SOUR WINE AND GALL
Psalms 69:20,21 Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I look for comforters, but I found none. They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.
I would think that as David wrote this psalm, he wondered why he put this in. David certainly had his troubles causing a broken heart and depression, but I don’t think that he thought about it relating to crucifixion. But this psalm was more than about David. It was also prophecy about Jesus.
In Matthew 27:34 it says, “There they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. It couldn’t be more clear that David wrote of Jesus’ experience on the cross long before Jesus ever came to earth. Jesus knew exactly what he was getting into when he came to atone for our sins. It was not going to be a vacation by any means. It would be a ultimate humiliation filled with sorrow and pain.
In Jesus’ day crucifixion was reserved for slaves, pirates or enemies of the state. It was intended to be a dishonorable type of death that could last for days. Most often the body was left to decay on the cross where wild animals would eat on it. In Jesus case the wealthy Joseph of Arimathea used his influence with Pilate to bury Jesus’ body. One of the charges that was brought to Pilate about Jesus was he called himself the king of the Jews making him an enemy of Rome. Although Pilate saw past this lie and tried to set Jesus free, the Sanhedrin’s demanded Jesus death. They wanted his death on a cross to show how they disdained him and how dishonorable Jesus was in their sight.
It was not an uncommon practice to give the condemned some cheap bitter wine for their thirst, and to mix some gall in it to help take away the pain. It wasn’t that they were being shown mercy as much as prolonging the death process. Jesus recognized the intent of the drink and rejected it. It was Jesus’ intention to experience the full extent of the cross and all that it had regarding our atonement. As David pointed out there wasn’y any comfort for Jesus. All the scorn, disgrace, shame and rejection broke Jesus heart. Even doctors tell us us today that the water and blood that came from the spear wound in his side came from his heart. The sack that surrounds the heart filled with fluid from the great stress and sorrow he bore for us, and when the heart was punctured both the water and blood came out. Because Jesus experienced the great sorrow and pain of our cross, we will never have too. When we stand before God on Judgment Day to experience judgment, God will only see the blood shed, sorrow and pain Jesus suffered for us. The bitterness of the sour wine and the gall was replaced by Sweet Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Because Jesus loved us so much to take the cross upon himself, we can now have the peace of God that passes all understanding. His passion for us has become our passion for him.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for you passion for us that was demonstrated for us on Calvary’s cross. We love you so much!
