Last night during our weekly bible study of Hebrews with Pastor Derwin Gray, he shared John 19:29-30, “A jar full of sour wine was there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”
The word wine caught my attention immediately. Which was weird because I’ve read this passage many times, but this time was different.
The Holy Spirit wanted me to sit up and pay attention.
Why? What was so important about wine in this passage?
My mind reeled with questions. The bible study quickly faded to the background as I grabbed my bible and cross referenced the word wine. Somewhere I remembered reading about beer and wine, but I couldn’t remember why or for what reason until I found Proverbs 31:6, “Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish;”
Wait a minute. What?!
Oh, my goodness! My heart skipped a beat.
Look at the verse again in the context of the crucifixion. Jesus’ body was perishing, yes, so they could’ve served Him beer to help anesthetize the pain, but…here’s the kicker, someone in the crowd realized that not only was Christ’s body perishing due to the brutality of his beating, but they recognized His pain was much deeper.
He was in anguish.
Merriam Webster defines anguish as “severe mental pain or distress preceded by a tragedy or event that has profound meaning to the being in question.”
This is where I was completely shook!
So, what was the tragedy causing Christ’s anguish?
Plain and simple…us choosing sin.
I believe Christ grieved for the loss of us who choose our sin instead of His love.
Oh! The heart ache, pain, loss and grief Christ suffered knowing some of His children would choose to walk away from the gift of His love to life everlasting.
How can we not be forever changed knowing that it wasn’t just a body dying on the cross, our Lord anguished in soul-crushing grief that many would be forever lost because of sin and a refusal of Him?
No wonder He was offered wine. Can’t you just feel His pain over the loss of even one child?
Sisters, let us revisit the cross and accept the gift of love and forgiveness from our Lord. We are His daughters, beloved children of the Most High King and we are infinitely loved.
Romans 5:8-10 says, “8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.“
More than anything I pray God would open your heart and your understanding that you might accept the profound love the Father has for you, His precious, beloved daughter.
Let’s talk about this:
Let’s say that you’re not quite sure that God loves you or maybe you feel that a previous choice somehow excludes you from the love and forgiveness of Christ, what then?
My first recommendation is to go back to the truth of God. What does the bible say about His love for you? What does God say about sin and separation and restoration?
You see, the world will tell you it’s an all or nothing, end-all-be-all situation, that if you don’t know God or you make choices that don’t align with His word, then you’re an outcast. So…not…true! God is in this for eternity. He wants to restore a relationship with you, and He provided the way through His Son, Jesus. You simply need only to confess your sins, share your need of Him and invite Him into your life. That’s it. The relationship is restored, forever. Your mistakes don’t exist and to top it off, He is waiting for you!
Sister, as I close this post I pray God’s love washes over you in such a way that will allow your heart to accept Him as your Lord and Savior. He died for you and I. We are His precious, beloved daughters and there is absolutely nothing in this world that we could do to get Him to stop loving us.
You are loved by God and I am praying for you every step of the way!
Your sister in Christ,
