The Fifth Word From The Cross: Matthew

The Fifth Word From The Cross:

Matthew

Matthew 10:42, John 19:28-29, Philippians 2:3-5, Hebrews 4:15, Philippians 2:5-8,

John 7:37-38, Psalm 22:1, Psalm 22:15, Psalm 69:21, John 19:29, Mark 15:23, 1 Kings 4:29-33, Exodus 12:21-24

Brief moments in time with small things can make a large impact in a person’s life. When Jesus had the memorable moment over a cup of cold water with Matthew the tax collector and the other disciples, they never forgot it. Matthew recorded the moment in the tenth chapter of his gospel as Jesus spoke these words.

“And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42

A small word around a small act of kindness with a small cup of cold water for a small child stuck in a big way within Matthew’s mind on that day. Likewise, the fifth word Jesus spoke from the cross may not look big and significant at first glance, but it was a magnificent word.

It was just one single word in the Greek language: dipsao; two words when translated to English: “I thirst.” This word was small yet had huge significance.

In God’s Story, what seems small and insignificant at first glance may become hugely significant in the end.

Something that may seem small and insignificant at first glance, but is hugely significant during many evening routines in homes where small children reside, includes a simple Dixie Cup. This small, paper cup at times becomes the last “stall tactic” in many a child’s routine every night before bed.

After a nightly ritual and routine of baths, putting on PJ’s, brushing teeth, reading of stories, saying of prayers, getting all the stuffed animals situated and tucked in for the night, last hugs and kisses, then the remaining “stall tactic” happens just before we turn out the lights as a final phrase gets offered up: “A DRINK?”

At this time the Dixie Cup of water is presented in a concluding act of parental kindness. The little drink gets consumed as the lights go out. The drink of water seems small and insignificant at first glance but has become significant in the end of the day’s routine. At different times and seasons of life, the little things are sometimes a big thing to others.

The Fifth Word

A seemingly small and insignificant moment on the day Jesus died on the cross that turns out to be hugely significant is described in John 19:28-29

“After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A 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.” John 19:28-29

It is not hard to pass over the fifth word Jesus spoke from the cross. Did you notice it?

“I thirst.” John 19:28

After hanging on the cross from 9am-3pm, Jesus communicates that He’s thirsty. After six bad hours on what has become known as Good Friday, the Son of God needed something to drink. He had put in a full day’s work that would have eternal consequences. And God with skin and bones and muscle that was working the final moments of His mission got thirsty and wanted a drink to quench His thirst and to clear His throat.

What does it say about our Savior that it’s not until six hours into the crucifixion that He then expresses His own need?

The first word: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) That was a word to His Father in Heaven.

The second word: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43) That was a word to the thief on the cross.

The third word: “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” (John 19:26-27) Those were words to His family.

The fourth word: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) Those were words to His Father that were from a song He had memorized right out of Psalm 22.

But the fifth word: “I thirst.” (John 19:28) is when Jesus finally talks about His own physical needs.

BIG IDEA In God’s Story, what seems small and insignificant at first glance may become hugely significant in the end.

What a great model for us to follow when it comes to our needs. What would marriages, families, and friendships look like if before we express our own needs, we took time to become aware of the needs of others?

Jesus’ life challenges His followers to change and become more like Him when they see the God-Man suffering and not ignoring His needs yet waiting patiently to consider the needs of others before pushing His own to the front of the line. It helps make verses like Philippians 2:3-5 comes to life in light of the cross when Paul wrote: “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:3-5

Theology of Jesus and The cross

Jesus didn’t play the “God-card” at Calvary and divinely not experience any of the pain and physical suffering that went with the cross. Instead, God in a human body got thirsty, just like we get thirsty at times.

Hebrews 4:15 says it like this:

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15

There is a dualistic nature of our God named Jesus. That means there is a divine side of Jesus and a human side of Jesus that cannot be separated. They are two sides of the same coin which cannot be separated one from the other. They are morphed together and are of the same substance. On the cross, there was never a time when Jesus was less divine and never a time when He was less human.

The reason it is important we never lose sight of the fact that Jesus was both fully God and fully man at the same time is because some people suggest Jesus did not feel the full pain of the crucifixion when He was on the cross. Some suggest Jesus let His human part slip away in the moment as He went into full divinity mode.

NOPE! Jesus felt every bit of the cross. We do not need to help Jesus minimize His pain. He experienced it all. Paul goes on to say in that Philippians 2 passage:

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:5-8

From a physical standpoint, thirst was one of the most excruciating parts of a crucifixion. The crucifixion process caused a person to become dehydrated to the extreme due to the loss of blood and bodily fluids through the perspiration that took place. When Jesus said those fifth last words from the cross: “I’m thirsty,” it was the truth. He was so thirsty and His throat so parched. He didn’t play the divinity card to opt out of the pain and thirst. Instead, Jesus became obedient to death, even death on a cross while He remained both fully God and fully man.

His Pain means he understands us

It is encouraging that we serve a God who gets thirsty sometimes just like we get thirsty. Jesus can relate to our physical pain. At the same time, it also is encouraging to remember that Jesus offers the solution to our thirsty lives. Part of the nature and character of our God named Jesus is that He is the thirst-quenching God. Look what Jesus said about this in John 7:37-38.

“On 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. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:37-38

Jesus is the great thirst quencher for all who are thirsty today on the inside of their lives. When was the last time you took a deep drink emotionally, intellectually, relationally and spiritually? A deep drink of what Jesus offers through His words in quiet moments alone with Him in prayer is where we let the Spirit of God quench our thirsty soul.

Small actions Big Prophecy fulfillment

Look again at verse 28 and let’s walk through the words that we read a moment ago.

“After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” John 19:28

“After this…” After what? After Jesus just took care of His family and made sure His mom was taken care of and that His dear friend, John, knew what to do, the Scripture goes on to say Jesus knew something. He was aware of something. Jesus was cognizant of the fact that something had taken place. Look again at verse 28.

“After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” John 19:28

Jesus was “knowing” that all that had made Him so thirsty now was finished; He just had one more prophecy from Scripture to fulfill until it was over. He needed to voice His physical need to fulfill the Scripture by proclaiming, “I’m thirsty.”

We read concerning the fourth word of the cross last week how when Jesus said the words recorded in Matthew 27:46, those words were a direct quote from Psalm 22:1.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Psalm 22:1

Jesus not only was quoting the lyrics to that Psalm of lament, but also He was fulfilling the prophecies of that song in verse 15 when the Psalmist writes:

“My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.” Psalm 22:15

Jesus was fulfilling the Scripture of a thirsty person. Psalm 69:21 is another place in Scripture where a prophecy of Jesus concerning His thirst is fulfilled while on the cross.

“They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst, they gave me sour wine to drink.” Psalm 69:21

When Jesus said the little word: “I thirst,” (John 19:28) it was a small word with a big meaning that fulfilled a prophecy which had been said long ago and put in motion centuries before, yet with that moment on the cross in mind.

Yes, God knew the story He had been writing through the ages that led to the cross. Look back at the prophecy from Psalm 69:21 again and notice what they gave the Psalmist to drink.

“They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst, they gave me sour wine to drink.” Psalm 69:21

Remember what the Roman soldiers gave Jesus to drink at the cross when he said, “I’m thirsty.” Look back in John 19:29.

“A 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.” John 19:29

A jar full of sour wine was part of the details in which God writes His own story. Sour wine was present at the cross. Sour wine was cheap wine that soldiers commonly had with them. It was like cheap “box wine” that is for sale at the convenience store. This was the cheap stuff that gives a person a real headache and hangover the next morning.

This sour wine mentioned at the cross that Jesus is about to drink is different from the wine mentioned in Mark

15:23 that says,

“And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.” Mark 15:23

These are two different kinds of wine. Sour wine vs. wine mixed with myrrh are different. The wine mixed with myrrh that Jesus refused was a pain killer that helped deaden the pain when people were being nailed to the cross. Jesus refused that drink because He wanted to experience the full pain from the cup of wrath He was about to drink.

However, Jesus took the sour wine because it was a thirst quencher that would allow Him to clear His throat. The reason that the Roman soldiers were quick to give sour wine to those being crucified is that it delayed the dying process and caused people to suffer longer.

However, Jesus was not pulling a bedtime “stall tactic” moment here on the cross and saying: “A DRINK?” This was not a “stall tactic” to delay the dying. Jesus was asking for a drink not only to fulfill Scripture as we just looked at together but also to clear His throat for the final two words that we will look at in the coming weeks as we move toward Easter together.

Passover connection

Jesus wanted to make sure His throat was clear because the Lamb on the cross was about to roar like the Lion that He was. He wanted everybody to hear the words that were about to come out of his mouth. And He took a drink to do so.

Notice a small detail concerning what was used to give Jesus a drink. Look again in John 19:29.

“A 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.” John 19:29

They put a sponge on a hyssop branch. What’s the big deal about a hyssop branch? God, why did You inspire John to go into detail about it being a hyssop branch that was used to give Your Son a drink at the cross?

In 1 Kings 4 it talks about how great King Solomon was and mentions hyssop when it says:

“And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall.” 1 Kings 4:29-33

Cedar trees in Lebanon are big and magnificent. Hyssop that grows out of the walls in Jerusalem is small and seemingly insignificant; but not in God’s story. God has more to say about hyssop in Exodus 12 after He gave some incredibly important instructions to Moses.

“Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans and kill the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever.” Exodus 12:21-24

Hyssop was used to spread the blood of the Passover Lamb on the doorposts of the Israelites so that death would pass over those inside. At the cross, hyssop was used to give the Passover Lamb a drink so that He could clear His throat and soon declare: “IT IS FINISHED!”

A hyssop bush is something as seemingly insignificant as a Dixie Cup in the bedtime routine of life; yet, both have a huge part in God’s story.

May we always remember what Jesus said in Matthew 10:42.

“And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42

In God’s Story, what seems small and insignificant at first glance may become hugely significant in the end.

Jesus has a special place in His heart and the story He is writing for even the Dixie Cup amount of faith. In God’s Story, what seems small and insignificant at first glance may become hugely significant in the end. Your little Dixie Cup kind of life may be like hyssop in the hands of God. It may have huge ramifications in the story God is writing.

You keep being faithful with who you are and what you have.

You keep being obedient to God.

You keep your vows.

You keep doing what you are supposed to do.

You keep choosing not to cheat on your tests.

You keep paying child support.

You keep visiting your aging parents in the Alzheimer’s home and talking to them and re-introducing yourself to them each time.

You keep praying for your kids that are wandering far from God.

You keep doing the dishes because it makes her life easier.

You keep writing the “thank you” cards.

Even though you may be a seventh grader and not yet a senior, God wants to use your life in His story to have a huge impact. You keep doing what God wants you to do and not what the crowd wants you to do.

Your life is about bringing Jesus great glory and living for His name and His fame. The goal of our lives is to make Jesus famous! Never underestimate how your life may be used to make Jesus famous even in the little things you say and do. A little kind gesture such as giving a cup of cold water to a thirsty person still goes a long way in the eyes of God. Little things are still big things to God.