The Divine Thirst
This was the title given to last week’s Lent Course bible study based on words from John 19:28 ‘Later, knowing that all was now completed……….Jesus said, “I am thirsty”.’
Here are the study notes:
Bible Readings
The Last Agony
Here is our Lord’s fifth statement on the cross. He had not had anything to drink for hours, His body was dehydrating fast and the boiling temperature was taking its toll. This has been described as ‘the last agony’. It was the final travail of His soul.
Divine accomplishment: ‘…knowing that all was now completed…‘ Having experienced the torment of hell, separation from HIS Father, the weight of sin and the defeat of the devil, His work of redemption was completed. He had become the sacrificial lamb, the sin offering given up once and for all.
Human thirst: ‘…I am thirsty …’ In this statement Jesus was fulfilling the prophetic insight of the psalmist David in Psalm 69:21 as a reed or stalk of a hyssop with a sponge that had been dipped into a jar of posca was offered up to Him. This was the ordinary drink of the legionaries, and was made of sour wine vinegar, water and beaten eggs. The dripping sponge was lifted to the parched lips of the Messiah. Here Jesus gave expression to the most basic human need. Earlier in the day He had refused the drink of a stupefying potion that was intended to dull and deaden the senses to the excruciating pain of crucifixion. Though the offer had been well-intentioned He had not wanted to lessen the impact of the supreme sacrifice that He was making. Now, some hours later, experiencing the intensity of the arid dryness of His mouth and throat and the continuing effects of dehydration, He declares His need of refreshment to strengthen Him for the great and final act of giving up His soul into the hands of God.
One of the things that we take for granted in the western world today is the accessibility of fresh, clean, pure water on tap and, more recently spring water in bottles. How tragic that there are countries in the world in this day and age that suffer from great shortages of running water for their daily needs. Jesus said on one occasion, ‘And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward’ (Matt.10:42).
Spiritual thirst: ‘Will you give me a drink?’ (John 4:7). This was another occasion when Jesus was thirsty and asked for a drink. It was during the heat of the day when He stopped at Jacob’s well and met a woman drawing water from it. He engaged her in conversation with His request and said that if she would ask of Him He would give her living water. ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life’ (John 4:13-14).
The Bible speaks a lot about spiritual thirst. The psalmist said, ‘As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul thirsts for God, for the living God’ (Psa. 42:1-2); ‘I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land’ (Psa. 143:6). The psalmist identifies something much deeper than physical thirst; it is the deep thirst in our souls for God Himself. Isaiah responds to it with the words, ‘Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters’ (Isa. 55:1).
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him’ (John 7: 37-38)
When we do not drink deeply of the living water that comes from Christ we will look for other sources of satisfaction to slake the deep thirsts of our souls. If God does not satisfy our souls then we will find something or someone else who we think will. The woman at the well had already tried five husbands and was on a sixth relationship, but it wasn’t until she met Jesus that she declared, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?’ and those who went and heard His words declared ‘…we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Saviour of the world’ (John 4:29, 42).
Isaiah says this; ‘”Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation’ (Isa. 12: 2-3).
Final thoughts
God never condemns us or berates us for being thirsty, but He does call us to task for not drinking deeply from His eternal supply. This is what He said of the children of Israel; ‘My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water’ (Jer. 2:13). Jesus suffered thirst on the cross so that the fountain of life could be opened for us to drink freely, deeply and continually at His constant supply. Jesus Himself confirms that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled (Matt. 5:6).
Further References