Thirst
“Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:28-30)
We all have basic human needs—for food, water, clothing, shelter, and sleep. Since supper the evening before, there is no record that Jesus has had any of these needs met. By the time He is hanging on the cross, He has likely been awake for over 24 hours. He has been stripped of His clothing and left exposed to the elements, in a season when the typical daytime temperatures hover around seventy degrees. His body, at first sweaty from the exertion of carrying the cross to the execution site, would have quickly gotten chilled when He was no longer moving.
Jesus was offered a drink of wine mixed with myrrh prior to the crucifixion, but He had refused to drink it. Now on the brink of death, He says that He is thirsty. It seems like such a cruel addition to His suffering. There are few human experiences more desperate and panic-inducing than thirst. And how thirsty Jesus must be. Since the last time He drank anything, His body has been through the unimaginable. Sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane. Dripping blood from the blows and lashes. Panting through the physical exertion of dragging the cross up the hill to Golgotha.
Yet, His soul went through far worse—frantically seeking the loving embrace of His Father and finding only judgment.
Jesus—The Living Water—suffered this terrible thirst so that we will never have to.
