Introduction
For the past several
weeks, we have been preparing to celebrate the resurrection
The victory of our Lord
Jesus Christ using a devotional series titled “It Is Finished.”
Doing so, we are
pondering each of the “last words” Jesus spoke from his cross.
Today’s “word” is the shortest one of all: “I
thirst” (John 19:28).
All of us know
something of what it’s like to be thirsty.
I remember back in the
mid 70’s this country was going through a severe drought
No one was allowed to
water their lawn
When you went to a
restaurant, no water would be placed at the table unless you requested it
We were asked to cut
back on taking showers and baths
Some ever suggested
that couples shower together to conserve water
Car washes were closed,
pools were closed
And remember this was
at a time that bottled water was not yet available
Brush fires were
breaking out all over the country and even our pine barrens were burning
It was a scary time
You might also know
that roughly 60 percent of the human body is made up of water.
Our organs are especially well-hydrated.
The brain, heart,
liver, kidneys, and lungs are all 71–84 percent water.
Even our bones are 30
percent water.
Obviously, water is life. We need water to survive.
Depending on our sex,
age, and activity levels, we need two to three liters of water every day.
Part of this comes from our food, the rest
from the fluids we drink.
Jesus said, “I
thirst.”
But why?
Certainly, he was not
at that point concerned about optimal organ function.
Clearly, survival was
not at issue.
Death, at this point, was certain.
“I thirst.”
Two simple words filled
to the brim with meaning.
Getting
to the Heart
John records the “why”
of Jesus’ “thirsty” words.
He writes:
After
this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the
Scripture), “I thirst.” John 19:28
Jesus knew he was
nearing physical death.
He no longer needed water to sustain his body.
All was now finished or completed, John tells
us.
The Greek word used
there is “teleo” the same root word where we get Jesus’ words “it is finished”
The Lord’s words echo a
prophecy from Psalm 69:21:
Psalm 69:20-21 (NASB)
20 Reproach has broken my
heart and I am so sick. And I looked for sympathy, but there was none, And for
comforters, but I found none.
21 They also gave me gall for
my food And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Psalm 69 is a psalm of
desperation and a cry for salvation.
The psalmist expresses
the torture he’s experiencing, and he calls upon God for deliverance.
When Jesus spoke these
words of desperation, he received exactly what the psalmist says: “sour wine
to drink.”
Let’s look at the whole
passage
John 19:28-29 (NASB)
28 After this, Jesus, knowing
that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, *said,
"I am thirsty."
29 A jar full of sour wine
was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch
of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.
Sour wine is basically vinegar.
While not a thirst quencher to be sure, it also would have burned
Jesus’ already parched mouth
Not even at the hour of His death could our savior find any hint of
compassion
Those who were so cruel will one day pay the price as Jesus told us in
one story He told
Matthew 25:34-36 (NASB)
34 "Then
the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 'For
I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you
gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
36 naked,
and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you
came to Me.'
There are rewards for those who show compassion
And a high price to pay for those who do not
Matthew 25:41-43 (NASB)
41 "Then
He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the
eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;
42 for
I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you
gave Me nothing to drink;
43 I
was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me;
sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.'
Even while hanging
there dying Jesus is still fulfilling scripture as He did two weeks ago quoting
Psalm 22 “My God, My God why have you forsaken Me”
Jesus spoke these words
to fulfill the Scripture.
Jesus experienced the desperation the psalmist
describes—in full measure.
He did so while at the
same time bringing salvation.
“I thirst” is an
expression of suffering.
By uttering these words, Jesus indicated his
full participation in human suffering.
His experience on the
cross was not just like our suffering.
It was our suffering, the suffering of
all humanity, in the
extreme.
One day Jesus will make
sure that each of us has an abundance to both eat and drink
Revelation 7:16-17 (NASB)
16 "They
will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them,
nor any heat;
17 for the Lamb in the center
of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the
water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes."
But it is also a
promise for now in a spiritual sense
John 6:35 (NASB)
35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not
hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.
John 7:37-38 (NASB)
37 Now on the last day, the
great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his
innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'"
Revelation 21:6 (NASB)
6 Then He said to me,
"It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I
will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without
cost.
Revelation 22:16-17 (NASB)
16 "I, Jesus, have sent
My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the
descendant of David, the bright morning star."
17 The Spirit and the bride
say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let
the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life
without cost.
He who promised we would never thirst is now Himself
thirsty on our behalf
Jesus was tortured.
He was stripped of his dignity.
He was degraded, mocked, disregarded,
dismissed.
These two words, “I
thirst,” convey all the need Jesus experienced, humanity’s need.
Jesus fulfilled the
Scripture by enduring multiple layers of suffering.
The crown of thorns. The
nails. The beatings.
The derision of the
crowd, the soldiers, and the religious leaders.
The suffering Jesus
endured was more than physical pain.
Countless people throughout history have
experienced terrible physical suffering.
Many people have even been crucified as Jesus
was.
It was a common Roman practice.
Sadly, it has made a
come back in how radical Muslims torture and kill Christians today.
More than the physical
suffering, Jesus’ crucifixion was a blow to his very person.
The King of kings was
publicly shamed, humiliated, degraded, reduced to less than human.
The King of the
universe, mocked before the eyes of all, was treated as a criminal and worse
than a criminal.
The beloved Son of God
was treated like an animal at the
slaughter by the human
beings he created!
There is a feeling in
us that arises when we see unjust suffering.
We encourage each other:
“Stand up for yourself.”
“Don’t back down.”
“Stand your ground.”
“Believe in yourself.”
Jesus uttered none of
these axioms.
Jesus refused to defend himself.
He simply said, “I
thirst.”
We wonder: “Why did he
do this?
Why did he embrace such
unjust suffering?
Why didn’t he stand up
for himself?
Why didn’t he defend
his dignity?”
Hebrews 2:9 explains
that by his suffering and death, Jesus “might taste death for everyone.”
Isaiah adds to this in
53:4, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows . . .
stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” for our transgressions.
To fulfill the
Scripture, Jesus suffered our suffering.
His Life for ours.
Jesus thirsted for our
salvation.
He endured our shame,
degradation, and torture.
He died in our
place, for our sins.
People say, “Talk is cheap.”
Jesus didn’t just talk.
He proved his love for
us by suffering and dying—
suffering the punishment,
we deserved, dying the death we
should have died.
Taking
It Home
It is often hard for us
to admit our own need, our own suffering.
Maybe you are embarrassed
to share that you’re hurting.
You don’t want to show
weakness.
Especially if you are a
man
You don’t want people
to feel sorry for you.
You don’t want to be
someone’s charity case.
It is common for people
to hide their suffering.
Jesus’ words, “I
thirst,” give you permission to admit your own needs, your own longing.
If Jesus could admit
His immediate need so can we
That is why the church
was established
That we might encourage
and help one another
What distresses you
today?
Is it the virus, the
economy, the uncertainty
What are you suffering
through?
Have you lost something
physical during this time
What do you long for?
Perhaps like many of us
a return to normalcy
Cry out to God in your
pain and need.
He knows and He hears.
But also rely on your
brothers and sisters in Christ because we are family
The suffering Man who
hung on the cross is now your risen King.
He thirsts no more.
We hear his words of
promise:
Whoever
drinks of the water that I will give . . . will never be thirsty again. The
water that I will give . . . will become . . . a spring of water welling up to
eternal life. John 4:14
Praise the Savior who
suffered for us, who thirsted that we may thirst no more!
As you leave today, pray with
and for one another.
Share personal prayer
requests.
Ask the Holy Spirit to draw each of you closer
to Christ and to one another as you prepare to celebrate the Savior’s
resurrection.
LET US PRAY
