covenant that God has ordained for you” (Hebrews 9:19-20). You see, in telling us about the hyssop branch, John was not giving us a needless bit of information; he was pointing us toward the meaning of Jesus’ death. Jesus was initiating a new covenant with God and humanity; he was cleansing all who would trust in him; he was saving us from slavery to sin; and he was delivering us from death. As the people stood around the cross that day, watching Jesus die, someone in