“I Am Thirsty”-- John 19:28-29

The saying, “No man is an island” is a reminder to us that we both have an effect on the world around us and that the world around us has an effect on us. It is also a reminder that we all need each other at one time or another.

For some people, asking for help is a difficult thing. As Americans, we hold up as stellar examples men and women who have pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps. We glorify the loner in our entertainment—man vs. the world. But the truth is, we need each other, sometimes more than other times.

In our text today, we see that even Jesus needed help.

When we think of Jesus, we think of the Son of God, giving up His rightful place in heaven to come and be a part of our world. He was born into this life, lived among us, but He stood apart. He was always in control, He always had a keen awareness of what was going on around Him, and He was always in tune with the Father. Jesus lived among us, was tempted as we are, but He was and is without sin. Surely, if there was ever a person in our world who didn’t need any human’s help, it was Jesus.

And, yet, at a critical time in His life, Jesus called for help.

Central Truth: Jesus’ thirst reminds us of His very real humanity and the needs we all have for others to help us.

Jesus’ thirst:

Was a reasonable need considering the circumstances.

The events that are recorded in this passage is near the end of Jesus’ time on the cross. The darkness that had descended upon Jerusalem at noon had now stretched out three hours, and Jesus had already called out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” We need to remember that by this late time in the betrayal and crucifixion, Jesus had already lost a lot of body fluid.

Recall that prior to the crucifixion, Jesus had been mocked and beaten. The flogging alone would cause severe fluid loss as the whip ripped skin off His back. By the time Jesus was placed on the cross, His back was raw. As part of the mocking, a purple robe had been placed over Jesus’ battered back. When they brought Him to the cross, they ripped the robe off Him. Think of what it’s like to rip a bandage off a small wound on our arm or leg. Intensify that by the pain of ripping a large piece of cloth off a wound the size of one’s back.

Add to that the crown of thorns that was beaten into Jesus’ scalp. The thorns were rather long and sharp, and when a person hit Jesus over the head while He was wearing the crown, the thorns dug deep into His scalp. The head has a lot of blood supplied to it, and it’s not unusual for the head to bleed profusely from a wound. So, just on the abuse Jesus had taken prior to being crucified, we know He had lost a lot of blood and other body fluids.

Putting Jesus on the cross would only increase the fluid loss. In order for Jesus—or anyone being crucified—to breathe, He had to raise Himself up and gasp for a breath. The raising up would rub the raw wounds of His back against the rough wood of the cross, keep the wound open and oozing out body fluid.

Knowing this, it should come as no surprise that Jesus was thirsty after having hung on the cross for six hours.

John tells us that Jesus’ words also fulfilled prophecy. A look at Psalm 69 reveals a person going through intense persecution. Verse 21 says, “They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar to drink.” The vinegar written about was a cheap, sour-tasting wine that was really only good for quenching one’s thirst. It was often found in a Roman soldier’s canteen. Water in those days was largely unpurified and not very healthy to drink. The fermentation process solved most of those problems, with the alcohol ridding the liquid of most of the bad things in it. This vinegar win was cheap, easy to make and satisfied a basic need. When Jesus said, “I am thirsty,” He was fulfilling prophecy.

The fact that it was the fulfillment of prophecy does not mean that the need was not genuine. It might be easy to read into the verse that Jesus only said it to fulfill the prophecy, that He really wasn’t thirsty. Again, it is very likely in light of all that had taken place and the probability that Jesus hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since the previous night in the upper room, that Jesus genuinely was thirsty. It is only natural and reasonable, then, that Jesus would say, “I am thirsty.”

Was made known.

Jesus said, “I am thirsty” because He wanted something to drink.

A glance at the gospel accounts in the New Testament shows us that Jesus was capable of doing all sorts of things. He could feed thousands using the elements of a small boy’s lunch. He could calm storms. He could transform water into wine. Why, then, did Jesus need to tell anyone He was thirsty? Why didn’t He just do something to satisfy His thirst?

The need was beyond Jesus’ ability to fulfill in the context of the cross. Considering that Jesus was on the cross, it was not going to be possible for Him to simply get down, get a quick drink, then put Himself back on the cross. There was no such thing as a bathroom break or a snack or coffee break while hanging on the cross. Couldn’t Jesus have levitated a wet sponge to His lips? Why would He want to?

Again, a look at Jesus’ ministry shows us that He frequently relied on the assistance of others to fulfill His signs. The woman with the discharge needed to touch Him—a demonstration of her faith. Jesus knew of her need before that, and He also knew she was the one who had touched His robe, but He still called her out. When He turned the water to wine, Jesus had others fill the tubs with water. It was not unusual for Jesus to bring in others to help Him. And, in this instance, it would not be a surprise to think that Satan was screaming in His ear, “You’re thirsty. Let Yourself down to get a drink. Everyone will then believe.” Jesus creating a last miracle while on the cross would only detract from the greatest miracle He was ever to do—paying the price for our sins that we might be redeemed by a loving God and Savior.

So Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” It’s interesting to me that Jesus simply made a statement. He didn’t ask someone to get Him something to drink. He simply said He was thirsty. He said it loud enough to be heard, and He said it so someone could respond. But it wasn’t a request.

Jesus was thirsty, by this time badly dehydrated, and He let those around Him know of His need at this time. In doing so, I think Jesus is also telling us that He knows He is near the end of the ordeal. Jesus had asked God to let the cup pass from Him if at all possible. Now, Jesus is seeming to say that He had drunk the full measure of the cup, and now He needed another cupful of a different liquid. Jesus for the first and only time on the cross speaks of His own need. He is not forgiving others, He is not assuring someone of salvation, nor is He looking after His mother’s wellbeing. He has endured the agony of momentary separation from the Father. Now, He speaks of a very real and very simple personal need: “I am thirsty.”

Was satisfied by an unknown person.

It’s probable that Jesus expected someone to offer to satisfy His need. The Bible tells us only that someone at the foot of the cross moistened a sponge, placed it on a hyssop stick and raised it to Jesus’ lips. All four gospels record this event. In Mark’s gospel account, it was in conjunction with the “My God, My God” statement, and the person who gave Jesus the drink then waited to see if Elijah was going to come and rescue Him.

It’s possible the person who gave Jesus the drink was one of His followers. It’s also possible that it could have been a Roman soldier. We really don’t know who did give Jesus the drink of vinegar wine. We only know that someone did that, and the moistened lips allowed Jesus to make two more statements from the cross.

As Jesus was first being nailed to the cross, He was offered a drink of wine mixed with myrrh. Such a drink was designed more to ease the suffering that came with crucifixion. It was a deadening agent that acted as a sort of anesthesia. When offered this drink, Jesus refused it. He wanted and needed His full faculties to face the cross. But now that it is nearing its end, Jesus is ready to drink something, and this drink is simply a cheap wine vinegar that did exactly what it was meant to do. It allowed Jesus to moisten His mouth and find some comfort in the liquid He swallowed.

Conclusion

In Jesus’ words, we are reminded that He was a real person. Only a real person would become thirsty, only a real person would make the thirst known to others. When we consider the cross and the horror of it all, it is wise for us to remember that Jesus, though fully God, was also fully human. His suffering was genuine, His needs real.

Knowing the power and the majesty of Jesus, it is also important for us to realize that we often need help from others to make our lives work. There are times we need something to drink, and we are grateful for the person who offers us a cup of water. There are times we need directions, and, before the days of GPS and Siri, it was often the smart thing to find someone to give directions.

Just as we have physical needs, so, too, do we have spiritual needs, and we find that satisfied ultimately only through the ministry of Jesus. We go through trials, so we ask for prayers of others, trusting Jesus to hear and answer the prayers. Jesus tells us in the Beatitudes that we are blessed if we hunger and thirst for righteousness, because we shall be satisfied. The psalmist writes, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Psalm 42:1-2a).

The needs of the body can be met by just about anyone. But the needs of the spirit can only be met by the saving God that sent His Son to die on a cross for us.

Are you thirsty? Come to Jesus and have your thirst quenched.