“I Thirst”
Read John 19:28-30
Imagine the Water of Life, saying, “I am thirsty.” The one who riled the religious leaders by claiming, “before Abraham was, I AM” now says I AM THIRSTY. We don’t wonder why He would say it. Crucifixion is a long slow process of dehydration. It started in the garden where He sweats like great drops of blood. His body continues to lose fluids as He is flogged and then as He tries to carry His cross up the hill called Golgotha. Finally, He has hung on the cross, without anything to drink, for six grueling hours. Of course, He is thirsty.
But why say it now, after all this time? In a few moments, He will be dead. What does it matter? After all He’s gone through – soon His suffering will end. He will be in Paradise with the thief who is dying beside Him. Why ask for a drink at the very end? John tells us, “to fulfill scripture.”
Verse 28 says, “After this, Jesus knowing…” That word means to have seen or perceived, to be aware of realizing. Despite all that He had endured, He was aware of what was happening around Him. It was as if He was checking things off a mental checklist. He wanted to be sure He had been faithful to complete the ministry God had assigned Him.
Every important detail of this great tragedy had been written down beforehand.
Read Psalm 22. It tells of His being forsaken by God (Ps. 22:1), the taunts of non-deliverance (Ps. 22:7-8), the great thirst (Ps. 22:14-15), His being Crucified (Ps. 22:16), even the gambling for His garments (Ps 22:18).
Read Isaiah 53. It tells of His silence before his judges (Isa. 53:7), His being proven guiltless (Isa. 53:9), the numbering of Him with the transgressors (Isa. 53:12), His prayer for his enemies (Isa. 53:12).
There are others; the betrayal by a familiar friend (Ps. 41:9), the forsaking of the disciples through being offended at Him (Ps. 31:11), false accusation (Ps. 35:11), the mockery of the spectators (Ps. 109:25).
He was aware of one further detail. It wasn’t that He hadn’t said, “I thirst.” It is not prophesied anywhere that He would say that word—that word, which, by the way, is simply four letters in Greek. No, what needed to be fulfilled was not in verse 28, but in verse 29. Yes, Psalm 22 did predict He would be thirsty, but that was already fulfilled. He was obviously thirsty. He didn’t have to say it. So why did He state the obvious? Thus the actions in vs. 29 would transpire.
Psalm 69:21 “They also gave me gall for my food and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”
The Lord, realizing that the end was very near, knew there was yet one prophecy unfulfilled. When it was accomplished, then He could cry out, “It is finished!” He didn’t say, “I thirst” so that His thirst would be satisfied. He said it so that Scripture would be satisfied. Jesus became thirsty so that we would not have to. Jesus experienced Hell on the Cross. In Luke 16, the rich man is in hell. In his torment, he had but one request. Please, someone, quench this thirst—just a drop of water from your finger. I am thirsty. Jesus became thirsty so that we would not have to.
Rev. 22:17 “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”