FAMOUS LAST WORDS: I THIRST
BEFORE THE CROSS
This morning, as we quietly and humbly stand before the cross of Jesus Christ, and as we hear His words tumble into our hearts, there is a challenge that comes to us from the Holy Spirit. That challenge is not to just hear Jesus words, but to let the power and meaning of His words bring purpose and hope and direction our lives. And I feel sure that all of us could use a little bit of that.
When Jesus spoke from the cross, His words were not only for those who were there at the foot of the cross and could hear Him. His final words were spoken for every person of every generation, and that includes you.
Even though He was dying, and even in His weakened physical state, the words He spoke that day, two thousand years ago are just as powerful today as they were the moment He first spoke them; because His words are eternal words.
Of the seven final statements that Jesus spoke from the cross His fifth statement is the shortest and would appear to be the simplest to understand, and yet His words, “I thirst,” are power packed with eternal meaning. His words, “I thirst,” does have an obvious meaning, but when you compare His words with how He lived His life and with the word of God, there is a powerful message here filled with great eternal meaning.
So the challenge is that we must not just hear His words on a mental and physical level; don’t let that happen to you today. The challenge is to look beyond the obvious meaning of His words and that you hear His words with your heart and see their meaning through the eyes of eternity.
It is my prayer that you hear these words and let its eternal meaning fill your soul.
Let’s stand together as we read the fifth of Jesus final seven statements from the cross.
John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. NKJV
In His fifth statement from the cross, Jesus spoke two words and said, “I thirst.”
When I read this passage, two thoughts immediately grab my attention.
First, I am deeply moved that throughout this entire ordeal, this is the first and only time that Jesus spoke anything about His own personal need, but as we will find out in a few minutes there is far more to it than that.
Second, there is a reason why Jesus said, “I thirst,” and it was not just because He desired a drink of water. There is something here far greater than that.
When Jesus said, “I thirst” I believe He was revealing an eternal message for anyone who is willing to listen. Today, that message is for you.
I THIRST
I’m sure that all of us at some point in our lives have encountered a time when we desperately needed and desired a cold drink of water. We all know how a cool, refreshing drink of water can satisfy a deep unquenchable thirst, and revitalize us.
But can you imagine that the one the Bible calls the eternal water of life saying, “I thirst?”
How is that possible?
Capture this picture in your mind.
See Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane where He sweat great drops of blood.
See Him as He is arrested and carried away for trial.
See Him as He faces His accusers and then is slapped and beaten.
See Him as Pilate allows Him to be scourged which brought a great loss of blood.
See Him as He carries His cross to Calvary and where He is nailed to the cross.
See Him as the blood flows from His wounds
See Him as He hangs from the cross for six brutal hours.
See Him as His body is weak and drained and yet, instead of requesting anything to drink earlier when He could have, He is instead focused on the needs of others and the will of God.
And now we hear Him say, “I thirst.” How is that possible?
How is it possible that the creator of oceans and lakes and rivers could ever be thirsty?
John 1:3 tells us that Jesus created all things, which would obviously include water.
So, how is it possible that the eternal Lord of glory, the one who calmed a raging sea; the one who walked on water, and turned water into wine, is now Himself asking for a drop of water? How can that be? Why didn’t He create a miracle for Himself?
Since He is the Son of God He clearly had the power and authority to create a miracle and provide water for Himself.
He refused to turn stones into bread while He hungered in the desert, and now He refuses to create water while thirsting on the cross.
He did hundreds of miracles for others and He could have easily created a miracle for Himself. But He didn’t. Why?
And then there is also another side to this question.
Why did Jesus wait until this moment to say, “I thirst” when He was just minutes from death? Why didn’t He say “I thirst” at the very beginning? Why now at this moment?
I believe the answer is very important to us. Think about this…
His first three statements were for the benefit of others; He said…
Father forgive them
Today, you will be with me in Paradise
Behold your mother and behold your son
And then His fourth words, which I believe are among the most haunting and awe inspiring words ever spoken, were for all of us when He who had never known sin, allowed Himself to become sin so that we could know eternal life.
And now as He nears the end, He says, “I thirst.” And again, I ask, why now?
Why not at the very beginning when they first nailed Him to the cross? Why now?
We could look at this strictly from a physical element and say that after all He has been through, He is obviously thirsty and needs something to drink. However, if we see this only from a physical standpoint, we will miss the profound message found in His words.
I believe from these two passages of scripture there is a far greater and richer meaning to Jesus words, “I thirst.”
FIRST, OUR THIRIST FOR GOD AND HIS KINGDOM
When Jesus said, “I thirst,” I think He was speaking of two things and both hold great meaning for our lives.
First, remember that the Gospels tell us that a darkness deeper than midnight covered the land for three hours. It was during that darkness, that the sins of the whole world were poured out on Jesus as He who knew no sin, literally became sin. At that moment, Jesus experienced what no other has ever experienced.
At that moment, as Jesus became filled with your sins and my sins, God poured out the fullness of His wrath of judgment that was meant for us, and He poured out the full weight of His wrath upon Jesus because He took upon Himself our sins.
It was at that precise moment when Jesus paid the price for your sins that He cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?”
I believe at that moment Jesus suffered the worst agony that could ever be faced or endured. He experienced the agony of hell and separation from God so we would not have too.
And so in that dreadful darkness Jesus experienced the terror of the soul, when for the first time ever, He was completely separated from the light and presence of God. And when He came out on the other side of the darkness, His soul longed for and thirst for the presence of God. And that is one of the reasons why I think He said, “I thirst.”
There are no words deep enough or powerful enough in any language to describe what Jesus endured for you and I. There are no words in any language that can describe the awful darkness Jesus endured as He was separated from God and took upon Himself the agony of hell that was meant for us.
And when He came out on the other side of that darkness, He did not ask to be rescued from the cross. He did not ask for revenge upon those who had crucified Him. He did not ask for a miracle. Instead, He simply said, “I thirst,” and He said those two simple words because more the one thing that He desired the most, above all things, was the presence of God, the Father.
And that is the most important message that you and I as believers in Christ could ever hear. There is nothing more important on this earth than for you to desire a relationship with God, and that relationship begins when you have an unquenchable thirst for Him.
So when Jesus said, “I thirst,” He wasn’t just asking for a cool drink of water. He was speaking of something far greater. And from His words, we are reminded that it is vitally important that we have an unquenchable thirst for God and to never let go of that thirst.
Consider this…
In Luke 16, Jesus described a place called hell and He described it as a place of torment and thirst. In that parable He described how this man in hell begged with all of his soul for someone to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue;' (Luke 16:24)
Among many things, I believe hell is a place of thirst, and I’m not just speaking of a physical thirst. I am speaking of an unquenchable thirst in your soul that is so great that it is impossible to describe in human terms. I am speaking of endless thirst for God that will never be quenched and never be satisfied. I am speaking of a thirst so great that it ravages a man soul and yet will be impossible to quench.
Why will people experience this kind of torture? Because they chose to reject and deny Jesus Christ, the only one who can satisfy the unquenchable thirst in your soul. They chose to reject the true Living Water that endures forever.
The Bible also gives us another point of view. God’s word reveals that in His kingdom, your heart and soul will never again experience that deep longing thirst that cannot be satisfied because in heaven, you will always be in God’s presence and love and in His eternal light that will forever quench your every thirst, physically, emotionally and spiritually for all eternity.
This is exactly why the cross is so important to us.
That’s exactly why we need to hear and understand Jesus two words, “I thirst.”
This is why Jesus endured the suffering of the cross so that we would never have to know the pain and suffering that comes from the thirst of our souls. And because of the cross, He has provided a way for us to drink of the Living Water that completely and forever satisfies our soul. Listen to these inspiring promises from God’s word.
Revelation 7:16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will
shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters… NKJV
Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water
of life freely. NKJV
This is one of the great last invitations in the word of God.
It is an invitation to anyone and everyone. It is an invitation to come.
It is an invitation to quench the thirst in your soul.
If your soul thirsts for God, He says come.
The question for us is not, do you thirst, because we all thirst. The question is what do you thirst for most in your life?
There are only two things that your heart and soul thirst for.
You either thirst for and long for this world and the things of this world, or you have a heart that is thirsty for Christ and His kingdom. Those are your two choices and you have to decide from which cup you will choose to drink from.
You will either drink from the cup of this world that will never satisfy your soul or you can drink from the cup of Living Water that comes from Jesus Christ. Which cup will you choose?
Those who drink from the cup that is offered to them by the world will drink from a cup filled with the sinful pleasures and treasures of this world, and yet, the more they drink from the cup of the world, the thirstier they become because what the world offers, no matter how glamorous it looks, it can never satisfy your heart.
Like the woman at the well, the water of this world cannot satisfy what your soul longs for, no matter how much of it you drink.
So many try to quench that raving thirst in their soul with alcohol, and pleasure, or with drugs, and riches, and power, and yet none of these things, no matter how great or attractive they may appear to be, they do not have the power to satisfy and quench that driving thirst in your soul.
Only Jesus Christ can do that. Only Jesus Christ, who is the eternal, living water of life, can quench that burning, unquenchable thirst in your soul.
Do you have a deep longing thirst in your soul for something you can’t describe?
David wrote these powerful words in describing the thirst of the soul;
Psalm 42:1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? NKJV
Psalm 63:1 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. NKJV
Those words literally describe my heart and oh how I pray that you would also discover in your own heart that kind of desire and thirst for God.
What is it that you thirst for?
There is no question that you thirst for something, because we all thirst. The eternal
question for you is what do I thirst for most? How you answer that question will determine the outcome of your eternal destiny.
So I encourage you to drink from the second cup that contains the living water that comes from Jesus Christ.
How is it possible for us to drink of the Living Water of Christ? How does that work?
It is very simple. Jesus gives us the answer in John 7.
John 7:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." NKJV
The answer to quenching that eternal thirst in your soul requires two simple things;
First, you must come to Jesus Christ. Only Jesus Christ can give you Living water that will endure forever.
Second, you must choose to believe in Him. Believing in Jesus Christ is what opens the water well that leads to eternal life.
You must choose to believe He is the Son of God and that He is the only way of salvation.
You must choose to believe that He died on the cross for your sins
You must choose to believe that He is the eternal King of kings who will return with power and great glory.
IN CLOSING, FULFILLING GOD’S WORD
In closing, there is a second and very compelling reason why Jesus said, “I thirst.” And it is a very important reason for us to understand.
Not only did Jesus thirst for God, but He also thirst to completely fulfill the will and purpose of God. Listen carefully to what is said here;
John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!"
These words may seem to be a small and trivial thing, but this is huge and we cannot afford to miss it.
After everything had been accomplished; after everything had finally been fulfilled, then and only then, did Jesus said, "I thirst."
Do you see it?
It was only after Jesus knew that everything was completed according to God’s word and divine plan that Jesus said, “I thirst.” Why? Why at this moment?
Because there was still one piece of prophecy that still had to be fulfilled.
Listen carefully to the prophecy that speaks of this moment.
Psalm 22:14 I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. NKJV
That clearly describes the crucifixion. Now listen to another part from Psalm 69.
Psalm 69:21 They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. NKJV
This is the prophecy. Now look with me at John 19:29.
John 19:29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. NKJV
Jesus made sure that every single detail was fulfilled even to the smallest point. Not one single point was left out or undone.
There are two things here that clearly speaks to all of us.
First, if Jesus had a burning, driving desire to do and fulfill the will of God, how much more so should we. One of the great things that our hearts should long for and thirst for is to do the will of God in our lives.
Second, consider this, if Jesus Christ would go to such impossible limits to make sure that this one very tiny, insignificant detail is fulfilled, then how much more so will He make sure that all other prophecy will also be fulfilled, even to the smallest detail.
This is a powerful piece of evidence that speaks to the accuracy of God’s word.
There are over 300 distinct prophecies in the Old Testament regarding Jesus life, His crucifixion and His resurrection, and He fulfilled every one of them, even to the smallest detail.
So, when He said, “I thirst,” He was making sure the will of God was being fulfilled. He knew that Psalm 69:21 had not yet been fulfilled, so He said, “I thirst” so that the word of God would be proven true and accurate.
And if Jesus would go to great lengths to fulfill the smallest, and the most insignificant detail, then there is no doubt that He will fulfill all of His promises, no matter how small, including the promises He has made regarding your life and eternity.
I point this out because you can trust Jesus Christ to keep all of His promises.
You can trust Him with every detail of your life.
You can trust Him to fulfill His purpose in you, but you have to choose that for yourself.
So, in closing, I ask, what does your heart thirst for most?
Are you thirsty for God and His kingdom, or are you trying to quench the thirst of your soul with the things of this world?
Do you thirst for His purpose to be fulfilled in your life?
If you thirst for God and the things of God, Jesus promises that you will be satisfied.
Jesus says to you and to all who thirst, to come.
Today is your day to come to Jesus Christ
Let today be the day you drink from the living water that comes from Jesus Christ
