A Bad Interpretation Leads to a Messy Conclusion
“Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and offered him a drink.” (Matthew 27:48)
“Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, fixed it on a stick, offered him a drink, and said, ‘Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.’” (Mark 15:36)
“The soldiers also mocked him. They came offering him sour wine” (Luke 23:36)
“A jar full of sour wine was sitting there; so they fixed a sponge full of sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it up to his mouth.” (John 19:29)
Okay, I’ll tell you why I cited the same reference from the four Gospels.
Because we must be very careful about what Christians—individuals, pastors, teachers, and anyone with an opinion—teach, online or otherwise.
The other day I was poking around YouTube and one of my favorite Bible teachers (who will remain unnamed) popped up on the suggestion list on the right side of the YouTube website. He immediately caught my attention because I respect him highly for his laser-focused, integrity-driven approach to interpreting Scripture. In fact, his work on prophecies about the End Times has greatly influenced how I view Daniel, Jesus’ Olivet Discourse, the Book of Revelation, and other End Time scriptures.
I quickly clicked his link, where he talked about Jesus being offered a vinegar-soaked sponge on a stick during His crucifixion to ease His thirst. The teacher’s point was that this act was a gross, and I mean gross, attempt to insult and humiliate Jesus as He was tortured before He died.
The teacher supported his claim by describing Roman public bathroom habits. Having toured the Roman city ruins built as Beth She’an in Israel, I can assure you the teacher’s description of Roman public toilets was accurate. I’ll try to be as circumspect as possible in the following description.
The Roman restrooms consisted of a long stone bench with cutouts upon which a participant sat to relieve themselves. In front of them was a trough of various styles filled with salt- or vinegar- water. Once finished, the participant would take a stick with a sponge on it, called a xylospongium, also known as a tersorium (imperiumromanum.pl), dip it in the trough or a bucket of solution, and clean up.
I told you it was gross. Really gross.
Based on similar descriptions of the Roman practice and what the Gospels describe as involving a stick, a sponge, and vinegar, the teacher concluded that either the people or the Roman soldiers offered Jesus a “drink” from a fouled implement to degrade Him in His suffering further.
My instinct to check that conclusion out kicked in.
Yes, I searched the internet regarding Roman public bathroom practices. Yes, I pulled up the Gospel accounts. And yes, I found myself disagreeing, in part, with one of my favorite teachers. I believe his conclusion is wrong.
Similar descriptions don’t mean it’s the same thing. It’s like the idea of “Correlation is not causation”: just because two things correlate doesn’t mean one caused the other, and the similarity stops there. Just because the Gospel accounts describe a stick, a sponge, and vinegar, doesn’t mean a xylospongium is being used. Look at the verses:
Matthew 27 – Jesus has been elevated on a cross. He cries out as He’s dying, and the people think He’s calling for help from Elijah, who had been taken by God physically into heaven (2 Kings 2:11). The offer of vinegar, which was close by, was an effort to keep Jesus alive so they could see if Elijah would indeed show up. Hey, what a show that would be! Plus, it would confirm that Jesus was “God’s Messiah,” and the revolution against the Romans would begin. So the sponge-stick combination wasn’t a toilet brush; it was simply a way to reach a dying man.
Mark 15 – Here we see the same thing as Matthew records. The person found a nearby sponge, soaked it in sour wine (wine vinegar), and stuck it on a stick to reach Jesus—no toilet brush.
John 19 – John gives us more details. The sour wine came from a nearby jar, not a public toilet. They used a stick from a hyssop shrub to lift the sponge to Jesus’ lips. Furthermore, Jesus received the gift; he willingly sipped from the vinegar-soaked sponge, which totally negates the teacher’s conclusion. If the teacher were correct, Jesus would have never done so.
On a side note, hyssop was a very common plant which was used for its “cleansing, healing, and medicinal properties” (gotquestions.org). “It is possible that God meant this as a picture of purification, as Jesus bought our forgiveness with His sacrifice. Just as in the Old Testament blood and hyssop purified a defiled person, so Jesus’ shed blood purifies us from the defilement of our sin.” John wasn’t making a point about how Jesus’ executioners were tormenting Him. John was pointing to the deep spiritual meaning behind Jesus giving His life for us: cleansing and purification.
Luke 23 – This is the only scripture that implies the soldiers intended the act of offering vinegar to Jesus as an insult. In the midst of their mocking, they offered Jesus a tart, sour solution that wasn’t meant to refresh but to refuse—a typical schoolyard bully tactic.
So, what’s my point?
Learning how to interpret Scripture properly is vital “to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
You need to do the work yourself and not always rely on regurgitated information, especially on the Wild West frontier of the internet. Even a teacher with a great track record and solid credentials can get it wrong. I’ve had to correct my conclusions as I’ve grown in the word.
Some of the Christian teachers I’ve heard in life and in cyberspace need a xylospongium/tersorium to clean up the theological mess they’ve spewed. In our present example, this teacher’s conclusion won’t upend Christian theology. But I bet it will spread anyway because this teacher has a large following, and Christians are always looking for unique, special insights they can use to impress their friends.
That’s why those who desire to be teachers should commit themselves to learning how to study and learn their subject well, so they don’t share something that would subject them to a bad review under God’s judgment. “Not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment” (James 3:1).
In the meantime, I pray for this teacher and those who share the Lord’s word (including myself) so that we may correctly teach the word of truth.
Now, O disciple, get to work!
Sources:
Xylospongium – Roman progenitor of toilet paper, imperiumromanum.pl/en/curiosities/xylospongium-roman-progenitor-of-toilet-paper
What is hyssop?, gotquestions.org/hyssop-Bible.html
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Shining the Light of God’s Truth on the Road Ahead
Pastor Jay Christianson
The Truth Barista, Frothy Thoughts