John 19:28-30 28After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now accomplished, in order to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I thirst.” 29A jar full of sour wine was set there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and bowing his head and gave up his spirit.
Jesus had just taken care of his mother. All was taken care of except dying for the sins of the world. In the torturous moments on the cross, when the average person would have long given up, Jesus continued to look to the Father. This is evidenced in his fulfillment of Scripture with the statement of being thirsty. Being thirsty was really an understatement because he would have been severely dehydrated by this point. It was 3:00 pm in the hot afternoon (Mark 15:33-37). He had likely been deprived of any hydration during his questioning and beating. He had hung on the cross for at least six hours (Mark 15:25), all throughout the hotest time of day.
Knowing his death was imminent, why did he say he was thirsty? John notes that it was to fulfill scripture. These verses suggest that Jesus intentionally wanted to be given something to drink in order to fulfill Scripture. Even in the moments of great pain, blood loss, and other stress, near the point of death, Jesus carried out the Father’s will perfectly. Jesus quoted from Psalm 22 earlier in verse 24. It is possible his thoughts were again on this psalm in his statement in verse 28, quoting words from Psalm 22:15. Other passages that have a similar theme are Psalms 42:2 or 63:1.
The hyssop branch would have been handy to find around the area and convenient for raising the sponge to Jesus’ mouth. The sour wine likely was the cheap wine soldiers used and likely not very tasty. Its mention here recalls Psalm 69:21. This may not have been a kind act but a further insult, as suggested in Mark 15:36.
Verse 30 is significant theologically as the moment Jesus died as the Lamb of God, taking away the sins of the world by dying the death we deserve for our rebellion again God. His death was more than substitutionary, however significant that is. His death represents the commitment of his unconditional love to the Father. He died in fulfillment of God’s eternal plan. This verse implies that Jesus died intentionally by giving up his spirit. The verb for gave up (paredōken) gives the image of handed his spirit over to the Father’s care. It is more than idiomatic for “died,” and has a deeper meaning of complete trust in the Father’s promise of resurrection. Death was not the end of the story. The same word for finished (tetelestai) is used in verses 28 and 30. It has the sense of completing a job, with everything its place, every intended has been accomplished, and the mission has been fulfilled. Jesus had gone to the cross and committed his spirit to the Father is total trust and perfect obedience, thus giving us an example to follow. Through his obedience as a human, Jesus found the power of the Father at work through him and in him.
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