Title: Wine Burnt with Gallbladder
Contents
Matthew 27:33-37 Wine mixed with gall
Two thousand years ago, there was a little boy who was running small errands in the camp of Roman soldiers stationed in Jerusalem. People referred to the little boy and called him Spotty. Because he had an unusually large dot on his face. I didn't like to hear that Little Spotty people didn't call him by name when they called him, but teasingly "Spotted! Spotted!" because of the mole on his face.
Then, one day, the little spotted boy heard a rumor about Jesus. It was rumored that Jesus had the power to make the blind see, the deaf hear, raise the lame, give birth to the leper, and even bring the dead back to life. So Little Spotted thought to himself. "I'll have to go to Jesus someday and ask him to get some spots off my face!"
However, there were so many errands that I hardly had time. Then, one day, Little Spotted gets some very unexpected news. That same day, the news that Jesus was going to be crucified on the hill of Golgotha was put to death. Little Spotted couldn't help but be discouraged. "Now the opportunity to remove the spots on my face is gone!"
While he was so discouraged, one of the Roman centurions called him. "Son, spot! Take this gallbladder wine and go up to the place of execution, on the hill of Golgotha. Then go there and give this to Teacher Jesus, who is to be executed today, and ask him to remove the mole from your face!"
Little Spotted was overjoyed. So they took the wine burnt with gall and ran quickly to the hill of Golgotha. After a while, the little speckle came back. But when he looked at his face, he still had a dot in it. So the Roman centurion asked him. "Hey, how come you have a spot on your face? Or didn't you ask Jesus to take it off?"
Hearing this, the Little Spotted Boy said: "Yes, Jesus did not want to drink the wine I gave him with gallbladder, but he just pretended to put it on his lips. Besides, Jesus was pierced with thorns in his forehead, and his whole body was whipped, and he groaned in blood. I couldn't ask you to remove the mole on my face after seeing it, so I just came back.
This story didn't really happen, it was invented by an imaginative fairy tale writer to tell the youngest Sunday School children. But I know the fairy tale writer has something to say to us through the little spotted mouth. What would it be? Still, seeing the suffering of Jesus, the little spotted, he couldn't bear the request to remove the spots on his face, which was his lifelong wish, so he just came.
But what about us? Jesus, it doesn't matter whether he suffers or drinks on the cross, isn't it just us who are busy with worldly affairs? It is simply to reflect on whether we are trying to satisfy our fleshly desires or our desires through Jesus.
And what is our wish? At best, we're not stuck at that level, just as little Spotted would ask him to remove a single dot from his face. Do we just want to eat well, live well, and make a lot of money in this world? Money goes round and round, and eventually we have to leave it all in the hands of others, and we should think about whether our wish is still at the level of struggling for it.
And I have a question for you through today's text. It is none other than why our Jesus did not drink wine mixed with gall. Today we are looking for the answer to this problem, so we want to share the grace with you.
1. Because Jesus wanted to experience all the pain and suffering of the cross with a clear mind.
Our Jesus laid the cross in front of him in the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed earnestly with blood and sweat. "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from me. But not as I will, but as you will."
Jesus was determined to be absolutely obedient to the will of God. As soon as Jesus' prayer was over, the servants sent by the chief priests and Pharisees came out to arrest Jesus with swords and hammers. Seeing this, Simon Peter drew his sword and cut off the right ear of the high priest's servant Malchus. Then Jesus said to Peter. "Peter, put the sword back in the house. How can I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"
Our Jesus wanted to drink every drop of the cup of suffering that God had given him. Jesus did not think that he would relieve any physical pain with the help of wine burnt with gall, which was used as an anesthetic at that time. Jesus wanted me to go through all the pain and suffering of the cross with a clear mind down to the smallest detail in order to save me.
In the Old Testament, Proverbs 31:6-7, it is said that dying people should drink strong alcohol. By doing so, it was intended to alleviate their suffering. So the ladies of Jerusalem at that time, based on these words, paid their own money to supply wine mixed with gall to the prisoners being executed on the cross. Even the Roman soldiers liked it.
Everyone, think about it. Imagine a prisoner staying awake and nailing a thick nail to his bare skin. How would a prisoner endure it? They will rebel, shouting that they will die You will writhe while using your energy. But if the prisoner becomes hazy after drinking wine with gallbladder, which is an anesthetic, wouldn't it be easy because he would not resist even if he drove a coarse nail?
So even Roman soldiers liked to offer wine mixed with gall to the crucified prisoners. But what did our Jesus do? Jesus pretended to bring wine mixed with gall to his lips as a token of his gratitude to the ladies of Jerusalem. But Jesus stopped drinking. Why? Jesus was meant to experience all the pain and suffering of the cross with a clear mind down to the smallest detail for the sake of my poor self.
2. Because Jesus had work to do on the cross.
There were many people around when Jesus was crucified. After the Roman soldiers cast lots to divide Jesus' clothes, they were waiting for Jesus to die quickly. Also, the chief priests, elders, and scribes, who were responsible for nailing Jesus to the cross, were booing and mocking Jesus. "Whether you really are the Son of God or you are the Christ, come down from the cross once and save yourself! Then we will believe!"
They were watching Jesus, mocking him to the end. Also, there were many people there who did not realize the true meaning of the cross and just sent cheap sympathy to them. Jesus prayed for them on the cross. "Father, forgive them! For they do not know what they are doing."
Jesus did not drink wine mixed with gall for my poor self, but prayed while suffering on the cross with a clear mind. And when Jesus was crucified, two thieves
They hung on the cross together. The thief on the left slandered Jesus to the end. But the thief on the right rebuked the thief who slandered Jesus. And he said to Jesus: ?쏪esus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.??(Luke 23:42) Then Jesus said to the thief, ?쏪esus said to him, ?쏷ruly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.??(Luke 23:43)
Had Jesus drank wine mixed with gall, and had just bowed his head on the cross, fainting, he might not have saved the repentant thief. Jesus did not drink wine mixed with gall in order to save the repentant thief on the cross, but suffered all the suffering to the end.
Also, just under the cross of Jesus, there were several women who had always followed and served Jesus. One of those women was Mary, the physical mother of Jesus. And also there was John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. It must have been very painful for Mary, a mother of the flesh, to watch her son die on the cross, covered in blood. Jesus looked at Mary and said, ?쏻hen Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside him, he said to his mother, ?쏻oman, behold, your son??(John 19:26).
Jesus comforted those who needed comfort on the cross. He gave Mary a new son, John, in his place. Then Jesus spoke to his beloved disciple John. "And he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother." From that time on, the disciple took her into his own home." (John 19:27)
Jesus entrusted a new mission to his beloved John. He entrusted John with the precious mission of going to the kingdom of heaven and receiving a great reward. Our Jesus comforted us in the midst of suffering
He did not drink wine mixed with gall to comfort those who deserve it and to give his beloved disciple a precious mission. Jesus didn't just think of easing his pain with the help of wine mixed with gall. I hope that, following the example of Jesus, we too have the determination to bear the cross we must bear to the end and follow Jesus.
In the 4th century AD, a man named Macarius lived in Egypt. He is called the saint of the desert. Once he had a dream. In a dream, I saw Jesus carrying a heavy cross and struggling to walk. Macarius approached Jesus. And he said: "Oh, Lord! Give me the cross. I will carry it."
But Jesus didn't say anything, he just silently carried the heavy cross and kept walking forward with difficulty. Macarius kept beating Jesus. "Oh, Lord! Give me the cross. I will bear it."
Then Jesus said to Macarius: "Son, there is the cross you need to bear. Go, take up your cross first, and come to me. Then I will give you my cross."
When he went there, there was a cross that he had to carry. Macarius came to Jesus, sweating profusely, carrying the cross he had to bear. But when they came, the cross that had been placed on Jesus' shoulder had disappeared. Macarius was startled and asked Jesus. ?쏰h, Lord! Who carried the cross of the Lord for you???
Then Jesus smiled and said: "My dear son! Bearing the cross that you must bear with joy in your love for me is the way for me. You are carrying my cross for me."
Ladies and gentlemen, our Jesus refused even wine mixed with gall and
Just as you have done everything you need to do to the end, we too must not hate the cross that God has entrusted to us and bear it well until the end. In this way, I hope that we will all have the determination to bear the cross that God has given me with joy and follow Jesus to the end.