Last Seven Words - (5th Word ) - John 19:28 - Lest We Forget (The God Who Got Thirsty)

Scripture John 19:28

John 19:28 “After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.””

Prayer

Sermon Title: Lest We Forget (The God Who Got Thirsty)

Lest We Forget (The God Who Got Thirsty)

1. The Narrative Introduction

(Setting the Theme: The Humanity of the Holy)

Church, we have spent so much time polishing the divinity of Jesus that we have accidentally scrubbed away His humanity. We love to talk about the Jesus who walks on water, but we get uncomfortable with the Jesus who needs a drink of it. We worship the Jesus who multiplies the fish, but we overlook the Jesus whose own stomach growled with hunger.

But here in the Fifth Word, the "God-Talk" stops and the "Man-Talk" begins. He utters one solitary, parched word in the Greek: Dipsō. "I thirst."

It’s a gritty word. It’s a dusty word. It’s a "Blue-Collar" word. And I want to preach from the thought: Lest We Forget. Because if we forget that He was human, we forget that He didn't just "perform" the Cross—He "endured" it. He didn't use His God-powers to bypass the pain; He used His human heart to break for yours. He became the God who got thirsty so that you and I could finally have our fill.

2. The Exegetical Foundation (The "Then and There")

(Deepened Context: The Thirst of the Representative)

Now, let’s go deeper into the "Then and There." By the time we get to Verse 28, Jesus has been hanging for six hours. He has been flogged until His back is a map of misery. He has bled from His head, His hands, and His feet. Physically speaking, His body is in "Hypovolemic Shock." His blood pressure has plummeted, His heart is racing to keep up, and the first sign of a body shutting down is a localized, raging fire in the throat.

But look at the "Folksy Formalism" of the text. John, the eagle-eyed Apostle, adds a little "Insider Information." He says Jesus said this “to fulfill the Scripture.” You see, Jesus wasn't just complaining about His throat; He was completing His "To-Do List."

Lest We Forget, there is a "Prequel" to this thirst. To understand why the Savior is dry, you have to remember when Israel was dry in the wilderness. In Exodus 17, the people were dying of thirst, and God told Moses to take his staff and strike the Rock. When the rock was struck, the water flowed. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10 that "the Rock was Christ." On Golgotha, the staff of Roman Law is striking the Rock of Ages. The "Thirst" of Jesus is the evidence that the Rock is being struck for the sins of the people. He is the Second Adam fixing what the first one broke. The First Adam was in a lush garden, surrounded by rivers, and he thirsted for the one thing he couldn't have. But the Second Adam is on a dry hill, surrounded by desert, thirsting for the very people who hate Him. He is the "Representative Man." He stood in the "Dry Gap" of human history and said, "I’ll take the drought of the Law so they can have the rain of the Spirit."

And don't miss the detail of the Hyssop branch. John notes they put the sponge on hyssop. Why? Because Lest We Forget, hyssop was the same branch used in Egypt to smear the blood of the lamb on the doorposts. It’s the same branch used in the Temple for purification. Every detail in this "Then and There" is shouting that the Lamb is being prepared! He is thirsty so that the "Blood and Water" can eventually flow for our cleansing.

3. The Body: The Unbroken Stream

(Moving from Physical Need to Spiritual Provision)

I. The Divinity of Discomfort

We serve a God who isn't allergic to our "Humanity." Sometimes we feel like we have to be "Super-Saints" to talk to God. We think we can't come to Him unless we have our "Church Face" on. But Lest We Forget, Jesus knows what it’s like to have a "Human Need."

He knows what it’s like to have a dry throat and a heavy heart. He knows what it’s like to be at the end of His rope. The "I Thirst" of Jesus is the "Permission Slip" for your prayer life. It means you can go to Him and say, "Lord, I’m tired. Lord, I’m empty. Lord, I’m thirsty." He doesn't look at your "Humanity" as a hindrance; He looks at it as a "Handshake"—because He’s been there Himself!

II. The Vinegar Exchange

Now, watch the irony... The Creator of the Atlantic Ocean asks for a drink, and the world offers Him vinegar on a sponge. That’s the "Folksy" reality of sin: we offer God our "Souring Bitterness" and He offers us His "Saving Blood."

He took the vinegar—the sharp, acidic result of "Fermented Rebellion"—and He drank it to the dregs. Why? Lest We Forget that the "Bitter Cup" was originally ours to drink. He swapped the "Sponge of Suffering" for the "Spring of Salvation." He became a "Dry Well" on the Cross so that we could become "Overflowing Fountains" in the Kingdom.

III. The End of the Cravings

I’m closing in on the goal now... but I want you to see that because He thirsted, your "Thirsting Days" are over. We spend our lives trying to quench our souls with "Salty Water." We drink from the well of "Success," and we’re still thirsty. We drink from the well of "Relationships," and we’re still dry.

But Jesus stood on that hill and exhausted the thirst of death. He sucked the "Dryness" out of the Grave. Lest We Forget, the reason you are "Restless" is because you were made for "River Water," not "Rainwater." And Jesus said "I Thirst" so He could provide the "Living Water" that never runs dry.

4. The Celebratory Close (The Gospel Victory)

(The "Whoop" / Rhythmic Cadence)

I’m going to my seat now...

But I’m so glad that He was Human enough to Hurt! But He was God enough to Heal! He was Human enough to Thirst! But He was God enough to be the Fountain! Lest We Forget... He stayed there until the "Parched Earth" of our souls was irrigated with Grace!

He stayed there until the "Dehydrated Law" was satisfied with Mercy!

He stayed there until the "Desert of Death" was turned into a "Garden of Life!"

He died... Oh, He died!

He died until the "Clouds" refused to rain!

He died until the "Rock of Ages" was struck one more time!

He died until the "Thirst of the World" was placed on His shoulders!

But early...

I said Early! Early Sunday Morning...

The God who got thirsty... Got Up! The God who needed a drink... Got Up! The God who felt our dust... Got Up! And now He’s sitting on the throne!

And He’s not thirsty anymore!

He’s the River! He’s the Rain! He’s the Refreshing! Is there anyone here who’s been to the well?

Is there anyone here who’s tasted of the Lord?

He’s good!

He’s sweet!

He’s water in a dry place!

Lest We Forget...

The debt is paid!

The thirst is quenched!

I’ll never thirst again!

AMEN!