The Breath of LentNäide

There is so much to contemplate on the day of Christ’s crucifixion. Every seemingly small detail pointed to the mission for which Jesus came.

As Jesus was cruelly impaled to the cross, He was offered a concoction of wine and gall to help ease the pain. Both ingredients are deeply symbolic in this account. Wine symbolizes life, vitality, and blessing. Throughout the Old Testament, worship culminated when an animal was slaughtered on the altar. The lifeblood of the animal was payment for sin. Christ was the sacrifice to end all sacrifices. His blood brought life, blessing, and vitality. This concoction offered to Jesus before His crucifixion also contained gall, a bitter-tasting substance made from a berry-producing plant that helped anesthetize pain.

These two ingredients embody this central moment. Wine represented the blood of God, shed in love, and gall the bitter sorrow of the moment. Certainly, this was the inspiration for the song “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” with the lyrics:

“See, from his head, his hands, his feet,

Sorrow and love flowed mingled down;

Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,

Or thorns compose so rich a crown.”

Isaac Watts

The bitter grief of the moment brought life to all who received His sacrifice for sin. Today’s breath prayer keeps us mindful of the great sacrifice observed today.

Inhale: Your sorrow and pain

Exhale: brought me life and hope.