Fifth Saying from the Cross: A Cry of Human Suffering

"I Thirst"… John 19:28-29

The suffering of the Savior is almost over. He has been hanging on the cross now for several hours. He
cries out, "I thirst." This cry was from the human part of His being. These two words are the only time
we hear words that indicate His physical suffering.

Some will tell you, wrongly, that Jesus was not thinking clearly and this cry was of a delirious man. This
is not so. Jesus was totally aware at all times of the situation.

Matthew 27:34 records that Jesus had refused a drink of vinegar and gall offered before. This was a
concoction designed to suppress the senses and deaden the pain of the cross. Jesus refused this drink
because He wanted to be in total control.

Totally Human

John 1:14 says, "…the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us …" He would write later in 1 John
1:1 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,
which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life."

There are two sides to Christ’s nature. He was fully God as well as fully man. You may hear Him called
the God-Man. He was totally unique from all other men because man is only man and not God. By the
same measure God the Father is all God and not man. But Jesus the Christ was both God and man.

He was God from eternity past. He created the universe and set the worlds in order. He created men
and angels. He was God (Col. 1:16)

As a human, he felt hunger and pain. He was tempted and felt every emotion that you and I feel. He
had all the human senses. He tasted, touched, heard, saw, smelled as you and I. We find that Jesus
became wary (Mark 4:38) and slept.

These two words, "I thirst" are evidence of His perfect humanity. Angels do not thirst, God does not
thirst, only humans thirst.

Why did He become human? Who can understand us and our hurts more than one who has walked in
our shoes? Jesus can be touched by our grief, our pain, our heartaches. I Peter 5:7 says, "Casting all you
care upon Him, for He careth for you." Thank God He was fully human.

As we gaze upon the one on the cross, we see He was not suffering for Himself, but for you and me.
He was suffering my hell on the cross so that I would not have to.

"Exposing the Word"

"…knowing that all were now accomplished…" As we have stated before, Jesus was fully awake and
mentally aware of all that was going on around him. He was totally aware of all the things that were
prophesied about Him as Messiah. There were a great number of details given in the Old Testament
concerning Messiah. Not one of the smallest details was neglected to be fulfilled.

"…that the scripture might be fulfilled…" Jesus did not speak these words as simply idle thoughts. He
spoke them knowing that one of those by the cross, probably a Roman soldier, would give him this drink
and thus fulfilled scripture. Some have even made the absurd statement that Jesus was not the Messiah
and only understood what was foretold about what would happen and attempted to fulfill some of
these so people would think He was.

Can there be any doubt that He was indeed the Messiah, the promised redeemer of Israel? If you
understand the completeness of the prophecy and the minute accuracy with which they were fulfilled
you cannot help but realize there is no doubt.

We know well the prophecy of the virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18), the place of His birth to be
in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1) and His triumphal entry (Zech 9:9; John 12:13-14). How could
he, before birth, have brought this to pass? We see also that the thirty pieces of silver Judas got for
betraying Him was used to buy a field to bury the dead (Zech 11:12-13; Matthew 26:15-16). The
slaughter of the innocent infants associated with His birth was foretold (Jer 31:15; Matthew 2:16).

One of the most amazing things foretold was His suffering (Isaiah 50:6; Isaiah 53:1-12).

Can there be any doubt this is God’s word and that Jesus, the crucified one, was the Messiah? I think
not!

"…I thirst…" By this time, Jesus had been hanging on the cross for almost six hours. Crucifixion was
the most painful means of torture and death that man has ever devised. He had suffered great loss of
blood and His thirst must have been intense.

When we realize what had transpired in the preceding hours we see that Jesus must have suffered
from exhaustion, hunger, fatigue as well as thirst.

Just the night, before he had instituted the Lord’s Supper in the Upper Room with the disciples (Luke
22:14-20). He then went into the Garden of Gethsemane where He passed the hours in agony of prayer
just short of death (Luke 22:40-54). Remember the sweat became as drops of blood. As he came out of
the Garden, Judas betrayed Him with a kiss. He was taken then, in the middle of the night, to Caiaphas
and the High Council (Matthew 26:57-68). Then he was examined and condemned. He was held until
there morning without rest. He was then taken to Pilate who sent him to Herod (Luke 23:11) who in turn
sent Him back to Pilate where he was scourged and sentenced to death (Matthew 27:26).

Next He is taken to Calvary. On the way, carrying His cross, weak from blood loss and fatigue, He
fainted beneath the load and Simon was compelled to carry the cross for Him. They then crucified Him.
As we have stated, He had been there for several hours in the hot part of the day. Is it any wonder that
He said, "I thirst"? It showed His strength, purpose and resolve to be our Savior that He did not call
down the angels as He could have to end the suffering.
 Isn’t it ironic when we remember the conversation that Jesus had at the well with the Samaritan
woman. When she asked Him to give her a drink of the water of life, He told her, "Whosoever drinketh
of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst…"

The one who quenches the thirst of man’s soul by His suffering says, "I thirst." Have you been to the
fountain of life that Jesus offers? Is your soul dry and thirsty for refreshment? Come to the Master
today.

"…they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth." Psalm 69:21
says, "They gave me also gall for my meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink."

The smallest detail from prophecy is fulfilled. The Savior, the God-Man is close to death for us.