I Thirst (2)

Address the House

Pastor H. Patrick Cason and First Lady Latora Cason

Krystle, Jace, and Jaxon

Greetings from FBC Berkley

John 19:28

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

I start by posing this question. Have you ever been thirsty? Have you ever been in a position where you were given one option for hydration? Have you ever been detached from a known source of hydration? Have you ever reached for something to satisfy your thirst only to realize it didn’t really help? Have you ever been dehydrated and didn’t realize it until your body started showing signs?  If you find yourself sitting with these questions, and your answer is yes. I am sure that you were not as thirsty as Jesus was on the cross.

Jesus, who had not had anything to eat or drink for 18 hours. Jesus, who had been through hours of prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, even in there, losing hydration as the Bible states, “his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” Meaning that every sweat gland had been drained from his body, and now the only thing left of substance was the blood.

Jesus, who is bloody, bruised, and beaten, carrying his cross down Golgotha to Calvary, his body losing fluid for hours and even after all of that, he found the strength to say, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” “Woman, behold your son… behold your mother.” My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” “Today you will be with me in paradise.”  And now he says, “I thirst.” Indicating that he was taking care of others’ needs before taking care of his own. Sending words of comfort and clarity to those seeing him from the cross. That ought to be a lesson for some of us in here, that when I am going through, let me put my stuff aside to pray for someone. When I have my problems and frustrations, let me lift someone else’s name up to the Father. When I am not feeling my best, let show signs of gratitude because it could’ve been another way.

Theologians inform us that the saying “I thirst” connects the practical and spiritual. In John’s gospel, he believes that Jesus cannot say that God has left him because God is always with him and in him, but by saying “I thirst,” he interprets it as his longing for God to reconnect with him in spirit, just like he was before this humanistic redemptive journey. All while understanding the physical torment is light work compared to not being connected to God. Saying “I thirst”, Jesus knew that saying this would grab the attention of all who listen then and certainly who is listening now!

So, I ask you again, have you ever been thirsty?  Have you ever been in a position where you were given one option for hydration? Have you ever been detached from a known source of hydration? Have you ever been disconnected from God so much so that you thirst for him and long for him? Have you had a moment where your thirst could only be quenched by the only being that can quench a spiritual thirst? Have you ever need someone to Give you a drink?

Here it is, Jesus, on the cross, understanding everything that has been completed, everything that has been said about him in the past, present, and what will be said about him in the future, took a moment and remembered the prophecy in Psalms 69:21, “They gave me also gall for my food and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” If Jesus did not fulfill the prophecy, he would’ve been a false prophet, and we know that TILL THIS DAY is a Man that Cannot lie! That cannot sin! That cannot sit on prophecy! But you know what he can do, he can Thirst!

Reading further, you see 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.”

Imagine your last drink being sour wine from a branch. But here it is, the branch connected to the vinegar was a hyssop. The hyssop was known as a holy herb, also known as a painkiller, but my question is, how do you give a painkiller to THEE Painkiller? Jesus, the one who you give your depression to and he gives you joy. The one who you give your disruption to and he gives you peace. The one to whom you give your pain, and he heals you. We bring him brokenness and he offers restoration. At this point, Jesus got a taste of his own medicine. He felt the relief that everyone who truly followed him felt. He absorbed the agony so that we could experience healing. He carried the sorrow so that we could receive joy. He endured the suffering so that we can walk in peace.

We have Jesus on the cross! With soldiers at his feet, looking at him! And Jesus saids “I Thirst.” Now, the soldiers at his feet probably heard “give me something to drink.” Because just like us, sometimes what was said is not always what you hear!

The soldiers on the ground had to interpret “I thirst” to “give me something to drink”. Simply the humanistic side of Jesus had to come at some point. The shoulders at some point saw anguish, the pain, the struggles from the cross and when Jesus said “I thirst…” they were probably in shocked. Did this man really ask for something to drink? Even following the orders from higher ups they still met the need  and help fulfill the prophecy.

Here it is, sometimes you need help from a stranger or unlikely source to reach your destiny. Grab ya neighbor and say would give me something to drink? Would you give me something to drink when I’m in depressed? Would give me something to drink while I’m down? Would give me something to drink when I’m empty?

See… some of y’all think I’m talking about the sour wine but I’m talking about the living water from a well that never runs dry. Nahhh, living water that helps speak to devil and he flees, living water that helps you breathe, living water that gives you strength, living water that helps you deal with those co workers, living water that will be with all the way to ends of the earth, living water that you give your neighbor in a time in need, that living water is Jesus!

If Jesus, can say with his one of his lasts breath “I thirst…” I’m sure with the current breath in your lungs you can say “give me something to drink…”