HYSSOP AND IT'S SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE

 

HYSSOP AND IT'S SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE

"Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on HYSSOP, and put it to HIS (JESUS') mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, 'IT IS FINISHED!' And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit." (JOHN 19: 28-30)

Unfortunately in biblical times people did not have access to medical products like we to today in the 21st century, they often relied on naturally occurring resources such as plants, animal byproducts, and minerals for cleaning, cooking, food, medicine, and more. 

WHAT IS HYSSOP? 

The hyssop plant is a perennial, which means it can survive for several years, with at least some new growth on it each season. It grows to about 1 1/2 feet in height, and in summer its flowers bloom in different colors, such as violet, white and red. The valuable flavoring and medicinal properties of hyssop have been known for centuries. Its distinctive bitter taste adds a warmth to foods like salads, fish, meat and vegetables. And it has been used as an ingredient in desserts, honey, and even in certain liquors. The tea made from this plant has been known to help with physical problems in the throat, nose and lungs. It can also be applied externally to bruises on top of the skin as a healing balm.

Hyssop is an evergreen herb of the mint family with cleansing, medicinal, and flavoring properties, and grew prolificly in the Middle East and was used in a variety of ways. The Holy Bible mentions hyssop several times, mostly in the Old Testament. In the Book of Leviticus, God commanded His people to use hyssop in the ceremonial cleansing of people and their houses. In one example, God tells the priests to use hyssop together with cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and the blood of a clean bird to sprinkle a person recently healed from a skin disease (probably leprosy). This act would ceremonially cleanse the formerly diseased person and allow him to reenter the camp. Read (Leviticus chapter 14, verses 1 to 7. The same method was used to purify a house that had previously contained mould (Leviticus chapter 14, verses 33 to 53.

Hyssop is also used symbolically in the Holy Bible. When the Israelites marked their doorposts with lamb’s blood in order for the angel of death to pass over them, God instructed them to use a bunch of hyssop as a “paintbrush” in the Book of Exodus chapter 12, verse 22. This was probably because hyssop was sturdy and could withstand the brushing, but it also likely signified that God was marking His people as “pure”, and not targets of the judgment God was about to deal out to the Egyptians.

King David also mentions hyssop in the Psalm he wrote when Nathan the Prophet went to him, after David had gone in to Bsthshena. Look at verse 7 of Psalm 51: “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” David does not refer to physical cleansing — rather, he is asking God to cleanse him spiritually as he confesses his sin. Hyssop also appears at Jesus’ crucifixion, when the Roman soldiers offered Jesus a drink of wine vinegar on a sponge at the end of a stalk of hyssop. This was, in fact, Jesus’ last act on planet earth before He declared His work on earth finished and gave up His spirit. While the hyssop stalk may have been used for purely practical purposes (i.e., it was long enough to reach to Jesus’ mouth as He hung on the cross), it is interesting and significant that this particular plant was chosen. It is possible that God meant this as a picture of purification and sanctification and consecration, as Jesus Christ of Nazareth bought our forgiveness with His own 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!

God desires His people to be clean, pure and holy. Because of our rebellious sin nature, though, we continually fall short of that standard. But in His tender mercy and great grace, the LORD steps in and provides. The Holy Bible reveals many promises that God has made about renewing us in heart and spirit and mind, in Jesus Christ's faithful name, Amén!!!

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