“Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.”A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips.” – John 19:28-29.
Judas had betrayed Him. He had been rejected by those who had supported Him. A few days before, they hailed Him with hymns and songs. They welcomed Him into Jerusalem with shouts of ‘Hosanna, blessed is the King of David, He who comes in the name of the Lord.” Now, they they turned on Him.
Jesus had been mocked, beaten, and crucified. He had endured so much: the unbearable pain of hanging, held only by hands and feet, His body stretched and racked. He was thirsty, His lips dry, His palette parched after the loss of so much blood and sweat. Jesus didn’t accept a pain-numbing drink at the beginning of His ordeal: “They offered him wine drugged with myrrh, but he refused it” (Mark 15:23). His work of dying a sacrificial death was nearly complete. Jesus feels death coming, and He is desperately thirsty. Through wet parched lips and a dry throat He says “I am thirsty.”
When John records Jesus saying “I am thirsty,” he adds “and to fulfill scripture” (John 19:28). Psalm 69:21 states “But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst.” If you reflect on Jesus’s statement, “I am thirsty,” you will naturally get around to your thirst. On a physical level, most people have felt intense thirst, maybe even like Jesus felt to a lesser degree. But on a spiritual level, your thirst is nothing like that of Jesus. The reality is we should thirst for Him, for the living water He supplies. “On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! The Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart’” (John 7:37-38). We should be thirsty for a deeper and more intimate relationship with Him. We need to remember that Jesus suffered physical thirst on the cross—and so much more—so that our thirst for Him might be satisfied.
At first reading, the record of Jesus’ thirst might seem like a minor detail in the crucifixion account. But as we’ve seen, it reveals a great deal about the One who uttered, “I am thirsty.” Jesus provided for our thirst.
Discussion Questions:
- How do you respond to Jesus’s statement, “I am thirsty”? How do you feel when you read this? What do you think?
- What does this statement suggest to you about Jesus?
- What does it suggest to you about yourself?