{"id":4708,"date":"2021-12-27T19:24:44","date_gmt":"2021-12-27T19:24:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/?p=4708"},"modified":"2021-12-27T19:24:44","modified_gmt":"2021-12-27T19:24:44","slug":"sour-wine-and-a-hyssop-branch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/sour-wine-and-a-hyssop-branch\/","title":{"rendered":"Sour Wine and A Hyssop Branch"},"content":{"rendered":"

28\u00a0<\/sup>After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now\u00a0finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture),\u00a0\u201cI thirst.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a029\u00a0<\/sup>A jar full of sour wine stood there,\u00a0so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.<\/span>30\u00a0<\/sup>When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said,\u00a0\u201cIt is finished,\u201d<\/span> and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:28-30)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/b><\/p>\n

This is one of the sections of Scripture that I have been looking forward to in John\u2019s gospel narrative for some time. The richness of the biblical imagery that John continues increases our understanding of the death of Christ, and ought to spur us on in our love and worship of the Triune God. Seeing the death of Christ with eyes of faith, as John records it here is such that it will bring us great joy and happiness. It is a strange and wonderful thing that the recorded moments of death of someone could do such a thing as bring us joy. Indeed it is in the final word recorded by John that such joy is brought to us that could not be brought to us by the death of any other – \u201cit is finished.\u201d The wealth that these words contain for our souls I will only be able to scratch the surface of in communicating its truth to you this Lord\u2019s Day. I pray that your spirits would be greatly encouraged by the Word of Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fulfillment of Scripture: \u201cI Thirst\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

We begin first in verse 28. John tells us that Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), \u201cI thirst.\u201d One of the things John has shown us time and again is how Jesus often talked about how He had come to do all the works that His Father gave Him to do. And John has shown us time and again how so many things happened and were said in order to fulfill the Scripture. And now Jesus is here, hanging on the cross, having suffered and suffering much, and it says that He knows all is now finished. Then He says, \u201cI thirst,\u201d to fulfill the Scripture. Now I find it fascinating that we have in close connection Jesus knowing all is finished and Him saying \u201cI thirst,\u201d to fulfill the Scripture. You see, how did Jesus know that all was now finished, and it was now time for Him to give up His spirit unto death? How did He know His work was finished? We often think, \u201cWell, Jesus is God, so of course He knew.\u201d Certainly it is true, this is the God-man we are speaking of here. But I would propose to you that Jesus knew that all was finished because He knew the Scripture, which is the Word of God, which is all about the person and work of the Christ. Jesus knew all the Father gave Him to do not only because He is the God-man and He had communion with the Father while on earth, but He also knew it through reading, knowing, and understanding the Scriptures. We see this several times in the gospels in the fact that Jesus will say phrases like, \u201cHave you not read?\u201d or \u201cAs it is written,\u201d to refer to something about the Messiah. And this would make sense with the dual theme of Jesus knowing, doing, finishing the will of the Father and that of the Scripture being fulfilled in John\u2019s gospel.<\/span><\/p>\n

So of course the next question we would ask is \u201cWhat Scripture is being fulfilled here?\u201d Well what would we expect other than the great crucifixion Psalm, Psalm 22? So much of Jesus\u2019 prayers, thoughts, and experiences of His time on the cross is here in this incredible Psalm. Here is Psalm 22:14-15, \u201cI am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.\u201d Particularly there in verse 15, we see the thirst of Christ on the cross when it says, \u201cmy tongue sticks to my jaws\u2026\u201d But while we see the thirst of Christ on the cross in Psalm 22, we have an even more obvious passage that is being fulfilled. I want to read a few verses in front of the particular verse so you can hear the lead up. Psalm 69:19-21, \u201cYou know my reproach, and my shame and my dishonor; my foes are all known to you. Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.\u201d So particularly verse 21 there, \u201c…for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Think for just a moment about the fact that Christ voluntarily subjected Himself to extreme thirst. This is the same One who caused water to flow from the rock and who turned water into wine. He has all things at His disposal and could quench His thirst with a word, yet He does not, other than to get a bit of sour wine. The only reason He now thirsts is because He submitted Himself to do so that He might suffer in our stead. The only reason He now thirsts is because it was foretold in the Scriptures that He would and He is submitted to do and accomplish the Father\u2019s will, to suffer and to thirst for His people.<\/span><\/p>\n

He thirsted so that we might never thirst again, that we might drink and be satisfied. He thirsted so that we might come to the Living Waters, the River of Life, and never thirst again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sour Wine<\/b><\/p>\n

Not only did He suffer extreme thirst in our stead, but He also was given the sponge of sour wine on our behalf. Psalm 69:21, \u201c…for my thirst they gave me sour wine.\u201d John 19:29, \u201cA jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.\u201d Not only was His extreme thirst a fulfillment of Scripture, but so also is the sour wine given to Him in said state of extreme thirst.<\/span><\/p>\n

Herein we see how our Lord drank the \u201cbitter cup\u201d for us. It was His cup to bear from the Father that He endure the suffering and shame that He did. It was His bitter cup to drink to be despised and rejected by men. And even greater, was it His bitter cup to become our sin, to bear the curse of sin, and to suffer and endure the justice and punishment for our sin from God. This He drank in our stead, so that we might drink of the sweet wine of grace, and that we might drink freely of the refreshing and all satisfying Living Water and River of Life that is Christ. It is as if all the bitterness and sour wine was drunk down by Christ, that if we are in Him, what comes through Him to us is only sweet and satisfying.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Full Jar and Sponge<\/b><\/p>\n

We see this in the significance of what verse 29 tells us – that there was a full jar of sour wine and the filled a sponge full of sour wine to give to Him. The fullness of the bitter cross and the sour cup was given to Christ, which He drank for us. This is why there is no sour wine or bitter cup left for us – Christ drank it all. None was reserved from Him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Though God certainly disciplines and chastens His children, those whom He loves, there is no more punishment or wrath of God left that we must endure. Christ has taken and drank it all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hyssop Branch<\/b><\/p>\n

The soldiers took the sponge full of sour wine and put it on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. Why does John give us this detail of a hyssop branch? Once again I just want to encourage you all as you are reading your bibles and you come across little details like this, not to dismiss them as insignificant or unimportant details, but mark them down, remember them, and notice connections throughout your bible as you read. Because the significance we find with the hyssop branch being lifted to Christ\u2019s mouth with sour wine is truly amazing. It is one of those details that when we discover it, it causes our love for Christ to be stirred up, and causes us to really love our bibles. So, why the detail of the hyssop branch, John? Well, how else do we see it being used in the bible?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Exodus 12:21-23 says this, \u201cThen Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, \u2018Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.\u2019\u201d So in the exodus, Israel was instructed to take this hyssop plant, dip it in the blood of the slain Passover lamb and to use that to put the blood on their doorposts that the angel of death would pass over their home.<\/span><\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not all. Consider Leviticus 14:1-8:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Lord<\/span>\u00a0spoke to Moses, saying,<\/span>\u00a02\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cThis shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing.\u00a0He shall be brought to the priest,<\/span>\u00a03\u00a0<\/sup>and the priest shall go\u00a0out of the camp, and the priest shall look. Then, if the case of leprous disease is healed in the leprous person,<\/span>\u00a04\u00a0<\/sup>the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two live[a<\/a>]<\/sup>\u00a0clean birds and\u00a0cedarwood and\u00a0scarlet yarn and\u00a0hyssop.<\/span>\u00a05\u00a0<\/sup>And the priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh[b<\/a>]<\/sup>\u00a0water.<\/span>\u00a06\u00a0<\/sup>He shall take the live bird with the cedarwood and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.<\/span>\u00a07\u00a0<\/sup>And he shall\u00a0sprinkle it\u00a0seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the leprous disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and shall\u00a0let the living bird go\u00a0into the open field.<\/span>\u00a08\u00a0<\/sup>And he who is to be cleansed\u00a0shall wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe himself in water, and he shall be clean. And after that he may come into the camp, but\u00a0live outside his tent seven days.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

So here in the Levitical laws for cleansing a leper, a hyssop branch was used again to be dipped in blood for purification and cleansing. Certainly this Levitical law would\u2019ve reminded the Israelites about the exodus and how God saved them there and purified them by bringing them out of Egypt, so also that is what He does with the leper.<\/span><\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not all. Consider<\/span> Numbers 19:1-10:<\/span><\/p>\n

Now the\u00a0Lord<\/span>\u00a0spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,<\/span>\u00a02\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cThis is the statute of the law that the\u00a0Lord<\/span>\u00a0has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish,\u00a0and on which a yoke has never come.<\/span>\u00a03\u00a0<\/sup>And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and\u00a0it shall be taken outside the camp and slaughtered before him.<\/span>\u00a04\u00a0<\/sup>And Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and\u00a0sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times.<\/span>\u00a05\u00a0<\/sup>And the heifer shall be burned in his sight.\u00a0Its skin, its flesh, and its blood, with its dung, shall be burned.<\/span>\u00a06\u00a0<\/sup>And the priest shall take\u00a0cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn, and throw them into the fire burning the heifer.<\/span>\u00a07\u00a0<\/sup>Then the priest\u00a0shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. But the priest shall be unclean until evening.<\/span>\u00a08\u00a0<\/sup>The one who burns the heifer\u00a0shall wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water and shall be unclean until evening.<\/span>\u00a09\u00a0<\/sup>And a man who is clean shall gather up\u00a0the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a\u00a0clean place. And they shall be kept for the water for\u00a0impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a sin offering.<\/span>\u00a010\u00a0<\/sup>And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer\u00a0shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. And this shall be a perpetual statute for the people of Israel, and for the stranger who sojourns among them.<\/span><\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So again, a hyssop is used in a purification law for Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n

But there is one more Scripture I want to mention. Psalm 51, this is the Psalm of David when his sin with Bathsheeba is confronted by the prophet Nathan. Psalm 51:7 says this, \u201cPurge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.\u201d Now why does David ask God to purge him with hyssop? It is because he knew the way that God used hyssop, as a reminder of God\u2019s salvation from death and a continual use of purifying the unclean, that they may be cleansed.<\/span><\/p>\n

And then we get to the cross of Christ where John now explicitly connects the hyssop branch to Christ, in His sufferings for sin and the redemption and salvation of His people. He shows us that hyssop in Israel\u2019s purification laws were not simply to remind them of the Exodus, but to prepare them for Christ. Any Jew in John\u2019s day who read his gospel would\u2019ve been struck by his use of the hyssop branch and understood the significance. All of those purification laws with hyssop? That was about Christ. It is not the ceremonial law, but it is Christ that cleanses us and purifies us from all sin and unrighteousness and brings us into His camp, and brings us near to God and gives us access to Him. That hyssop for cleansing you\u2019ve been singing about in Psalm 51? That\u2019s about Christ. It is only in Him that we are cleansed and made whiter than snow. It is only in them that the most heinous of sins are completely forgiven and forgotten, as He bore them in His body on the cross.<\/span><\/p>\n

And the exodus, where the hyssop was dipped into the blood of the slain Passover lamb? Here is Jesus Christ, the lamb of God, the ultimate and true Passover Lamb of God – remember, this was Passover week that Christ was crucified – the hyssop branch was dipped in sour wine and put to His mouth that He might cry out those ultimate words of final cleansing, purification, and salvation, \u201cIt is finished!\u201d In those words, we are declared clean. We are pronounced pure.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the Passover the hyssop was dipped in the blood of the slain Passover lamb and it was painted on the doorposts that the destroyer would pass over them. And so the hyssop dipped in sour wine was touched to the face of Christ, who is our door and only shelter from death. It is only by entering into union with Him, that death, judgment, and hell passes over us, and we are spared, and live in Him.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is Finished<\/b><\/p>\n

John 19:30, \u201cWhen Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, \u2018It is finished\u2026\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus had talked much about doing all the works His Father gave Him to do. Now He says, \u201cIt is finished,\u201d as He breathes His last and gives up His spirit on the cross, dying in our stead. \u201cIt is finished\u201d is one word in the original language, tetelestai. He receives the sour wine and speaks one word, tetelestai. Never has a more blessed word been uttered. Never a more powerful word. Never a word of greater comfort and joy. Never a word so world altering and life changing. Never a word of such power and grace. Never a more important and meaningful last word. Never a word of greater impact and significance.<\/span><\/p>\n

I love what A. W. Pink says, \u201c\u2018It is finished\u2019 – a single word in the original [tetelestai]. It was the briefest and yet the fullest of His seven cross-utterances.\u201d The briefest and yet the fullest. Simple and yet profound. A short word and yet an everlasting declaration it was. Spoken in a brief second over two thousand years ago on the other side of the planet, yet still echoing down through history throughout the world, to this day.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is finished\u201d doesn\u2019t quite capture the full depth of meaning of the word tetelestai. Certainly it is finished, it is made an end of, it is paid, it is performed, it is accomplished are all in view here. The work His Father gave Him to do is finished. The work of redemption necessary for the salvation of His people has been accomplished. Our justification before God is complete, there is no more work to be done, there is nothing left to do there is nothing more to add, it is finished. The condemning power of our sin is made an end of. It is no more. There is therefore now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. The price of our redemption, and the penalty of our sin has been paid. There is nothing more to pay. There is nothing more to suffer for our redemption. There is no price we can offer, but to receive it free of charge. Without money, without cost, without price, without charge, paid in full! His suffering is accomplished. No more to endure as He gives up spirit unto death. He has endured and drank it all.<\/span><\/p>\n

Certainly also implied in the precious word here spoken by Christ is the fulfillment, completion, and the end of all the Old Covenant ceremonies, types, shadows, figures, and sacrifices. No more sacrifices are needed or necessary or called for. No more typical ceremonial laws remain. No more blood is required to be shed, or to be added to His blood. All is complete and finished. He has suffered and bled as the sacrificial lamb once and for all. No more Passover lambs are to be slaughtered. No more use of hyssop for cleansing.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this one word we are taught the great doctrines of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, and in Christ alone. Since all is finished and accomplished in Him, He is to be the only object of our faith. No where else are we to look for our redemption. Nothing else is to be added or is to assist the work of Christ that He has accomplished. And herein we see the all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ. We need no other. To look to another or to look to the works of our hands is to deny the sufficiency of Jesus Christ in His finishing of the work which He declared to be done. To deny that the work is done is to call Christ a liar, for He declared it to be finished.<\/span><\/p>\n

Calvin says, \u201cIf we give our assent to this word which Christ pronounced, we ought to be satisfied with his death alone for our salvation\u2026\u201d Since Christ said it is finished, then we ought to believe it, live like it, rejoice in it, be content in it, and so rest in His finished work.<\/span><\/p>\n

This completed work of Christ on our behalf ought to give us such peace, comfort, and assurance. No other false religion in the world has a finished work and assurance of salvation. To know by faith that Christ has done all that is necessary to save us, that His work of redemption is complete, and He accomplished all that the Father gave Him is great assurance for His people. What more do we have to add? What more do we have to do? What more do we have to contribute? The answer is nothing. We certainly are to live unto God and obey Christ in every way, but those are results and fruits of the work of Christ for us.<\/span><\/p>\n

The finished work of Christ not only shows us there is nothing more we have to add, but it also shows us that there is nothing we can do to unfinish it. It is done never to be undone. If we are in Christ our sin and our failures cannot undo what has already been done. The finished work of Christ cannot be shaken by us or by our enemies. And that is comforting. We look not to ourselves, but Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n

Again I like what Calvin says, \u201cIt was chiefly for the purpose of giving peace and tranquility to our consciences that he pronounced this word, It is finished. Let us stop here, therefore, if we do not choose to be deprived of the salvation which he has procured for us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Notice as well that John here shows this to be His final word. His final word is tetelestai. His final word is salvation. His final word is justification. His final word is forgiven. His final word is life. His final word is free. Not a word of condemnation, or judgment, or death, but a word of life and rest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The enemy would tempt us to hear other words as the final word. We would be tempted to hear our sin and the guilt therein to have the last word. But John shows us that this is the last word: it is finished.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He Gave up His Spirit<\/b><\/p>\n

John 19:30, \u201cWhen Jesus had received the sour wine he said, \u2018It is finished,\u2019 and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.\u201d Here we see what is written of the suffering servant in Isaiah 53 that \u201che poured out his soul to death\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But here, even in His dying, we see His dignity in bowing His head, and His authority giving up His spirit. Even here John emphasizes Christ\u2019s authority in His death in that it is He who gives up His spirit. He gave up His life of His own accord in obedience to the Father. It was not taken from Him, but He gave it. What grace He overflows with even in His dying, that He gave, and He gives, and we are only to receive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/b><\/p>\n

Hear again from Calvin, \u201cAll the Evangelists take great care to mention the death of Christ, and most properly; for we obtain from it our confident hope of life, and we likewise obtain from it a fearless triumph over death, because the Son of God has endured it in our room, and, in his contest with it, has been victorious.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His dying and giving up of His spirit was not a defeat. It was victory, for His dying breath has brought us life. It was inevitable that He would rise from the dead. And it was impossible for Him not to resurrect. That He would rise again from the dead and resurrect from the grave was the only possible conclusion for this God-man whose dying breath and dying words were the words and breath of life for the world. Praise be to God!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Click HERE for sermon audio<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

28\u00a0After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now\u00a0finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture),\u00a0\u201cI thirst.\u201d\u00a029\u00a0A jar full of sour wine stood there,\u00a0so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.30\u00a0When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said,\u00a0\u201cIt is finished,\u201d and he bowed his head […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":685,"featured_media":4709,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1582],"tags":[1654,1493,274,334,1642,557,1653,678,679,699,765,1099,1114,1584,1652,1351],"class_list":{"0":"post-4708","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sermon","8":"tag-branch","9":"tag-branches","10":"tag-christ","11":"tag-cross","12":"tag-crucifixion","13":"tag-god","14":"tag-hyssop","15":"tag-jenkins","16":"tag-jesus","17":"tag-joshua","18":"tag-lord","19":"tag-savior","20":"tag-sermon","21":"tag-soldiers","22":"tag-sour","23":"tag-wine","24":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/12\/hyssop.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5351,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-lords-passover\/","url_meta":{"origin":4708,"position":0},"title":"The LORD’s PASSOVER","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"November 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Click HERE for sermon audio Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, \u201cGo and select lambs for yourselves\u00a0according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb.\u00a022\u00a0Take a bunch of\u00a0hyssop and\u00a0dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch\u00a0the lintel and the two\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/11\/webRNS-First-Passover1-040820-807x520-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/11\/webRNS-First-Passover1-040820-807x520-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/11\/webRNS-First-Passover1-040820-807x520-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/11\/webRNS-First-Passover1-040820-807x520-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3759,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/you-have-kept-the-best-wine-until-now-john-21-12\/","url_meta":{"origin":4708,"position":1},"title":"You Have Kept the Best Wine Until Now, John 2:1-12","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"May 21, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Introduction \u00a0 This miracle is not merely a miracle. Verse 11 tells us it is a sign. A sign is something that points to something greater than itself. What Jesus does here is not merely about this wedding; but it\u2019s pointing to something greater. Verse 11 also tells us\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/05\/059_kariye-water-into-wine.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/05\/059_kariye-water-into-wine.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/05\/059_kariye-water-into-wine.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4723,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/blood-and-water\/","url_meta":{"origin":4708,"position":2},"title":"Blood and Water","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"January 24, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"31\u00a0Since it was\u00a0the day of Preparation, and\u00a0so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was\u00a0a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.\u00a032\u00a0So the soldiers came and broke the legs of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/01\/MM9568-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/01\/MM9568-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/01\/MM9568-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/01\/MM9568-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/01\/MM9568-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/01\/MM9568-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3945,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/if-you-believed-moses-you-would-believe-me-john-530-47\/","url_meta":{"origin":4708,"position":3},"title":"If You Believed Moses, You Would Believe Me; John 5:30-47","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"November 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 30\u00a0\u201cI can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and\u00a0my judgment is just, because\u00a0I seek not my own will\u00a0but the will of him who sent me.\u00a031\u00a0If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.\u00a032\u00a0There is\u00a0another who bears witness about me, and\u00a0I know that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/11\/download.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4237,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wedding-wine\/","url_meta":{"origin":4708,"position":4},"title":"Wedding Wine","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"November 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The following is a very brief homily that I gave at my sister's wedding. I would\u00a0 now like to say a few brief words about another wedding that took place about 2,000 years ago in Cana of Galilee. This is a wedding which Jesus of Nazareth attended, the account of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Gospel"","block_context":{"text":"Gospel","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/gospel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/11\/wedding.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/11\/wedding.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/11\/wedding.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/11\/wedding.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2020\/11\/wedding.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5948,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/covenant-ratification\/","url_meta":{"origin":4708,"position":5},"title":"Covenant Ratification","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"August 22, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Click HERE for sermon audio Then he said to Moses, \u201cCome up to the\u00a0Lord, you and Aaron,\u00a0Nadab, and Abihu, and\u00a0seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar.\u00a02\u00a0Moses\u00a0alone shall come near to the\u00a0Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/08\/7a9e2e1a80978b21ff42a8fc.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/08\/7a9e2e1a80978b21ff42a8fc.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/08\/7a9e2e1a80978b21ff42a8fc.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/685"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4708"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4708\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}