…and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 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.
John begins his narrative of Jesus’ ministry with a wedding at Cana. At the wedding Jesus makes wine. Not just some wine, but something on the order of 120 to 180 gallons of wine. And not just any wine, but “the best.” The wine is for a celebration of marriage, the beginning of a relationship where two become one.
Here, at the end of Jesus’ ministry on earth, John mentions wine again. This time it is not the best wine or even a lot of it. It is a mere dampness of cheap wine vinegar on a sponge.
Is this a metaphor for the relationship between God and man? God is abundantly generous with the very best. Man offers only a taste of bitterness. Maybe it is both a metaphor and at the same time the two references to wine are bookends for the story of Jesus that John tells us.
Application: It is probably best that we do not become too invested in our metaphors. After all, this life on earth might just be a metaphor for the abundant real life to come.
Food for Thought: How is the wine we use for communion related to the wine at Cana and the wine-vinegar at the cross?
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The wine is a symbol of the blood of Christ which was poured out for us. The cup that He drank for us was the cup of bitterness. It was bitter like the vinegar but His sacrifice was for all to have the best in abundance. Again – these are more metaphors 🙂
Very fitting metaphors, Rich.