Hyssop and Vinegar

John 19:28-30

"Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, 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. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."

Hyssop is a plant that thrives in the middle east and southern Europe. It has been used for centuries both in cooking and medicinally. It has several chemical properties that interact with the human immune system and was a staple of life back in Christ's time.

Fields of hyssop were cultivated for harvest in the late spring and early fall. The stalks were dried and stacked on pallets to be sold. In addition, the flowers of the hyssop were highly attractive to bees, so hives were often kept adjacent to the fields. They produced an abundance of honey, long recognized as one of the most pure foods in the world.

Medicinally, teas made from hyssop were beneficial in treating cough and as an expectorant. It also affected the nervous system, but high a high dosage of it would cause epileptic seizures. The reason for this is because the plant has high concentrations of thujone and phenol. But these chemicals also giving hyssop one other useful feature: it was most commonly used because of its high antiseptic properties.

It is therefore interesting that John tells us of the soldier's choice to slake Jesus's thirst is a sponge soaked in wine vinegar, and raised on a hyssop branch (Luke 23 tells us it was a soldier). Much is made about the cruelty of giving a thirsty man vinegar to drink, but back in the day, Wine vinegar was also medicinal; bitter yet an astringent, it was regularly used to treat and heal wounds.

So here we have two purifying, healing agents given to Jesus right before he utters his last words, "It is finished." And so was; all of his earthly duties completed. Taking on the bitter sins of the world, Jesus took his last breath, and died.

Hyssop and vinegar. Purification and healing. There is no way of knowing if the soldier had any idea of the symbolic gesture. It may have been intended as a cruel joke, as you so often hear. Or perhaps the soldier, familiar with battle scars, was actually offering a gesture of kindness and understanding; a respectful offering from one soldier to another warrior.

Today is Good Friday, and the goodness comes from the gift given to all of us for the forgiveness of our sins, great and small. Jesus suffered for our redemption. Today, reflect on the final gesture of the soldier through the eyes of a repentant soldier, and prepare your heart for the purification and healing that comes through Christ's death and resurrection.

We Built This City on the Wrong Rock.

Psalm 62:7

"My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge."

Ever wonder where the term "Rock and Roll" came from? I think most people, if they had to guess, would say it started in the 1950's, but actually it goes back much farther.

In 1935, Henry "Red" Allen recorded a song with lyrics by Russel Robinson called "Get Rhythm in Your Feet and Music in Your Soul." It is the first pairing of the two words, etymologists tell us, with the lyric "If Satan starts to hound you, commence to rock and roll. Get rhythm in your feet and music in your soul "

The term rock came from old gospel music, where a person would be "rocked to the core" in a spiritual way. Roll was also a religious reference, where evangelicals would roll in the aisles, moved by the holy spirit. As the terms evolved, they began to pick up a double meaning, where "roll," became a euphemism for having sex (as in "roll in the hay"). "Rocking" came to mean to dance suggestively.

Small wonder then, that when the hot era of Rock and Roll music on the radio took over the airwaves, it freaked out a lot of conservative parents and pastors! Dancing, if it was allowed at all, was to be "civilized" and disciplined. Which does explain why my mother, even to her last days, felt a big loss with the decline of old-fashioned ballroom dancing. She would watch "Dancing with the Stars" with contempt. "That's not dancing," she would declare, and ignore the television.

Rock and Roll morphed over the next few decades, from ethnic street harmonies and Gospel remakes to Bubble-gum Pop, British invasion, and Hard Rock. In the 80's, Jefferson Starship came out with the ultimate Rock and Roll anthem with lyrics that summarized the rebellious feeling among rockers tired of Rock's hypocritical intolerant critics:

"Someone's always playing corporation games
Who cares they're always changing corporation names
We just want to dance here, someone stole the stage
They call us irresponsible, write us off the page
Marconi plays the mamba, listen to the radio, don't you remember
We built this city, we built this city on rock an' roll."

In rebellion, Rock becomes a voice against immorality. It sets itself up as a new morality: "All we want to do is dance and not play the corporate games of greed and corruption."

Ah but sadly, Rock and Roll itself is big business, and the hardest of Rockers have a reputation for being the bad boys and girls. It's hard to resist the draw of wealth and fame. Far too many have died living the "free life" of being stars. The things wealth and fame attract have killed many a musician.

It is too bad things have strayed so far from the original Rock of Ages. You can think you are okay, ignoring the real dangers of life. It would be nice if we could dance evil away... but that doesn't work out well.

We built this city, but on the wrong Rock. God is our mighty rock. We may seek salvation in trying to blithely dance away our cares away without seeking truth and honor. It cannot be done. Listen to His call. Let Him be your ultimate refuge.