On this last Sunday before Palm Sunday and the Passion Week that it ushers in, Pastor Jim spoke on Jesus’ 5th “Word” from the cross: “I Thirst.” This continues the seven part series which will end on Good Friday.
Click the below “Play” button to begin listening to the recording (from the 11:00 service), then scroll down and follow along…
The scripture was from Matthew 5:6 and John 19:28-30. Open the below Drop Down box to read this morning’s text (from the New King James version)…
Scripture Reading
Matt 5:6
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
John 19:28-30
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.
30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
Under the Hot Sun on Mr. Chant’s Farm…
How do you quench your thirst? Working during the summer during those hot days back in the 1990s (Pastor Jim’s childhood…), the best thing ever was the ice cold water from the well! Nothing quenches physical thirst like cold water.
But what about “spiritual thirst?” What if you’re really feeling low? What if you feel out of place, rejected by friends? What if it seems that nothing is going right? How do you quench THAT thirst???
Living Water…
In John chapter 4, Jesus has a conversation with a Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus opens the conversation by asking her for a drink. He then uses the opportunity to share that He can give her “Living Water”- that He can give her the fulfilling joyful life she was intended to live.
But in John chapter 19, Jesus is hanging on the cross. The source of Living Water is parched, and He cries out “I am thirsty.”
What’s going on here?!?
These words seem strangely out of place among the more dramatic statements He made from the cross. Why, “I Thirst”???
On one level, He’s purposely fulfilling prophecies from scripture. John 19:28 makes this clear:
After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”
So Jesus is saying “I Thirst” to fulfill passages such as….
| Psalm 22:15 | My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. |
| Psalm 69:21 | They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. |
Bu there are a few things we can learn from this statement…
Lessons on the Physical Level…
A little Christianity 101 for a minute… Jesus was fully human AND He was fully God. That means He possessed a human nature just like you and I. Here on the cross, the reality of that humanity and divine have a real tension point as He suffers severely on the cross.
1 Peter 4:1-2
So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.
It’s not strange that He thirsted; He was also thirsty as He traveled through Samaria. He was tired from the journey and asked the woman for a drink (John 4:7). So is it any wonder, that at the end of His life- after being flogged half to death and nailed to the cross for hours- that He should say “I Thirst.”
Jesus was fully human! He has experienced it too!
To learn more about how we are helping provide water around the globe through our Shared Ministries, click this button:
In John 7:37-38, Jesus declares:
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! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.'” NLT
And yet, tragically, ironically- the Fountain of quenching thirsts is Himself thirsty. The Source of life is dying and drying up. God came to earth to offer living eternal water to humankind, but humanity chose to destroy the Spring of Heaven. Here on the cross, sinful humanity was getting its way by watching the water of life drying up.
BUT- O thanks be to God; Sunday was coming and the water would flow once again!
Lessons on the Spiritual Level…
This scene takes us back to Jeremiah 2:12-13 which says: (quotation from The Message)
“Stand in shock, heavens, at what you see!
Throw up your hands in disbelief — this can’t be!”
GOD’s Decree.“My people have committed a compound sin:
they’ve walked out on me, the fountain
Of fresh flowing waters, and then dug cisterns —
cisterns that leak, cisterns that are no better than sieves.
Our Old Testament ancestors walked away from God, choosing (as Adam Hamilton writes) to “instead to drink muddy runoff water, building cisterns to catch and drink it; yet even this could not satisfy.”
Through Jesus’ words, God shows that the way they have chosen cannot work. The people chose to find their own way and to fill their spiritually parched souls with water which could not satisfy.
So, when Jesus said, “I Thirst” He was telling us, “OK. Try it your way and look at what it leads to! ONLY by coming to the True Well which will never run dry can you find satisfaction, fulfillment, and refreshment.”
Our way doesn’t work! It might seem right, but it leads to death. It leads to the constant thirst of always worrying or living in fear and regret. Instead we need to always look for an encounter with God. Arguing about “churchy things” is wallowing in “our way.” Elvis and Frank Sinatra got it wrong! Instead of fighting for our way, we need to step back and look for God’s source of Living Water. If we look for God, He will reach out to us.
Thirsting for a Cool Car (with an FM converter)!!!
It was March 1977. I was a student at Burlington County College.
- I had a job.
- I was a fireman.
- I was an EMT
- I was wearing multi-colored bell bottoms!
- I had a gold butterfly necklace
- I had long bushy hair
I was living the dream! I was doing it My Way!!!
Then that Gold Camaro came into my life! I thought I had it made before I saw that car on the lot, but… that Gold Camaro! My Baby!!!
But it wasn’t long before that Gold Camaro stopped satisfying. It needed more. I needed more: an FM converter (AM wasn’t good enough anymore), Shag Carpeting (everyone else had it).
Eventually, we discover we want more and more and that nothing really satisfies. When we try to meet our thirsts with our own desires, we soon discover that what we’re really doing is running from God’s call on our lives. We’re trying to replace God with all of those things, thinking that they will build relationships, influence people, and make us happy. It may work for a moment, but Our Way can never refresh the dryness that’s deep inside.
How about you? What’s your “Camaro?” What are you thirsting for? What are you pouring your life into?
On this 5th Sunday of Lent, Jesus offers refreshment for our parched, thirsty souls. He offers to all who are truly thirsting For God to fill our cup and quench this thirsting of our souls.
Jesus says I am thirsty. What are you thirsting for?
Quiz Time!
As you reflect on what you’ve just heard/read, give this quiz a try. If you don’t understand an answer (or if you disagree with the “correct” answer, post a comment)…
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An amazing recap and presentation by the web team! Thanks for spreading the Word!