The Fifth Word: "I Thirst!" John 19:28

Have you ever been thirsty? Not the kind of thirst that is satisfied by a cool beer or a glass of iced tea at the end of the day; but a dry, unquenchable thirst. Psalm 22 says, "My strength is dried up like a potsherd and my tongue cleaves to my jaws." Have you ever been thirsty - like that? As death tore at His body, the sweat poured down Jesus, leaving Him weaker, and weaker, until it was only with great effort that He could rise, pulling Himself up against the nails in His hands, to take a gulp of air. His tongue was swollen so that He could hardly get it down; His throat parched; His voice hoarse as He cried out: "I thirst!"

Yet John tells us that it was not for water only that He thirsted. He says, "Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said, "I thirst." In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus had prayed that this cup might pass from Him, but then, knowing He must drink it, He prayed that He might drink it to the dregs. Now, upon the cross, as death approaches, He knows His work is finished. He holds His life up before Him, ready to place it back into the hands of His Father. And now He desires to let it go - to let it be done. He desires to drink the last draught of His cup of bitterness, and pass the cup back to His Father, and have it done. He thirsts not only for water - but for the end. His task is complete. It is time for His baptism into death.

It seems so odd - so paradoxical - that the One who called Himself the "spring of eternal life," who said that "whoever believes in me shall never thirst," and "he who believes in me, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living waters;" that now, as He hangs panting on the cross, that He should beg for water?

How far He must have felt from the Father then! And how gladly He would have taken up the promise of Isaiah, when God said, (41:17): "When the poor and needy seek water and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them" Where was He now? "I thirst."

Let’s return to the question. Have you ever been thirsty? Maybe not for water, or for a cool beer. But maybe for God. Have you ever asked, "Where is He now - now, when I need Him so much? Where is He?" Have you ever wondered about the promises of God, whether they are dependable? Is your thirst unanswered? Do you find, in Jesus, today, a fellow traveler, a comrade, one who, on the cross, speaks the words that are on your heart today: "I thirst!" "Give me something to slack my thirst, Father, before I perish!" Does your spirit sometimes feel as dry as the bones Elijah talked to in the Kidron Valley?

Then there is a promise in scripture here for you. A trustworthy promise. The One who stands with you, who speaks your words, who knows our unquenchable thirst, also says to you, "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst, for they shall be satisfied." He who joins you on Good Friday will finish His cup of suffering, and will lead you also through the cross to the other side. He is our brother in thirst, in suffering and death, and also in new life. Your thrist can be quenched, at last.

How? That last night before He was arrested, He gave the secret to His disciples. "Take and eat; this is my body given for you. Take, drink; this is my blood shed for you. He who eats of this bread will never hunger. And he who drinks of this cup shall never thirst again." His sacrifice satisfies our thirst. He has brought us back to the Father; He offers us cleansing, healing and restoration, so that our thirsty souls may be satisfied. As He drinks the last dregs of His death, He brings us home. St. John says it this way:

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, "salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying to me, "What are these which are arrayed in white robes? And whence came they? And I said unto him, "Sir, thou knowest." And he said to me, "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."

May you find, in His cross, the answer to your soul’s thirst. Amen.

Let us pray: Father, we thank you for sending Your Son to us. We know today what a costly gift that was. Now, as we meditate upon His words from the cross, as we remember how He thirsted there, help us to recall that is was for our sakes, that our thirst for righteousness, our thirst for new life in you, might be quenched. Amen.