of the Savior under three specifics. Notice 
in verse 28, there are three sections. After this, Jesus knowing 
that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, 
said, I thirst." So we'll look at this knowledge of Christ, 
then the fulfillment of scripture, and then the actual declaration 
when he says, I thirst. What's the significance here 
in John's gospel with reference to Jesus on the cross? But note 
first this knowledge of Christ. After this, Jesus, knowing that 
all things were accomplished. The Lord Jesus Christ is in control. He's not a hapless victim. We speak of the passive obedience 
of Jesus Christ, but that does not mean the passivity of the 
Savior who is working out the salvation of sinners on the cross. He knows what is happening. We 
have seen throughout John's presentation of the passion. It's Jesus that 
goes out to meet the arresters in the garden. It's Jesus who 
stands before Pontius Pilate and declares that he is in fact 
truth. It is Jesus that is over these 
things and here he now knows that everything is accomplished. 
And what does that mean that everything is accomplished? I 
think this probably suggests two things. One, the accomplishment 
of all that is written of Jesus in the Old Testament Scriptures. 
In fact, in a post-resurrection appearance of our Lord to the 
disciples, he says in Luke 24, 44, these are the words which 
I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must 
be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets 
and the Psalms concerning me. So in verse 28, after this, Jesus 
knowing that all things were now accomplished. But, as well, 
in John's Gospel, Jesus is doing the will of the Father. He says 
this in several places and in several instances. My meat is 
to do the will of Him who sent me. In 1811, He speaks concerning 
the cup that He must drink that has been given to Him by His 
Father. All throughout John's Gospel, 
we see this sort of shadow of the hour. Its first appearance 
is in John 2, the wedding at Cana. The Lord Jesus says, My 
hour is not yet. Well, the hour is upon Him. The 
hour has come. And the hour specifically is 
His death and His resurrection. And so after this, after the 
things that we have read and seen and studied up to this particular 
point, after this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, 
Let's move on. He speaks concerning the Scripture, 
or John speaks concerning the Scripture, and that the Scripture 
might be fulfilled. Now this is an interesting thing, 
because John oftentimes speaks about the fulfillment of Scripture, 
but he always does so using a different word, a consistently different 
word. This instance he uses actually 
the different word. The fulfillment formulas in John 
uses a word that we would say in Greek is pleirao. Well here 
it's tetelestai and it's related to what is going on in verses 
28 and 29. Notice in verse 28, knowing that 
all things were now accomplished. That's tetelestai and then in 
verse 29, we see, or in verse 30 rather, so when Jesus had 
received the sour wine, He said, it is finished, tetellestai. 
Now then, in verse 28, that the scripture might be fulfilled, 
He uses a variation of that word, tetellestai. And it might be 
translated here in verse 28, just like it is in verse 28a, 
accomplished, Then, in verse 30, finished. We might also translate 
it as completed. The scripture is completed. The 
scripture is fulfilled. I'm going to suggest that we 
interpret this with reference to the act of crucifixion itself 
and to the declaration that our Savior makes when He says, I 
thirst. What does he mean by it is fulfilled? It means that Jesus is the scope 
of Scripture. It means that the Law, the Prophets, 
the Psalms were all about Jesus. Everything in the Old Testament 
pointed forward to this particular event. Now, I realize there's 
New Testament Scriptures to be written, there's apostolic exposition 
to be sure, there is theology and implications drawn from what 
we have here in the Passion Narrative, but in terms of Scripture's fulfillment, 
or its completion, or its finishing, it is in Christ. He is determinous. In other words, the Old Testament 
isn't simply a book of ethics on how to live, how to conduct 
ourselves, how to deal with one another in a sin-cursed world. 
It is that. It's not just a declaration of 
the laws governing the body of Israel. It is that. It's not 
just a prescription of how to function in God's universe. It is that, but the goal, the 
sum, the substance, the very focus, the scope of Scripture 
of the Old Testament is in Jesus. And I think that's what John 
is telling us in this instance, knowing that all things were 
now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. In other 
words, everything that had been written of Him, everything that 
was true concerning Him is fulfilled and finds its terminus in this 
crucifixion event. Edward Klink says, the formula 
declares at the general level that the crucified Christ brings 
the Scripture to its completion. The crucified Jesus is the completion 
of Scripture. He is the yea and amen of all 
the covenant promises of God. He is the surety of a better 
covenant. He is all that the Old Testament prefigured, that 
it typified, and that it pointed forward to. In other words, at 
the cross what we have is God's approval and God's affirmation 
of the work of His blessed Son on our behalf. And this goes 
along with what we've seen in the first part of the statement, 
knowing that all things were now accomplished. But then notice, 
as John usually does a fulfillment formula, that simply means as 
it is written and then a scriptural declaration. If you go back up 
to verse 24, notice, they said, therefore, among themselves, 
let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be, 
that the scripture might be fulfilled, that's the formula, which says, 
they divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they 
cast lots. So, as we come now to the specific 
declaration, the fulfillment of scripture is in the act of 
crucifixion, it's in the consummation of Christ's redemptive plan, 
but it also does double duty here with reference to this declaration, 
I thirst. That the scripture might be fulfilled, 
Jesus said, I thirst. That follows the regular pattern. And as we have seen, this specifically 
refers, or I'm not sure we have seen this yet, I'm going to point 
our attention to Psalm 69. You can turn there. And while 
you're turning there, I'll remind you of something that we've noted 
as we work our way through the crucifixion. The gospel writers 
do not give us a vivid, detailed description of the physical torture 
and suffering of our Savior. They do not feed that sort of 
interest in terms of, you know, at this stage of the game, this 
happened. At this place on that road, this 
happened. At this place in that time, this 
happened. They don't do that. The psalmists 
do. The Psalmists explain in much 
more detail the physical suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ when 
He encountered the cross. We've seen it in Psalm 22. In 
fact, if you're looking at Psalm 69, I'll remind you that Psalm 
22 has already been cited in our context. They divided my 
garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. Well, 
Psalm 69, verse 21, if you look specifically, it says, they also 
gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar 
to drink. Now I believe that France is 
right when he says the illusion, he's speaking of the other gospel 
writers, Matthew specifically, the illusion to Psalm 69 identifies 
Jesus as the righteous sufferer who in that psalm is ill-treated 
because of his loyalty to God. I think he's right. Psalm 69 
is about Jesus. If you look at that section in 
verse 5, oh God, you know my foolishness and my sins are not 
hidden from you. That will trouble persons when 
I suggest that this psalm is about Jesus. Persons will say, 
but Jesus didn't sin. Jesus was holy, harmless, and 
undefiled. Yeah, but Jesus identified with us, yet without sin. Jesus 
is representing us on that cross. The theology of 2 Corinthians 
5.21 needs to be remembered. God made Him who knew no sin 
to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God 
in Him. So what we have in Psalm 69 is a righteous sufferer. Now 
John already in his gospel has quoted from Psalm 69. We see 
Psalm 69 verse 4 quoted in John 15 at verse 25. We see Psalm 
69 9 quoted in John 2 17. So, when we look at this particular 
psalm, I want to give you a brief outline and then show you what 
the psalmist says concerning our Savior, specifically with 
reference to the scene that we're in when he cries out, I thirst. Verse 9 is simple. The condition 
of the sufferer is set forth in verses 1 to 4. The reason 
for his suffering is given us in 5 to 12. The prayer for his 
deliverance is in verses 13 to 18. And then the severity of 
his condition is in verses 19 to 21. And it culminates with 
verse 21, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Verses 
22 to 28 are the prayer for his enemies. Now I should suggest or let you 
know that this isn't a save them from their sin prayer, it's an 
imprecatory prayer. It's a smash them for their rebellion 
against God prayer. How do we square that with the 
first saying of the Savior on the cross, Father forgive them 
for they do not know what they do. Jesus there is praying for 
His elect that were operating out of ignorance. not out of 
abject opposition to the claims of the Savior King concerning 
his office and his person. Gil sets it forth this way, and 
that for his enemies, his crucifiers, not for those who sinned the 
sin unto death, the sin against the Holy Ghost, who knowing him 
to be Messiah maliciously crucified him, for whom prayer is not to 
be made, but for those who are ignorantly concerned in it, as 
the next clause shows, even for his own elect, whom the Father 
had given him out of the world, which were among his crucifiers, 
for those and not the world he prays." That's consistent with 
the upper room. I don't pray for the world, he 
says in John 17.9, I pray for those whom you've given me out 
of the world. So there's no problem seeing an imprecatory prayer 
in verses 22 to 28 of Psalm 69 as the righteous response to 
the righteous sufferer who has been treated so wickedly by rebels. With father, forgive them, for 
they do not know what they do." In that mass of persons, there 
were elect. How do we know that? Because 
in Acts chapter 2, on the day of Pentecost, Peter is preaching 
to Jerusalem sinners, and he says, repent and let every one 
of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission 
of sins. He promises that the Holy Spirit 
is given to you and to your children and to all who are far off, as 
many as the Lord our God shall call. Well, what happens on that 
day with those Jerusalem sinners? Well, 3,000 of them are converted. So again, there's a difference 
between the ignorance that we see at the foot of the cross 
versus the viciousness of the Sanhedrin versus the viciousness 
of those sons of the devil versus the viciousness of those whom 
the righteous sufferer rightly prays that God will smash according 
to Psalm 69 verses 22 to 28. And then the psalm ends with 
praise for answered prayer in verses 29 to 36. Now, as we survey 
the psalm, we see the extent of the Savior's suffering. Notice 
verse 2, the Savior, well, verses 1 and 2. Save me, O God, for 
the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where 
there is no standing. I have come into deep waters, 
where the floods overflow me. I am weary with my crying. My 
throat is dry. My eyes fail while I wait for 
my God. You see, this is an instance 
on the cross of our Lord Jesus that is wretched. It's horrible. It's violent. It's bitter. It is mankind at his absolute 
worst. Remember, David in Psalm 22 describes 
it as dogs and as lions and as oxen and as beasts. Notice the Savior is here hated 
without cause. Verse 4, those who hate me without 
a cause are more than the hairs of my head. They are mighty who 
would destroy me, being my enemies wrongfully. Though I have stolen 
nothing, I still must restore it. This is the verse he quotes 
in the upper room in John 15 at verse 25. They hated me without 
cause. You get that, right? How does 
Peter describe Jesus when he's preaching in the book of Acts? 
He was a man who went about doing good. Why would anybody hate 
Jesus? Because we're sinners, right? We revel in and delight in our 
sin. The Savior is rehearsing through 
the pen of David in Psalm 69 the extent of what it means in 
Isaiah's language that he was a man of sorrows and acquainted 
with grief. Notice he bore reproach and shame, according to verse 
7, because for your sake I have borne reproach. Shame has covered 
my face. The Savior was a stranger to 
his brothers, according to verse 8. I have become a stranger to 
my brothers and an alien to my brothers' children. Verse 9 is 
that which is quoted in John 2, because zeal for your house 
has eaten me up and the reproaches of those who reproach you have 
fallen on me. Notice that the Savior was a 
byword, a proverb, something to pick on him for according 
to verse 11. I also made sackcloth my garment, I became a byword 
to them. Notice the Savior was spoken 
against by the elites according to 12a, the judges who sit in 
the gates. The Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin 
ran this mob. The Sanhedrin incited the multitudes. The Sanhedrin got this before 
Pontius Pilate, and the Sanhedrin put that political blackmail 
upon Pontius Pilate and said, if you do not do what we are 
demanding of you to be doing, then you are no friend of Caesar's. 
Well, what's Pilate gonna do? You think Pilate's gonna sink 
or tank his career at that point? He's a man, a wretched man, just 
like every other wretched man. He thinks, Jesus or me? Well, 
it's simple. Go ahead, take him away, deliver 
him up to be crucified. But as well, he's a song of the 
drunkards, according to 12b. Those who sit in the gate speak 
against me, and I am the song of the drunkards. And then the 
saviors cry specifically in verses 16 to 20. Hear me, O Lord, for 
your lovingkindness is good. Turn to me according to the multitude 
of your tender mercies, and do not hide your face from your 
servant, for I am in trouble. Hear me speedily, draw near to 
my soul and redeem it. Deliver me because of my enemies. 
Consistent with Psalm 22, verse one, the saying of the Savior 
on the cross. The fourth one, my God, my God, 
why hast thou forsaken me? Why have you withdrawn the friendly 
countenance at this time? Verse 19, you know my reproach, 
my shame, and my dishonor. My adversaries are all before 
you. Reproach has broken my heart, 
and I am full of heaviness. I looked for someone to take 
pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. 
They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst, they 
gave me vinegar to drink. This is where we're at in John 
19 at verse 28. Now, before we move on to verse 
29, the actual provision of the wine, what's the significance 
behind this? Well, again, the significance 
behind this is the accomplishment of all things, the redemptive 
work of Jesus Christ on behalf of all those whom the Father 
had given Him. It is the fulfillment, the completion, 
the finishing of Scripture in terms of that event on Calvary. And it's a specific fulfillment 
of what we find there in Psalm 69, I thirst. as well. Psalm 22 verse 15 speaks 
concerning this as well. My strength is dried up like 
a pot shirt and my tongue clings to my jaws. You have brought 
me to the dust of death. Don't miss that. You, Yahweh, 
God, Father, have brought me to the dust of death. See, Jesus 
understands the guilt of Pilate and says as much when he stands 
before Pilate. Jesus understands the guilt, 
the greater guilt of the Sanhedrin and says as much. but he knows 
this is the Father's cup given to him to drink. Jesus understands 
all too well the mission that he is on, and he knows the prophet 
Isaiah put it this way, it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. It pleased 
Yahweh to crush him. So before we look at some theology 
that I think is important, we should probably just stop and 
consider how glorious the Savior is. He thirsted under such extremity 
to save us from our sin, to deliver us from what is legitimate punishment, 
penalty, shame, suffering, all of that. We deserve that. He's 
there undeserving. We're not deserving. And that's 
the beauty of the Christian gospel. It's the great exchange. Christ 
takes our sin and is punished for it on the cross and then 
that righteousness which he accomplishes is given to needy sinners along 
with forgiveness for their sins. It is a beautiful thing. It is 
glorious. It is wonderful. It is why we 
are here. We're not here because we're 
upright. We're not here because we're polished. We're not here 
because we're good. We're here because God saved 
us by His grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, which 
faith given to us freely by God means now forgiven of our sins 
and having received a righteousness by which we can stand in the 
presence of God Most High. The Savior thirsted on our behalf 
so that we may drink of the rivers of water of life. It is most 
blessed. So as I said, before we get into 
the provision, just a couple of thoughts on the significance 
here of I thirst. Again, Pink makes an interesting 
connection between the fourth saying and the fifth saying. 
The fourth is, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And 
the fifth is, I thirst. Psalm 42, verses 1 to 3. Psalm 42, verses 1 to 3. As the 
deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for 
the living God. When shall I come and appear 
before God? My tears have been my food day 
and night, while they continually say to me, where is your God? 
We know that happens at the foot of the cross. We know that happens 
from the taunters. We know that happens from those 
attacking blasphemers. God, you know, He saved others. 
He can't save Himself. Let's see if God does respond. Let's see if God does come to 
His aid. The abandonment that He suffered by the Father, and 
again we need to nuance that, we need to make sure there's 
no misunderstanding, there's no division in the Trinity, there's 
no dissolution of the hypostatic union, all that stuff remains 
true, but the favorable smile of the Father toward the Son 
is removed at that time because He's suffering our punishment. What does that evoke from the 
Savior? I thirst. Brethren, we need more of that 
disposition. When we don't sense the friendly 
countenance of our father, let us seek it. Let us go at once. Let us not grow content. I've 
often thought it's a horrible thing when married couples end 
up like brother and sister in their older years. It's a horrible 
thing. Yeah, brother and sister spiritually 
is a good thing, but brother and sister like family, that's 
not good. It's a romantic love. It's a, 
dare I say it, you know, there's lots of things in there. And 
sometimes as well, married couples begin to develop an almost okay-ness 
with, you know, some distance between them. That's not good. If there's distance between you 
and your bride or between you and your husband, fix it. Fix it. I mean, if my arm got 
lopped off, I'd probably run to the hospital or call an ambulance 
because my body's hurt. And I don't want to live contentedly 
with no arm. There has to be something similar 
in the lives of God's people when they go through a season 
where they say things like, well, you know, when I pray, I don't 
really sense God's presence. When I read my Bible, I might 
as well read a Chinese phone book, because I just don't sense 
God's presence. Imitate the psalmist. Cry out. I will not go lest you bless 
me. There needs to be the disposition 
of the importunate woman or widow that did not give that judge 
any rest until she got the verdict that she sought. Brethren, let 
us not live contented away from the good providence or rather 
good presence of God. There is mechanism in place. 
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive 
us of our sins. It's a way to fix the relationship. 
Proverbs 28, 13, whoever covers his transgression isn't going 
to prosper. The one who confesses that and 
forsakes it will find what? Mercy. In 10 years, 20 years, 
30, you know as well as I do, when you ask God for mercy, you 
get mercy. There's no, well, you know, I'm not sure, I'm gonna 
let you wallow in your misery for a time. No, what kind of 
a conception do we have of our God? For Jesus, that abandonment, 
fourth saying, evokes, I think, a spiritual significance here, 
and I thirst. But as well, thirst in John's 
gospel. Remember that woman at the well, 
and Jesus speaks of living water? Remember the last great day of 
the feast in John 7? Jesus says, if any man thirsts, 
let him come to me. And then most recently, John 
18 11, I must drink the cup that the Father has given me. So this 
I thirst does a lot of duty connecting us in terms of Jesus with reference 
to his earthly suffering, Jesus with reference to John's gospel 
more broadly, Jesus going through this such that he is then the 
living water who is able to satisfy every need, every desire, every 
longing of his people. He is blessed and wondrous and 
glorious. I think as well it underscores 
and highlights the identity of the Savior. This is true humanity. Deity doesn't thirst. God doesn't 
thirst. God doesn't eat. God doesn't 
need a clock or a bed rather and an alarm clock to wake Him 
up. God is. He is spirit, infinite, eternal, 
and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, 
goodness, and truth. All that is true of God is true 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is according to His humanity 
that He thirsts. That underscores the true humanity 
of our Lord, to which we'll return in a few minutes. But as well, 
the confirmation concerning the Savior. Isn't this exactly what 
we would expect from a suffering man? I would find it odd if He 
didn't thirst on the cross. I would be puzzled if He really 
was man. Is it true humanity to undergo 
such suffering and never once ask for drink? Is it true of 
humanity to not, in excruciating circumstances and conditions, 
not make declarations like this? Of course it's true. It underscores, 
it confirms, it demonstrates, it shows us that when John says 
in 1.14 the Word became flesh, he doesn't mean that the Word 
kind of looked like flesh. The Word was a little bit like 
flesh. The Word appeared to be flesh. 
No, the Word became flesh. So all that is true flesh is 
true of the person of Christ. And not ever once Christ having 
the divinity diminished, changed, altered, modified, or confused. The glory of the incarnation 
of the Son of God, the movement from John 1.1 to John 1.14 is 
incredible. The Word, or in the beginning 
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 
That Word, that Word who creates all things according to John 
1.3. That Word, that Word alone became flesh, and He dwelt among 
us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten 
of the Father, full of grace and truth. And there were times 
and occasions and situations, one like the Transfiguration, 
where it was as it were Jesus peels back His humanity. Kids, 
that's just a metaphor. He didn't actually do that like 
He was Superman or something, but just metaphorically He shows 
His radiance, He shows His majesty, He shows His glory. He does it 
in Matthew's gospel, in Matthew chapter 9. With that paralytic, 
He says, Son, your sins are forgiven you. What do the Pharisees, what 
do the religious leaders say? Who does this man think he is? 
Who does he think he is? Only God alone can forgive sins. 
Jesus knew their thoughts. Jesus knew their hearts. Jesus 
knew their suspicions about his statement. So he said, let me 
ask you something. Which is easier, for me to say 
to this man, your sins are forgiven you, or say to him, pick up your 
mat and walk? They don't answer him. I mean, they're not absolute 
morons. I don't think I'd have jumped 
in the fray with him at that point either. What does Jesus 
do? He looks at that paralytic and 
he says, take up your bed and walk. See, we, as I've said many 
occasions, on many occasions, we say, wow, the miracle of the 
story is that man walked again. No, the miracle of the story 
is that he was forgiven of his sins. That's the point. But that you may know that the 
Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. He looks at 
the paralytic and he tells him, take up your bed and walk. The 
taking up the bed and walking, as wonderful a miracle as that 
was, is an illustration of the greater miracle that Jesus forgives 
sins. That one does what he does for 
us and for our salvation. Now let's look then at the provision 
of sour wine. As best I can tell, there were 
two instances where there was offers made concerning wine to 
our Savior. while on the cross. There's a 
previous instance, it's prior to the division of garments. 
This is in Matthew 27 at verse 34 and it's in Mark 15 at verse 
23. In fact, you can look at the Mark 15, 23. Mark 15, verse 23, then they 
gave him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but he did not take 
it. And when they crucified him, they divided his garments. Matthew 
puts it in the same order. There's this offer of wine, but 
it's not just wine. It's mingled with myrrh to drink. Now, as I have reflected and 
as I've studied, this was a practice often done during executions. In fact, a Jewish writing, quote, 
when one is led out to execution, he is given a goblet of wine 
containing a grain of frankincense in order to be numb his senses. 
For it is written, give strong drink unto him that is ready 
to perish, and whine unto the bitter of soul. So this is a 
practice. Throw a little bit of myrrh in 
there, a little bit of frankincense to help numb the senses of the 
one that was suffering execution. Notice that Jesus refuses it 
there. He refuses it. Probably for two 
reasons. One, it's a mockery on their 
part. It is a mockery on their part. 
There's no compassion in these men at all. There's not a shred 
of dignity in these men at all. There's no concern, one wit for 
him at all. I think the Roman soldiers actually 
did give him wine, and the text reads that, sour wine, which 
is basically vinegar, and he took that. I would argue that 
the soldiers at the cross were far more compassionate than the 
very Sanhedrin themselves. So Jesus refuses this because 
it was a vicious parade on their part to appear to be compassionate, 
to benumb his senses so that he can undergo this suffering. 
But again, theologically, why is he ultimately there? Yeah, 
Pilate's a creep. Sanhedrin's a bunch of creeps. 
Judah's a creep of all creeps. Yahweh was pleased to bruise 
him, putting him to grief. He's not going to benumb his 
senses when he's undergoing the punishment that you and I deserve. 
He is going to drink the cup of God's wrath in all of its 
unmitigated fury. He is going to drain it down 
to its dregs and he is not going to miss any of it. Now, in terms 
of the actual provision of the wine, notice there, verse 29, 
now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there, and they filled 
the sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to his 
mouth. Now, basically, this is sour wine or wine vinegar. It relieved thirst more effectively 
than water, and being cheaper than regular wine, it was a favorite 
beverage of the lower ranks of society and of those in moderate 
circumstances. It would have been there for 
the soldiers. I guess killing people is hard work, and they 
would need something to refresh or slake their thirst. So why 
do they do this? And I don't think they're being 
compassionate, but comparatively, they're more compassionate than 
these ones that are giving him the wine mingled with myrrh and 
frankincense as if it was some sort of a commitment to their 
writings that they were gonna alleviate the suffering of this 
one. Some suggest it was to prolong his agony. I don't think that 
on the part of the soldiers. I could be wrong, but I don't 
think that. There's a timeframe. They gotta get Jesus off the 
cross. Probably the four soldiers had been instructed in that. 
He can't be past this time because we've got Sabbath to tend to 
and we've got other things going on. The soldiers wanted to act, 
engaged in an act of compassion. Again, I don't suggest that. 
I don't think they're going, oh, poor suffering Savior, let's 
give him some of this sour wine. It was probably just a matter 
of routine. Just a matter of, yeah, we give 
sour wine to somebody that's being executed. It's kind of 
like the decent thing to do. You don't need to have compassion 
running through your veins. You just need to not be a monster, 
right? I mean, I'd like to think if 
you saw your enemy bleeding out on Wellington, you'd stop and 
throw him in the trunk of your car and take him over to the 
emergency room. I mean, it's called decency. Natural law, 
humanity, some degree, modicum of kindness. So they slake his 
thirst. They give him this. Now, hyssop 
is probably just laying around. But hyssop, biblically, isn't 
just laying around. Hyssop, in Leviticus, and in 
Numbers, and in Exodus, is all over sacrifice. It's all over 
purification. In fact, it's how the Israelite 
splashed the blood on the Passover. Don't miss things like that. 
Hyssop is there. The soldiers use it to bring 
this sour wine to the mouth of the Savior and he takes it according 
to verse 30. Notice, so when Jesus had received 
the sour wine, he said, it is finished. And bowing his head, 
he gave up his spirit. So we'll look at that one, God 
willing, next week. But I want to end here with just 
a couple of thoughts. First, the true humanity of Christ. 
I've already said this, so it won't take too long to restate 
it. The word became flesh and dwelt 
among us. That is true as you move through 
John's gospel. When you move through John's 
gospel, you get a constant demonstration of the true humanity of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Yeah, John gives us a lot of 
emphasis on the true divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. In 
fact, we might argue Matthew, Mark, and Luke give us even more 
of the true humanity of Jesus, but John does too. And here it's 
culminated at the crucifixion. He doesn't just appear to die, 
he actually died. He didn't just appear to be thirsty, 
he was actually thirsty. He didn't just appear to suffer, 
he actually suffered. A brother this morning teaching 
in the confession mentioned, I think it was this morning, 
it could have been 10 years ago, I don't know, but bless God for 
the historicity of our religion. Bless God that this happened 
in Jerusalem. We can find Jerusalem on a map 
today. Bless God that this happened on the calendar. You can date 
it. Bless God that our religion is 
not wound up in a land far, far away, many, many ages ago. No, no, no, no, no. The Bible 
is historical. The Bible is true. The Bible 
sets forth the true humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ. But 
before we move to humanity, if I were to ask you, what's something 
that sort of characterizes your life? You might say, depending 
on the day, depending on the situation, depending on what 
you're currently going through, life is sorrow. Life is suffering. Life is hard. Life is affliction. You might say that. Don't look 
at me like, no, I'd never say that. You might. But you might 
also say, life is good. I love my spouse, I love my children, 
God has privileged me with the job that I have, all that. Life 
isn't just sorrow and suffering and affliction and hardship and 
woe. Neither was it for the Lord Jesus Christ in his humanity. Look at the linkage here. I thirst 
gives way to verse 30, it is finished. Is there a link between the thirst 
and victory? I thought of two. Remember in 
Judges 15 when the Spirit of the Lord comes upon our brother 
Samson, and Samson picks up the jawbone of an ass, and he takes 
that jawbone of an ass and he dispatches 1,000 Philistines. I've always thought, what are 
you thinking when you're on 699? What are you thinking when you're 
on 748? And, you know, we probably romanticize it and we probably 
have seen a painting or, you know, a wallpaper on a computer 
somewhere and it's this Samson with his rippling muscles and 
his bulges and, you know, these Philistines are coming out. He's 
covered in blood and gore. He's covered in body parts. In 
order to kill someone, I'm not a specialist in weapons, there's 
others that are more skilled in that, but I gotta think that 
a long spear keeps more distance and more blood and gore off you 
than wielding the jawbone of an ass. He's right there, right 
on him. What happens when he finishes 
dispatching them? He drops the jawbone down and 
he says, God, after that victory, you're gonna let me die of thirst? 
And then he drinks. It's a beautiful scene. His prayer 
almost sounds cheeky. In fact, turn there. Won't keep 
us too long. We do have AC, so two more minutes 
isn't gonna kill anyone. Judges 15. Again, we hear this 
prayer and we go, man, I'm not sure that's a legit prayer. God 
was, because God answered. Judges 15, we'll just get the 
scene, verse 14. When he came to Lehi, the Philistines 
came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the Lord came 
mightily upon him, and the ropes that were on his arms became 
like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose 
from his hands. He found a fresh jawbone of a 
donkey. That little detail's important. If it wasn't a fresh 
jawbone, it would be brittle. It would break. First skull of 
a Philistine it met, the jawbone would've broke. That freshness 
is crucial. for ability to slay Philistines. He reached out his hand, he took 
it and killed a thousand men with it. Then Samson said, with 
the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone 
of a donkey I have slain a thousand men. And so it was when he had 
finished speaking that he threw the jawbone from his hand Samson 
is so much not like us. I mentioned before, in Judges 
14, when Samson kills the lion with his bare hands, he doesn't 
do a selfie and post it on Facebook. He doesn't hawk the jawbone of 
the ass on eBay. This thing killed a thousand... 
He's done. He called that place Ramath-Lehi. Then he became very thirsty, 
so he cried out to the Lord and said, You have given this great 
deliverance by the hand of your servant, and now shall I die 
of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised? So God 
split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out, 
and he drank, and his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore 
he called its name Enhachor, which is in Lehi to this day, 
and he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines." 
Victory! and thirst. Look at Psalm 110. Psalm 110. Victory and thirst with the Messiah. Psalm 110, 1, the Lord said to 
my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your 
footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of your strength out 
of Zion. Rule in the midst of your enemies. 
Your people shall be volunteers in the day of your power and 
the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning. You 
have the due of your youth. The Lord has sworn and will not 
relent. You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. 
The Lord is at your right hand. He shall execute kings in the 
day of His wrath. He shall judge among the nations. 
He shall fill the places with dead bodies. He shall execute 
the heads of many countries. I think there's Genesis 3.15 
back there. The skull-crushing seed of the 
woman is going to do all that the Father gave Him to do. And 
then note verse 7. He shall drink of the brook by 
the wayside. Therefore He shall lift up the 
head. His conquest is marked here by 
a drink. of victory. And I think this 
is going on on the cross. I thirst gives way to it is finished. He's accomplished everything. 
He's completed everything. He's fulfilled the will of his 
father. He takes that victory drink. and declares that it is 
finished. I would suggest, secondly, there 
is great things in this passage for those seasons in our lives 
when it is marked by suffering and affliction and difficulty 
and pain. See, we can't say to our God, 
you just don't know what it's like. You just don't know what 
it's like. Have you as parents ever heard 
your kids say that? Or perhaps kids, have you ever 
heard your parents say that? You just don't know what it's 
like. So we can't say that. Because Jesus does know what 
it's like. And Jesus knows a lot worse than 
we know. In fact, in the book of Hebrews, 
We see the sympathy of the Savior connected to this motif. Hebrews 2, 17 and 18, Therefore 
in all things he had to be made like his brethren, that he might 
be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to 
God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For that 
he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to aid those 
who are tempted. Beautiful. And in Hebrews 4, 
14 to 16, seeing then that we have a great high priest who 
has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us 
hold fast our confession, for we do not have a high priest 
who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points 
tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly 
to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find 
grace to help in time of need. That is beautiful. He sympathizes. Omnipotent compassion, sympathy 
from a Savior who went through things that you and I will no 
doubt suffer in terms of hardships and sorrows and afflictions. 
I mean, not crucifixion. In the history of man, there 
has been crucifixions. A couple of the apostles were. 
Probably Christians throughout the millennia have been. Most 
likely, crucifixion isn't in our future. I say most likely, 
hedging the bets there. Who knows how things can turn 
out. But the Savior sympathizes with us in those seasons of sorrow 
and affliction and hardship and woe. The man of sorrows who was 
acquainted with grief is able to be that aid and that remedy 
to us who are grieving, to us who are filled with sorrow, to 
us who are afflicted and tried. We have a sympathetic savior. one who is there for us. And 
I love the implication the apostle draws out, let us therefore come 
boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and 
find grace to help in time of need. Isn't every moment of every 
day a time of need for the people of God? I would suggest it is. I suspect we ought to be a lot 
more prayerful than we probably are, a lot more at the throne 
of grace than we probably are, a lot more frequent at that place 
where mercy comes to us from our blessed God through our Lord 
Jesus Christ. And if you are not a believer 
here today, I want to encourage you. There's every reason why 
you should believe in this one who said, I thirst, because the 
thirst culminates his suffering. It brings to a conclusion his 
death. It shows that he was in fact 
man and that what he went through and what he did was not for his 
sins, it was not for his crimes, it was not for anything that 
he had done. It was by virtue, that obligation, that covenant 
laid upon him by his father that he would do this in order to 
save his people from their sins. And let me tell you, he has power. 
The Apostle Paul describes Jesus in Ephesians 1.7, he says, in 
him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of 
sins according to the riches of his grace. You say, oh, I'm 
a gross great sinner. Well, there's riches of grace 
to be had in God. Newton said it well. I'm a great sinner, 
but Jesus is a great Savior. We say that. I'm a great sinner, 
but there are riches of grace to be had in God. Do not wait, 
do not tarry, do not argue it away, but rather come to Jesus 
in faith and you will be saved. This One who lived, who died, 
and who was raised again the third day saves all who come 
to Him. He doesn't cast them out. He 
receives them, and He gives them rest. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father in heaven, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for 
the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, I know that would be an 
interpreted statement, very misinterpreted. We who know scripture, who know 
the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord, his mission, we 
rejoice in the fact that this was the fulfillment of all that 
was written in the scriptures. It was the fulfillment of everything 
you had promised to bring your people to that place of salvation. 
We ask that you would encourage us, build us up in our most holy 
faith, help us to Seek constantly close relation with you, close 
relationship with you. And may we glorify and honor 
you. Bless your word as it's preached throughout the earth. 
May it run swiftly and be glorified. And we pray this through Jesus 
Christ, our Lord. Amen.