The Pain of Thirst
“They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” Psalm 69:21
“After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I am thirsty.’” John 19:28
Have you ever been extremely thirsty; to the point that your thirst is almost agonizing in its intensity? I have been thirsty many times before, but the agonizing thirst Jesus endured before and upon the cross is unimaginable for me.
Clarence W. Cranford writes, “It was inevitable that Jesus should thirst as he hung on the cross. The cruel treatment through which he had passed would naturally dry out the tissues of his flesh…fatiguing hours he had been forced to stand upon His feet [during His trials]…dragged off to be beaten by soldiers…forced to carry His cross…six agonizing hours He had hung upon the cross. In all that time, no moisture had passed His lips.” But, the Bible also tells us that Jesus refused several attempts to partake of a mild-sedative made up of a bitter substance mixed with a cheap-sour wine in order to deaden the pain, in order that He be fully aware of completing His mission to die for the sins of the world and for you and for me! (See John 19:30). Yes, Jesus said “I thirst!” But at the heart of His physical thirst was His thirsting for the souls of men and women, boys and girls!
Are you thirsty for God? Have you received His Son as Savior and Lord? Have you made peace with God via the cross and Christian, do you have the peace of God ruling your days? The Psalmist says, “…[the Lord] satisfies the thirsty.” (See Psalm 107:9 and prayerfully apply Psalm 63 to your heart and life).
In the Name of Jesus, the Living Water Who Always Satisfies Those Who Drink!
Pastor Louie