Introduction
What’s it like to be crucified? Have you ever imagined how it must have been? A medical doctor gives a physical description... (adapted)
“As the arms fatigue, cramps sweep through his muscles, knotting them in deep relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push himself upward to breathe. Air can be drawn into the lungs but not exhaled. He fights to raise himself in order to get even one small breath. Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream, and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically, he is able to push himself upward to exhale and bring in life-giving oxygen. Hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint wrenching cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from his lacerated back as he moves up and down against rough timber. Then another agony begins: a deep, crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart. It is now almost over. The loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level - the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues and the tortured lungs are making frantic efforts to gasp in small gulps of air. The markedly dehydrated tissues send the flood of stimuli to the brain. Jesus gasps, “I am thirsty”’”
Today we come to the fifth word from the cross. A very simple statement: I am thirsty. Let’s begin by looking at the details surrounding that statement...
Main Body
1) The Details
First, verse 28 starts, “Later, knowing that all was now completed...”
It’s later. In other words, it’s after Jesus has said to Mary, Woman, here is your son. It’s after Jesus has cried out, My God, my God why have you forsaken me. At that time Jesus knew it had been completed. Yes, even as he hung there he knew that it was mission accomplished. He – an sinless, representative man – had been punished for the sins of the world. The sacrifice was complete. And Jesus knew it.
Second, the verse continues, “...and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled”
That was the Scripture written by David, 950 years before. A prophecy, if you turn to Psalm 69:21 where it says, “they... gave me vinegar for my thirst”.
So many details of the crucifixion were predicted by the prophets. It was all part of the unfolding plan of God. So that when Jesus died for us, we would notice it and recognise it.
Third, verse 29 continues, “A jar of wine vinegar was there... they soaked a sponge in it... and lifted it to Jesus’ lips”.
Wine vinegar sounds horrible to us. But it was cheap drink. Roman soldiers would sit around waiting for the crucified to die. As they waited they would have a few drinks. And Jesus drank what they offered him. Amazingly the soldiers had pity on the dying Jesus. This was an act of mercy to a dying man.
2) The Parallels
How can it be that this man nailed to the cross is the One who said to the Samaritan woman “whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst”.
How can it be that this man nailed to the cross is the One who said, “If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me...streams of living water will flow from within him”
Jesus talked a lot about thirst. He once said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”. In other words, blessed are those who have hunger for God and his ways. Blessed are those who aren’t content to be filled up with the best the world can give. But who want God – and want to follow him.
3) Christ’s Humanity
And now he is saying, “I am thirsty”. And in these words we see his wonderful humanity.
You see, in our love for Jesus, we sometimes make a mistake! We sometimes fall into the heresy of Docetism! A Docetic view of Jesus is that Jesus was divine but only had the appearance of being human. When we say things like, God, you don’t understand what I’m going though - you don’t know what it’s like to be human. Or when we think that living on earth and dying on a cross was easy for Jesus because he was God – that’s a Docetic, heretical, view of Jesus Christ. Because not only is Jesus 100% God, he is 100% human.
And those simple words, “I am thirsty” remind us that the Christian Gospel is utterly different to any world religion. The words ‘I am thirsty’ reveal a God who is also human. A God who knows what suffering and thirst feels like...
If we stop for a moment and ask, What does the Koran teach about suffering?
I quote some words from Surah 57:22, “Every misfortune that befalls you is... ordained”.
In other words, Islam’s answer to suffering is, ‘It’s God’s will’.
If we stop for a moment and ask, What does Buddhism teach about suffering?
To quote a Buddhist scholar who is speaking about a woman whose son died in an accident, “All we can do is wait for time to veil her grief in the mist of resignation”.
In other words, Buddhism’s answer to suffering is, ‘Don’t let anything get to you - you’ll get over it.’
If we stop for a moment and ask, What does the Christian Gospel teach about suffering?
Well, it tells of a God who not only knows about suffering, but shares in it completely...
Illustration
I want to read you a very short play called ‘The Long Silence’... (adapted)
“At the end of time, billions of people were seated on a great plain before God’s throne. Most shrank back from the brilliant light before them. But some groups near the front talked heatedly, not with cringing shame - but with belligerence.
"Can God judge us? How can He know about suffering?", snapped a young brunette. She ripped open a sleeve to reveal a tattooed number from a Nazi concentration camp. "We endured terror ... beatings ... torture ... death!"
In another group an African-American boy lowered his collar. "What about this?" he demanded, showing an ugly rope burn. "Lynched, for no crime but being black!"
In another crowd there was a pregnant schoolgirl with sullen eyes: "Why should I suffer?" she murmured. "It wasn’t my fault." Far out across the plain were hundreds of such groups. Each had a complaint against God for the evil and suffering He had permitted in His world.
How lucky God was to live in Heaven, where all was sweetness and light. Where there was no weeping or fear, no hunger or hatred. What did God know of all that man had been forced to endure in this world? For God leads a pretty sheltered life, they said.
So each of these groups sent forth their leader, chosen because he had suffered the most. A Jew, an African-American, a person from Hiroshima, a horribly deformed arthritic, a thalidomide child. In the centre of the vast plain, they consulted with each other. At last they were ready to present their case. It was rather clever.
“Before God could be qualified to be their judge, He must endure what they had endured. Their decision was that God should be sentenced to live on earth as a man. Let him be born a Jew. Let the legitimacy of his birth be doubted. Give him a work so difficult that even his family will think him out of his mind.
Let him be betrayed by his closest friends. Let him face false charges, be tried by a prejudiced jury and convicted by a cowardly judge. Let him be tortured.
At the last, let him see what it means to be terribly alone. Then let him die so there can be no doubt he died. Let there be a great host of witnesses to verify it.
As each leader announced his portion of the sentence, loud murmurs of approval went up from the throng of people assembled. When the last had finished pronouncing sentence, there was a long silence. No one uttered a word. No one moved.
For suddenly, all knew that God had already served His sentence.”
Conclusion
A simple statement ‘I am thirsty’.
The cry of a dying man.
A sharp reminder that God knows what it’s like to be human.
And that changes everything.
Are you being tempted to do something you know is wrong? He knows exactly how you feel.
Are you deeply worried about something? He knows exactly how you feel.
Are you being unfairly treated at home or school or work? He knows exactly how you feel.
We close with the words of Hebrews 4:15 & 16:
“We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin. [So what? So...] Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”
This morning, perhaps the question we need to ask ourselves is this:
As we seek answers to our problems, are we thirsting for God and the answers he has for us?
Or are we looking elsewhere? He thirsted for you, so that you may thirst for him.
