Jesus: I thirst

John 19:16-42 ESV

So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”   When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” So the soldiers did these things, but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”  Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.  After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”  A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.  Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”   After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Jesus is an innocent sufferer. He felt suffering for doing no wrong.

He is fully human. He feels pain. He was probably so thirsty because of all the fluid loss from blood loss. But even more so than water, he was lacking something more important than just water. It was also spiritual thirst. He was experiencing being cut off from his perfect relationship with God, the father. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, God turned from Jesus. Jesus experienced hell. God is all that is good and all that life consists of. An existence without any good and loss of all that makes life good... That is hell.

Why? What is the point of this? Jesus hung upon that cross for us. Because we looked for satisfaction in everything other than God. But these are empty wells... They cannot satisfy our spiritual thirst. They may fill us for awhile, but it does not last. Even for those who know this, still do it. We know that satisfaction is doing in God alone; yet still we seek out satisfaction in other things. We are not immune, even though we know it. We still seek out things that will just leave us thirsty and disappointed. Jesus died so that we would not experience a terrifyingly insatiable thirst. The blood and water that came from Jesus' side represents the cleansing and the price of our sins. Life comes with Jesus, he does not give it. It comes from being with Him.

Jesus is the living water. He is the only one who gives us living water. But this water does not always taste the same. Sometimes, it is sweet and goes down easy. But other times, it tastes horrible. The Christian life is not always a cake walk. Sometimes, when God makes things difficult, we are tempted to consider drinking something else. But this is the water of life, not poison. Jesus drank of that cup and finished it. We are only given things that are good for us. It is not the wrath of God. The cross guarantees that everything God brings into our lives is for our good.