Your 7 Final Words - 5. I Thirst

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished,
that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said,
“I thirst!”
John 19:28

Strong’s Concordance says this of the word ‘thirst’– “Figuratively, those who are said to thirst who painfully feel their want of, and eagerly long for, those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported, strengthened.”

Keep in mind that when Jesus spoke, even when He was on the cross, He was speaking at a Kingdom level, meaning that we can’t take His words at face value, but must be able to discern what He was actually saying beyond the spoken words. Although His crucifixion caused extreme physical thirst, Jesus was not just saying that He needed a drink of water.

The death process during His crucifixion was one in which He bore all of our sins and took on all of our iniquities. Given the Strong’s literal translation of the word ‘thirst’ we can see then, that Jesus was not only declaring that His body craved liquid. He was also declaring that His soul needed to be strengthened.

In a previous chapter we talked about the soul being female while the spirit is male. So Jesus was saying that his soul – his wife, the church, the Body of Christ – needed to be refreshed, supported and strengthened. That’s you and me! He was indicating that the Body of Christ was dry, needing the true Living Water which is the Word – Jesus Himself.

Thirst is one of the strongest sensations that you can feel. Your physical body can do without food for much longer than it can do without water. It is interesting to note that when Jesus declared His thirst He was given a drink that was distasteful to Him.

Matthew 27:34 tells us that when Jesus tasted the vinegar mixed with gall He would not drink all of it. It was sour wine that the Roman soldiers were accustomed to drinking. It was a part of their culture. The soldiers gave this drink to those who were being crucified to help ease the pain. It would cause them to become delirious, much as modern day alcohol would do if a person imbibed a large quantity of it. To the Romans this was an acceptable and seemingly humane remedy. Jesus did taste (experience) what was commonly accepted by the Romans – who represent the world system, but after tasting their ‘remedy’ He rejected it.

Today the world offers its own version of ‘sour wine’. The problem is that, in accepting this ‘wine’ the soul is not changed; it’s just delirious, not knowing quite what is happening, open to all kinds of influences – and that’s a very dangerous position to be in!!

When Jesus uttered, “I thirst” He was fulfilling the Scripture as written in Psalm 69 – another prophetic psalm written by David. I encourage you to read the entire Scripture, but for this lesson we will focus on verses 19 through 21. I have taken the liberty to write in parentheses the meanings of some key words and phrases.

19 You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;
My adversaries are all before You.
20 Reproach has broken my heart,(innermost being)
And I am full of heaviness; (I am soul-sick)
I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none;
And for comforters, but I found none.
21 They also gave me gall (bitterness, poison) for my food,
And for my thirst (for my eager desire) they gave me vinegar (from root ‘to be sour, leavened, oppress, be ruthless) to drink. – Psalm 69: 19-21

Everyone who goes through the dying process will experience this. It is the pain of not having your perceived needs met by the world’s comforts. You will experience extreme thirst – an eager desire for things that have beforehand comforted your soul and the body, especially in times of stress. The world’s remedies offer temporary relief with long term consequences. As verse 21 states, your eager desire to alleviate your thirst by their standards will result in ruthless oppression. It may come in a number of ways – through an unfit relationship, a bad financial decision or some other way that temporarily satisfies your soul, but stunts your spiritual growth.

It is necessary to go through this crucifixion without anesthesia. It is the only way that the soul can be conquered and subdued.

What has been your method of relieving your pain? Is it shopping? Watching television so that you can put your mind on “idle”? Is it making yourself so indispensable and busy that you don’t have time to face the issues? Is it working out? Overeating? Oversleeping? Computer games or chat rooms? Whatever your soul’s panacea has been until now, are you willing to give it up, and continue to go through the dying process without it?

As you release this soul-dominated life you will do as Jesus did. You will taste but reject the things of this world, choosing instead to taste and see that the Lord is good. And this time when you say “I thirst” it will be an eager and intense desire for the Only One who can satisfy that longing in the deepest recesses of your being – Your Husband King, Jesus the Christ.