Church Fathers Commentary John 19:28-30

"After this Jesus, knowing that all things are now finished, that the scripture might be accomplished, saith, I thirst. There was set there a vessel full of vinegar: so they put a sponge full of the vinegar upon hyssop, and brought it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit." — John 19:28-30 (ASV)

St. Augustine of Hippo: He who appeared as a man suffered all these things; He who was God ordained them. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished—that is, knowing the prophecy in the Psalms, And when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar to drink—said, I thirst.

It was as if He were saying, “You have not yet done everything; give me what you yourselves are.” For the Jews were themselves like vinegar, having degenerated from the wine of the patriarchs and the prophets.

Now there was a vessel full of vinegar. They had drunk from the wickedness of the world as from a full vessel, and their heart was deceitful, like a sponge full of caves and crooked hiding places. So they filled a sponge with vinegar, put it on hyssop, and brought it to His mouth.

St. John Chrysostom: They were not softened at all by what they saw but were instead more enraged. They gave Him the cup to drink as they did to criminals, that is, with a hyssop.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The hyssop on which they placed the sponge full of vinegar—a humble herb used for cleansing the chest—represents the humility of Christ, which they surrounded and thought they had trapped. For we are made clean by Christ’s humility. Do not be perplexed that they were able to reach His mouth when He was so high above the ground, for we read in the other Evangelists—a detail John omits—that the sponge was put on a reed.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Some say that hyssop is mentioned here instead of a reed, as its leaves are like a reed’s.

St. Augustine of Hippo: This was to fulfill what prophecy had foretold so long before.

The Venerable Bede: It may be asked here why it is said, When Jesus had received the vinegar, when another Evangelist says He would not drink it. But this is easily settled: He did not receive the vinegar to drink it, but to fulfill the prophecy.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Then, since there was nothing left for Him to do before He died, it follows: And He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost. He died only when He had nothing more to do, like one who had the power to lay down His life and to take it up again.

St. Gregory the Great: The word “ghost” is used here for “soul,” for if the Evangelist had meant anything else by it, the soul might still have remained even though the spirit departed.

St. John Chrysostom: He did not bow His head because He gave up His spirit; rather, He gave up His spirit because at that moment He bowed His head. By this, the Evangelist shows that He was Lord of all.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For who has ever had such power to sleep when he wished, as our Lord had to die when He wished? What power must He have, for our good or evil, who had such power even in dying?

Theophylact of Ohrid: Our Lord gave up His spirit to God the Father, showing that the souls of the saints do not remain in the tomb but go into the hands of the Father of all, while sinners are reserved for the place of punishment—that is, hell.