“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit” (John 19:30).
Having declared that He was thirsty, Jesus receives a sponge full of sour wine from those who are crucifying Him, an act that becomes the last straw in their rejection of Him. He then dies.
In His death, He becomes the sacrifice for the sins of every individual who has ever lived. Included in this group, of course, are those of us living today with the hope of heaven within our hearts—all because of Him.
His unspeakable sacrifice should stimulate each of us to take stock of our lives as well as our attitudes: with His willingness to give up heaven for a time, to suffer all kinds of humiliation and pain, and to die the excruciating death on the cross, surely we are led to submit ourselves in humility to His will in order to gain the reward that He made possible.