Read John 19:28.
Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”
Jesus hung on that wooden beam, struggling for breath. He knew the end was near and he cried out in physical agony, “I thirst.”
Why?
There could perhaps be deep theological reasons. Maybe he was referring to his soul’s yearning for people come into the kingdom.
I think, though, at this point, he was just crying out with parched lips and expressing his humanity. Yes, he was fully God. But, he was also fully man. He bore the torture in his flesh. He suffered as a human in order to free all humanity.
He who is the Living Water now expresses his desperate thirst.
Jesus accepts his need for a drink. He lays down his right to be invulnerable in order to reach a hurting humanity.
Bringing It Home
Am I acting like I have it all together? Do I realize that being vulnerable doesn’t make me weak? Do I go to the spring of Living Water in order to pour into the lives of others?
Lean In
Jesus, I stand in awe of you even as I remember just how vulnerable you became for my sake. That you – the Living Water – would express your thirst in order that I may identify more fully with you. You suffered as a man. You experienced every blow, every lash, every nail as a man. I fall down in awe. Amen.
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