John 19:29-31
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
29 There was a vessel filled with common wine.[a] So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. 30 [b]When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.”(A) And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
The Blood and Water. 31 Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down.(B)
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- 19:29 Wine: John does not mention the drugged wine, a narcotic that Jesus refused as the crucifixion began (Mk 15:23), but only this final gesture of kindness at the end (Mk 15:36). Hyssop, a small plant, is scarcely suitable for carrying a sponge (Mark mentions a reed) and may be a symbolic reference to the hyssop used to daub the blood of the paschal lamb on the doorpost of the Hebrews (Ex 12:22).
- 19:30 Handed over the spirit: there is a double nuance of dying (giving up the last breath or spirit) and that of passing on the holy Spirit; see Jn 7:39, which connects the giving of the Spirit with Jesus’ glorious return to the Father, and Jn 20:22, where the author portrays the conferral of the Spirit.
John 19:29-31
New International Version
29 A jar of wine vinegar(A) 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. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”(B) With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31 Now it was the day of Preparation,(C) and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses(D) during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.
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