They gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.
Matthew 27:34 NKJV
Scripture tells us that Jesus was offered sour wine mixed with gall (or myrrh – Mark 15:23) at the time of His crucifixion. In biblical times, myrrh was mixed with sour wine – which gave it a bitter taste, and this mixture was commonly given to those who were crucified to numb their pain and ease their suffering. However, when Jesus tasted it, He refused to drink it because He gave Himself fully to be the sin offering for the world. Because God is a just Judge, sin had to be punished, but God in His mercy and lovingkindness did not want to punish us. Therefore, when Jesus took our sin upon Himself whilst on the cross, He also took the full extent of God’s wrath, judgment, and punishment for sin upon Himself. Dulling the pain would have watered down sin’s punishment, but Jesus willingly paid our debt without taking any shortcuts.
It touches my heart so deeply when I understand that my sin deserved to be punished, but Jesus in His lovingkindness and mercy took my place. He took the punishment that I deserved for what I did wrong and died in my place, so that I could receive life in Him and forgiveness of sin.
There is another important hidden meaning contained within this Scripture (Matthew 27:34) which I would like to share with you. When Jesus was offered this bitter drink, He refused to take it in. In other words, He did not to allow bitterness in. After everything He went through, He could have allowed bitterness to consume Him, but He didn’t. Let’s just take a moment to consider what He had just gone through:
- He was scourged by Pilot for something He didn’t do.
- He was spat upon.
- He was rejected and falsely accused.
- His own people pulled out His beard.
- He was mocked.
- The soldiers divided His clothing.
- He was beaten with rods.
- They publicly humiliated Him by stripping Him of His clothing.
- They put a crown of thorns on His head.
These are just to name a few things Jesus went through. Yet, He humbly went through it all and forgave those who wronged Him. He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” – Luke 23:34 NKJV
I think I can safely say that most of us have suffered wrong through the words or actions of others. Maybe we were falsely accused of something. Maybe we were rejected, or deliberately left out, or felt unwanted. Maybe we were slandered or were victims of cruelty. Maybe the wrong we suffered was not deserving of our forgiveness. But, if we allow bitterness in, it can act like a poison and eventually destroy us.
I know it’s not always easy to forgive. I too have had to watch my heart very carefully so as not to allow bitterness in, because I know that it can consume a person. Therefore, I would like to encourage you with this: whatever it is, choose to forgive the offender. Choose to give the offense over to God and let it go. I know there may be pain (I understand, because I too have had to deal with pain caused by wrongdoing), but Jesus is waiting for you to come to Him. He can heal those parts of you which feel broken, because He wants to make you whole in Him. He took our pain and heartaches upon Himself when He hung on the cross, so that we can receive healing and freedom. We don’t have to hold on to unforgiveness and bitterness. There is freedom in letting go.
One last bit of advice I would like to offer in closing off this message. The enemy always wants to hurt us and remind us of things which happened in the past. Once you have forgiven others from your heart, hold fast the confession of your faith – that you have already forgiven the person, because the enemy will bring up the memories from the past. The enemy will remind you of what happened, how you felt, and why you should take back resentment and bitterness. You may even experience feelings which are not your own, such as anger, sadness, or unforgiveness. Say “No” to the enemy, as well as the lie and really mean it. The enemy will test you because he wants to bring you back into bondage. Hold on to the truth, resist the attack, and when he sees that you are steadfast, the attack will stop. Also, don’t give attention to the attack (the memories and feelings), but instead shift your focus onto Jesus.
I pray this message blesses you in Jesus’ precious name.
Until next time – goodbye.