Psalm 69:21

Psalm 69:21

Elijah and the sedative

Any victim who has been nailed to a crucifixion cross is finished. There will be no last-minute deliverance, liberation or pardon. By the time the process has reached this gruesome conclusion the “criminal” has been tried, pronounced guilty and condemned. All witnesses have had their say and the edict of the judge (in this case the Roman Governor) is final. The condemned offender has been nailed to that wooden pole and they must linger there, in agony, until they die. No doubt, there were many who craved water or food, it was up to their captors, of course, to respond to this request. Yeshua was offered wine / vinegar mixed with gall at the beginning of the crucifixion process. This was a bitter cocktail and, as we saw in verse 3, it was refused by Jesus because the gall acted as a sedative. The gall and the vinegar could be metaphors for the treatment that was handed out by the enemies of the Lord Jesus. While He craved a proper drink and His body longed for something comforting to eat, the scorn and bitter anger of His accusers were all that He was offered. 

In each of the Gospels we find records of these drink offerings and it seems that the wine mingled with gall was presented to Jesus earlier in His ordeal. As He came towards the end, He cried out those fateful words, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Some thought He was calling for Elijah, so they plunged a sponge in wine vinegar and offered it to Him on a staff. “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take Him down,” they said. 

Why was Elijah introduced in the conversations? These were the final moments of Yeshua’s ordeal upon the cross. He would shortly offer up His Spirit to God and cry those triumphant words, “It is finished.” In Malachi 4:5-6 we read, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

The Rabbis and teachers had long believed that Elijah would come to prepare the way for Messiah. That is why many wondered if John the Baptist was a kind of reincarnation of Elijah. At Passover an entire place setting was, and is, put out for Elijah, as well as a special cup of wine, and the door is opened for him to enter. For the hope at Passover is that if Elijah comes, the Messiah himself cannot be far behind. So, the words uttered at the cross were a mocking response to this. “Huh, He’s calling for Elijah is He? Let’s see if Elijah comes. Let’s get the wine flowing, ready for our prophet to come and save His Messiah.” You can almost imagine the laughter and men spitting on the ground in derision!

 

The drinks offered to Jesus at the cross

Matthew 27:33-35 

They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

 

Matthew 27:45-50

45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,[a] lema sabachthani?”(which means “My      God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 

47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

 

Mark 15:22-24

They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it. And they crucified Him. Dividing up His clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

 

Mark 15:34-37 

And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).[a]

35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

 

 

Luke 23:36-37

The soldiers also came up and mocked Him. they offered Him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

 

John 19:28-30

Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 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.

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