Blood. Hyssop. Door. Pass over!

There is a second part to this post: The Kingdom of God has come!

Bear with me as I unpack this passage of scripture

John 19:28 – Later, knowing that everything had now been finished,

and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

That passage begins with the word “later” because this passage is at the end of His 6 hour ordeal. After His 6 hours on the cross that scripture says that He “knew everything had been finished”. He just had to do one more thing… drink the product of the vine… and then He could announce that “it is finished”… and He could give up His Spirit.

But wait… lets start at the beginning… long before that amazing passage…

God has a cup that all sinners must drink. The cup is the penalty for sin… the cup contains sickness, death and torment in hell etc.

Ps 75:8 For there is a cup in the hand of the LORD, foaming with well-mixed wine that he will pour out, leaving only the dregs, from which all the wicked of the earth will drink.

Jesus Christ knows He will be drinking this cup… the stress of that knowledge causes Him to sweat blood… He asks if the cup can pass…

Matt 26:39 Going on a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, “O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not what I want but what you want.”

The cup could not pass, there was no other way. Jesus Christ drank the (symbolic) cup of Gods wrath… on behalf of all the world (see 1 John 2:2)… even though not all people will receive that gift which He made available to them.

In fact *I* have struggled to receive the gift of death passing over because of His blood. Despite years and years of presenting His blood by faith… but death still wrecked my life! (And wrecked my theology!) But. The search may be over. Read on…

Next… Jesus Christ refuses the wine mixed with gall before He is crucified (nailed to the cross).

Matt 27:33 When they came to a place called Golgotha (which means “Skull Place”), 34 they offered him a drink of wine mixed with gall. But when he tasted it, he refused to drink it. 35 After they had crucified him

…

Note that their first offer was not plain wine, it was a mixture, and note that it was as they arrived at Golgotha and before He was crucified.

He didnt drink it, He tasted it and refused it. Why? Wine mixed with gall was a drug – a sedative – that was used at crucifixions to sedate those who were being crucified. Apparently gall tastes bitter, so when He tasted it, He knew it was bitter and He refused it.

Jesus Christ knew He had to drink Gods cup on behalf of the whole world. Only if He did that would it be finished.

Then 6 hours later He knows it is finished, He “receives the wine”, then He says “it is finished” and He gives up His Spirit (zoe, life).

The thing Ive never seen before is this…

At the Passover in Exodus 12:22 the blood was placed on the Hyssop (a branch) and lifted up and smeared over the door lintel (the top part of the door). All who entered in through that door would not be touch by death.

Blood. Hyssop. Door. Pass over.

On the cross… the blood… remember that Jesus Christ said that the wine was His blood… was placed in a sponge and put on Hyssop and lifted up to His head so He can drink it. Remember that He described Himself as a door? His head is the top part of the “door”.

Blood. Hyssop. Door. Pass over.

If they entered in physically via the door then death sees the blood and passes over leaving those inside untouched.

If we enter in by faith through the Door then death sees the blood and passes over leaving those inside untouched.

What had never made sense until now was how was the wine His blood… and where does death “see” His blood and pass over us? It was a muddle. Until now.

Many years of being taught the same thing over and over has prevented me from seeing this until now.

In Exodus they were protected when they stayed behind a physical door in a certain physical spot. But we who enter in the Door by faith have the Door with us wherever we go, at all times. All we have to do is remain in Him… by faith.

We can say to death “I have entered into Jesus Christ by faith. Jesus Christ IS the Door. Death do you see His blood on the Door? Death you must pass over and not touch what is inside the Door. Now pass over me and pass over my house and pass over my car and pass over everything that I have – touch nothing! By faith I declare there will be no more decay, no more sickness, no more loss, no more sorrow – in the Name of Jesus Christ” etc.

Enjoy!  🙂