As we continue to meditate on Jesus' statements from the cross, today we look at just two words: "I thirst" (John 19:28, ESV).
Jesus was thirsting for the presence and fellowship of God the Father during the separation of the cross.
After enduring unimaginable stress through three days of imprisonment, trials, floggings, and crucifixion, the Son of God—who made the waters of the world—experienced extreme dehydration and thirst. In this moment, Jesus fulfilled another prophecy found in Psalm 69:21: "They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst." John 19:29 records that when Jesus said He was thirsty, He was offered a sponge full of sour wine on a hyssop branch held to His mouth.
Still, there is a deeper meaning to His thirst. Psalm 42:1-2 says, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" Jesus' cry echoed that of the psalmist; He was thirsting for the presence and fellowship of God the Father during the separation of the cross. No amount of water could quench that thirst.
Prayer: Lord, help me to be able to say with the psalmist, "My soul pants for you, my God." May I have that deep desire for Your presence and for fellowship with You. Thank You that You experienced unimaginable thirst so that I could partake of Your living water. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
"They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst" (Psalm 69:21).
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