Christ’s Word of Suffering

John 19:28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I THIRST

Where Does Thirst Come From?

When God created us, He gave us something called a HYPOTHALAMUS. It’s in the center of our brain, and it constantly monitors our fluid balance, our blood concentration, and even our blood pressure. There are two types of thirst: Osmotic and Hypovolemic. Most of us have experienced the first type – Osmotic thirst. This is when you labor and overheat, you lose water through sweat, and that triggers thirst. In the Garden of Eden before Adam’s sin I do not think people ever really suffered thirst. It was only after Adam’s betrayal of God’s Covenant that the Lord told him:

(Genesis 3:17-19 NKJV) … Cursed [is] the ground for your sake; IN TOIL YOU SHALL EAT OF IT ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE. [18] Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. [19] IN THE SWEAT OF YOUR FACE YOU SHALL EAT BREAD Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you [are], And to dust you shall return.

Adam’s sin brought toil, and cursing, thorns and thistles, hard labor to cause sweat. Adam’s sin brought suffering along with sin into the world. Adam thought that God’s Word could be trifled with. Our Lord Jesus told us “Scripture – the Word of God – CANNOT BE BROKEN” (John 10:35). What God has said must come to pass. What God has promised must be fulfilled. Adam’s sin brought suffering into the world. Adam’s sin brought thirst to man. Adam’s sin brought thirst to animals. But Adam’s sin did something much more startling.

Adam’s Sin Brought Thirst To The Son Of God

The second type of thirst isHypovolemic. This occurs when the volume of the blood in your body drops to an unnatural level. That brings on a raging thirst. All three on that Hill called Calvary suffered this type of thirst that day – but only One was the Son of God.

Jesus Christ is very God of very God. He is on the same level of power and authority as our Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit. He is infinite in knowledge, so much so that only God knows Him. Jesus said:

(Matthew 11:27 NKJV) All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and NO ONE KNOWS THE SON EXCEPT THE FATHER. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and [the one] to whom the Son wills to reveal [Him].

Jesus Christ has an unimaginable bond with God. Though “Abraham was called the Friend of God” (James 2:23), Jesus is much more. Jesus is God become Perfect Man. The Bible says:

(1 Timothy 3:16 NKJV) And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: GOD WAS MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

Jesus Christ is God MANIFEST IN THE FLESH, something God NEVER did – not even in Eden.

In Eden God walked in the Garden “in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8) with Adam and Eve – but not in the flesh. Following the Fall of Adam, God “tabernacled” with Israel, His chosen people. But again, this was not in the flesh. Israel had to build first the Tent of Meeting or the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:8; 29:45; Joshua 22:19; 1 Kings 6:13), and God would appear to His people in that place alone.

But when Jesus came, this was different. Prior to the coming of Jesus, God walked in Spirit among His people. He was seen in temporary forms, in His Shekinah glory. But when Jesus came …

(Galatians 4:4-5 KJV) … GOD SENT FORTH HIS SON, MADE OF A WOMAN, made under the law, [5] TO REDEEM THEM that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

John 1:14 … And the Word was made flesh, and DWELT {skēnoō, tabernacled} among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

To redeem us, God had to become man. And God became Man, perfect Man. God did not meet us in either tent of Temple. God met us in a perfect body. Then God suffered alongside us, till the day He died on Calvary.

Jesus walked among us as fully Man and fully God. The Prophet Isaiah (9:6) described the coming Messiah as “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace”. The Prophet Micah (5:2) spoke of the coming Messiah, he said “He will rule Israel, and His going forth shall be from eternity”. Jesus came from the Father, was sent of the Father, and is equal to the Father. Jesus said,

(John 6:45-46 NKJV) It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore EVERYONE WHO HAS HEARD AND LEARNED FROM THE FATHER COMES TO ME. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, EXCEPT HE WHO IS FROM GOD; He has seen the Father.

Jesus is One with God. He is not lesser God, nor greater God. He is equal to God, for he is God Himself. He said …

(John 14:9 NKJV) … HE WHO HAS SEEN ME HAS SEEN THE FATHER; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

God came to this earth, and suffered among us. He was “born, wrapped in swaddling clothes” (Luke 2:7). Jesus was “wearied in body” (John 4:6). Jesus got hungry (Matthew 4:2). Jesus “wept” (John 11:35). And how Jesus suffered! Betrayed by His friend Judas (Psalm 41:9; Luke 22:47-48), forsaken by His disciples (Psalm 31:11; Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50), falsely accused (Psalm 35:11; Mark 14:56-57). Jesus was stripped naked, and His clothing gambled over (Psalm 22:18; John 19:23-24; Matthew 27:35). And now Jesus thirsts. The Bible says:

(Hebrews 2:17-18 NKJV) Therefore, IN ALL THINGS HE HAD TO BE MADE LIKE HIS BRETHREN , that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things [pertaining] to God, to make PROPITIATION {satisfactory payment} for the sins of the people. [18] For in that He Himself has suffered, BEING TEMPTED, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

Jesus Was Tempted As None Other Was

As Jesus suffered on that Cross, He was tempted. Jesus just passed through three hours of darkness. Last week we studied this text:

(Matthew 27:46 NKJV) And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Jesus passed through a severe spiritual conflict as He bore the punishment for our sins. We cannot imagine the pain – both physical and spiritual – that He suffered for us. And thirsting, requesting just a drop of water,

(Matthew 27:48 KJV) … one of {the soldiers} ran, and took a sponge, and FILLED IT WITH VINEGAR, and put [it] on a reed, and gave {Jesus} to drink.

This evil shows us why Jesus had to die for our sins. A man in torment is offered vinegar, but not a drop of water. Though Jesus would receive the vinegar (John 19:30), it would just be one more brick of suffering added to the Messiah’s load!

Oh, how Jesus was tempted, from the beginning of His ministry till the very end. When He began His ministry, the Bible says that “Jesus was led of the Spirit into the wilderness to be TEMPTED OF THE DEVIL” (Matthew 4:1). After 40 days and 40 nights of fasting, seeking the will of the Father, Jesus was terribly hungry. And the Devil, that old Tempter – the Serpent of Eden, fallen Lucifer, tells Jesus:

Matthew 4:3 … If thou be the Son of God, COMMAND THAT THESE STONES BE MADE BREAD.

Jesus refused to play Satan’s game. He could have turned stones to bread. In a storm our Lord commanded, “Peace! Be Still!” (Mark 4:35-41), and the wind and waves ceased. Jesus commanded the demons Legion come out of the possessed, and sent them into a herd of pigs (Mark 5:8-13). Just one word from Jesus and disease is destroyed, the devil runs away, and the dead return to the living.

Jesus Could Have Satisfied His Physical Thirst,
But He Refused Himself, And Satisfied The Will Of God

(John 19:28 KJV) After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, THAT THE SCRIPTURE MIGHT BE FULFILLED, saith, I THIRST.

When Jesus said “I THIRST”, He was suffering thirst from extreme blood loss ( Hypovolemic Thirst). He was drained to the point of death. But this was not what caused Jesus to say “I THIRST”. As Jesus reviewed every stage of the Cross, He knew that “all things were accomplished – but one”. Throughout His life on earth Jesus fulfilled every prophecy. As Jesus went to Golgotha, He fulfilled one prophecy after the next.

Jesus was hated without a cause.

John 15:24-25 (ESV) If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and HATED BOTH ME AND MY FATHER. But THE WORD WRITTEN IN THEIR LAW MUST BE FULFILLED: THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.

Jesus quoted the prophecy of

Psalm 69:4 (ESV) More in number than the hairs of my head are THOSE WHO HATE ME WITHOUT CAUSE; mighty are those who would destroy Me, those who attack Me with lies…

Jesus’ family turned away from Him. The Scripture says, “For not even His brothers believed in Him” (John 7:5), for His family said “He is out of His mind” (Mark 3:21). This was the fulfillment of

Psalm 69:8 (ESV) I have BECOME A STRANGER TO MY BROTHERS, an alien to my mother’s sons.

Every prophecy of Christ was fulfilled – but one. It was the prophecy of …

(Psalm 69:21 NKJV) They also gave Me gall for my food, And for My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink.

In order to fulfill this last prophecy – for scripture cannot be broken – Jesus said “I THIRST”. Throughout His ministry Jesus often said, “It is written”. He quoted sacred text. He cherished the Word of God. Jesus honored the words of the Holy Spirit spoken through David:

(Psalm 119:30-31, 59-60 NKJV) I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid [before Me]. [31] I cling to Your testimonies; O LORD, do not put Me to shame! … [59] I thought about My ways, And turned My feet to Your testimonies. [60] I made haste, and did not delay To keep Your commandments.

In many Churches and among many Christians today the Word of God is an add on, something to be tacked to the service if not too long, as long as all the other elements are satisfied. Jesus began His ministry by honoring the Word of God, by quoting it each time He was tempted in the wilderness of Satan, by adhering to its precepts perfectly at all times. Jesus lived out His life cherishing and obeying the Word of God. He submitted Himself to the Word of God and therefore obeyed the Will of the Father.

What Drove Jesus Was Thirst – But Not Physical Thirst

Whether you will acknowledge it or not, the cry of the world is “I thirst”. People chase after wealth, after fame, after a social media presence, after fleeting beauty. Everywhere I go, I see thirsty people. They chase after false gods, false christs, silly things. They think, “If I can change my sex, I’ll be happy”. They attempt to do so, and they are not. They think, “If I can find a significant other, I’ll be happy”. They find what the think is their “other” and aren’t happy. They want the applause of the world, but gaining it they are still unhappy.

There’s a song that captures the futility of trying to fulfill your thirst with what you find. Called 7 Years, it was sang by a Danish group called Lukas Graham. It starts out:

Once, I was seven years old, my mama told me,
“Go make yourself some friends or you’ll be lonely”
Once, I was seven years old…

As the song progresses the group talks about all the different things they sought looking for glory and joy. As the song ends they sing,

Soon, I’ll be sixty years old, will I think the world is cold
Or will I have a lot of children who can warm me?
Soon, I’ll be sixty years old…

Sadly, they find no joy, no lasting happiness. Why? It’s very simple.

God made us, and He alone can satisfy us. As David said, “My Soul THIRSTETH FOR GOD, FOR THE LIVING GOD: when shall I come and appear before God?” (Psalm 42:2)

A.W. Pink wrote, “Christ alone can quench our thirst. He alone can meet the deep needs of our hearts. He alone can impart the peace which the world knows nothing of and can neither bestow nor take away”. We thirst for God. Not the cheap imitations that the world and the prince of the power of the air can offer.

In John Chapter Four Jesus tells a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, “Give Me a drink” (John 4:7). The Bible says:

(John 4:9-11, 13-14 NKJV) Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. [10] Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and HE WOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU LIVING WATER.” [11] The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? … [13] Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, [14] “but WHOEVER DRINKS OF THE WATER THAT I SHALL GIVE HIM WILL NEVER THIRST. But the WATER THAT I SHALL GIVE HIM WILL BECOME IN HIM A FOUNTAIN OF WATER SPRINGING UP INTO EVERLASTING LIFE.

As Jesus rebuked the woman for her sins, He presented Himself as the Messiah. The woman believed Jesus, and went to Samaria, telling others,

(John 4:29 NKJV) Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?

One thing occurred to me as I studied this section of Scripture. Jesus started His conversation with the Samaritan woman with “Give Me a drink”. But the woman never gave Him a drink. And Jesus never asked again. The woman satisfied Jesus’ thirst – not by giving Him a sponge full of vinegar – but by believing on Him.

Jesus Christ thirsts even today. He is thirsty for your fellowship. Your love and faith in Him refreshes His heart. Jesus is thirsty to save you, to walk with you, to be your Lord and Savior.

When the disciples returned from Samaria with food, they offered the Master what they had gathered. Jesus told them,

(John 4:32, 34 NKJV) I have food to eat of which you do not know.” … My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

Jesus desires to save you. He desires to be a part of your life. Come to Him this very day. Satisfy your thirst – and His – by receiving Him as Lord and Savior. May God help you to do so without delay. Amen.