Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill scripture, he said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and released his Spirit.
What is a man to do,
When given sour wine?
When bitter grapes replace the sweet?
When innocence and violence meet?
When anger rises in his breast?
When those around him serve up death?
There was a man
Who cried with thirst
Under a blackened sky.
They offered him such bitter drink
And stood to watch him die.
Yet tasting it
He did not spit
Nor call out for their blood.
He spoke a prayer,
Then bowed his head,
And gave his life to God.
Under Christ’s Mercy,
Brent