John 19:28-29. 28After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.
There are seven recorded sayings of Christ from the cross. Each of them is deeply meaningful and profound in their salvation implications. Christ pleads for the forgiveness of his enemies as the divine Son of God, and he cries out in his forsakenness as the perfect, sinless, man. Soon he will declare the atoning work of God to be complete, and he will commit his own spirit to God in faith. Everything Jesus said from the cross is a universe exploding, theological edict.
But what about this one? I thirst? Why does John record this? It seems so obvious. Of course Jesus was thirsty. If you’ve ever been with a dying person then you know how thirsty they can be in their last moments.
In the midst of the powerful proclamations of Christ from the cross, comes two words that demonstrate his weakness, his vulnerability, his humanity more than any others. The man that stood up in the Temple courts declaring himself to be the Living Water, inviting all who thirst to come to him and drink, now finds himself nailed to a cross needing a sip of water from his torturers. And we are reminded again that the Creator has given himself over to the control of the created as they will mockingly offer him only sour wine on a hyssop branch.
John is not just recording the desperate gasp of a dying man. In fact, if we look closely at what Jesus said, I thirst, we see that he is not asking for anything. He is making a declaration. Stating a fact. John tells us this was to fulfill prophecy. Prophecy?
Psalm 69:16-21. 16Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me. 17Hide not your face from your servant, for I am in distress; make haste to answer me. 18Draw near to my soul, redeem me; ransom me because of my enemies! 19You know my reproach, and my shame and my dishonor; my foes are all known to you. 20Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. 21They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.
John also tells us that Jesus said, I thirst, because he knew that all was now finished. Jesus has taken all the distress, all the reproach, al the shame and dishonor that the Psalmist foresaw, and he has one last thing to do…drink the literal cup of sour wine from a hyssop branch.
In this cup there is still more than meets the eye. The sour wine that was offered to Christ was made by mixing wine vinegar and yeast and then letting it ferment. Yeast is often symbolic of sin (especially at Passover). Notice too that Jesus was offered this drink from a hyssop branch, the same branch used on Passover night to paint the blood of the lamb onto the doorposts. Jesus receives the sour wine. He receives our sin. His blood has been shed onto the “doorposts” of the cross. Prophecy has been fulfilled. Now he can say, “It is finished.”
Yes, in Jesus saying I thirst we see his humanity, his humility, his weakness, but we also see his victory, his glory, his power made perfect in weakness. There was never a moment on that cross where Jesus was not doing exactly what he wanted to do. He stayed on that cross to the bitter end. He didn’t beg for water just because he was thirsty; he took the sour wine because he was our Savior. The Fountain of Living Water chose to dry up so that we might never thirst again.
And yet thirst we do. Day by day we desperately seek to quench our thirst with the sin filled “sour wine” of the world. The world’s system of self-righteousness, and fulfillment through pleasure, performance, and prosperity. All while Jesus stands ready to quench every thirsty soul that will come to him with the life of the Holy Spirit poured into us.
John 7:37-39. 37On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Now we can see what both the cross and resurrection have accomplished. By his death, Jesus took every shred of hopelessness and despair, every thirst of the soul that leads to our sinful mockery of God, and he cancelled them with his eternal life. And by his resurrected life, Christ has poured into us his own satisfied soul by the indwelling Holy Spirit of love.
In Christ, when we thirst, and we will thirst, there is always immediate relief. The soul quenching water of Jesus’ love and mercy flowing in us as a stream of living water. We never have to go more than a minute wondering where our satisfaction will come from – it comes from our union with Christ and his glory.
Now, may we share this Water with all who thirst for more. More than this world can offer. More than yeast filled sour wine – yuck! More grace. More love. More acceptance. More of Jesus.
You: What soul thirsts can you identify in your life today?
You in Christ: How have you found Jesus to be more satisfying than the sour wine of the world?
Christ in you: How might you share the living water of Jesus with others this week?
Prayer: Father, I too thirst. My soul needs satisfying. May Jesus be my living water today and every day. Amen.
To Live is Christ 