FIFTH WEDNESDAY IN LENT

Sermon Series:  The Seven Words of Christ

The Fifth Word:  "I Thirst”

John 19:28

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God, our Father, and the Lord, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Tonight, we continue the Lenten Sermon series on the Seven Words of Christ, which are the seven statements He made from the cross.  The Fifth Word is "I Thirst.”  I pray that this sermon series will be a blessing to you this Lenten season, bringing you ever closer to your Savior.  As we prepare to receive this word from the Lord, let us take a moment to pray:

Heavenly Father, be with us tonight and throughout this Lententide, and fill us with Your Holy Spirit who always points us away from ourselves and to the cross of Your Son, our Lord, where our salvation was won.  Speak to us through the preached Word, that we may hear the last words Your Son spoke as He completed His Passion on the cross, so that we may be drawn ever more closer to Him who died for us.  Grant this for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.  In His Name.  Amen.

The Fifth Word our Savior utters from the cross is the shortest of His seven statements, but is deeply profound - "I thirst,” He says. 

Certainly, Jesus is experiencing physical thirst at this point.   After the agonizing night in the Garden of Gethsemane where His sweat became drops of blood, the beatings and severe scourging He received, the crown of thorns being forced upon His scalp, the arduous task of carrying His cross through Jerusalem and up the hill of Golgotha, the nails piercing His hands and feet, the six hours of pain and agony on the cross - after all this brutality; after all the blood loss - Jesus is experiencing exhaustion and physical dehydration.  His body is screaming out loudly that it's in need of water. 

However, it's not enough to hear this Fifth Word of our Savior and conclude that He's simply physically thirsty.  That's not why the Holy Spirit inspired St. John to record this in His Gospel account.  Obviously, a Man suffering as Jesus has would be physically thirsty.  But, Jesus' thirst is not only physical, but spiritual, and that's the important thing to learn as we confront this Fifth Word from the cross. 

Jesus is suffering spiritual thirst as He takes the place of all sinners on the cross.  Like the Fourth Word, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” this Fifth Word, "I thirst,” comes from our Savior as He's experiencing the Father's anger and wrath; as He's experiencing eternal torment in Hell for the sins of the world. 

St. John makes it clear that more than Jesus' physical thirst is in view here.  He says that Jesus utters this Fifth Word knowing that all was now completed and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.  Earlier in this Service, we read Psalm 69 responsively, which is one of the Scriptures that prophesied about our Savior's spiritual thirst on the cross.  "I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold.  I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf Me.  I am worn out calling for help; My throat is parched . . . they put gall in My food and gave Me vinegar for My thirst” (Ps. 69:2-3, 21). 

Writing a thousand years before Christ's crucifixion, David is inspired to record the very words of the Savior as He describes His suffering on the cross.  We can also refer to Psalm 22, which we read last week, where we hear our Savior say, "My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue sticks to the roof of My mouth; You lay Me in the dust of death” (Ps. 22:15). 

From these prophetic Psalms and from various other Scriptures that could be cited, we learn that our Savior is experiencing spiritual thirst on the cross.  He's "in the miry depths” and "in the dust of death,” for, on the cross, He's entrapped in Hell itself.  Suffering in Hell for the sins of the world, He's thirsty; thirsty for His Father to rescue Him, thirsty for righteousness and salvation.  But, there is nothing to quench His thirst.  The wine vinegar the soldiers offer will not quench this thirst, for this is the thirst of being separated from God; the thirst that comes from being engulfed in the flames of Hell.

This is the thirst Jesus Himself teaches us about in the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31).  You're probably familiar with that story, but let me remind you of it just in case.  The rich man enjoys all the earthly pleasures he can and lives in luxury in this life, while Lazarus is a poor beggar, covered with sores, longing to eat the scraps that fall from the rich man's table.  The time came when both men died, Lazarus going to Heaven and the rich man to Hell.  As the rich man is suffering torment in Hell, he looks up and sees Abraham far away with Lazarus at his side.  He calls out, "Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.”  But, Abraham explains to the rich man that his request cannot be granted.  The rich man will remain thirsty for eternity and nothing will ever be given to quench his thirst. 

On the cross when Jesus cries out, "I thirst,” He is experiencing the thirst of being in Hell, like the rich man in the story; the agonizing and eternal thirst that cannot be quenched; the agonizing and eternal thirst that all sinful human beings deserve to experience.  As Jesus hangs on the cross, having been forsaken by the Father and cast into the pit of Hell, He suffers the agonizing and eternal thirst that you and I deserve to suffer for our sins, my friends.

But, that's the glorious Good News of our Savior's Fifth Word.  He suffers and dies for our sins.  It's our sins that nail Him to that cross and send Him into Hell to experience that unquenchable thirst.  But, the fact that He takes our sins upon Himself and suffers what we deserve means that the punishment for our sins has been paid in full.  Our sins are gone, dear friends.  They've been crucified with our Savior.  When the devil comes along and says, "Look at the mess you've made of your life; look how sinful you are; surely, there's no hope for you,” we reply, "Away from me devil, for my Savior has taken my sins away; He has paid the price in full; your accusations mean nothing, for my Savior has defeated you and you have no power over me.” 

We can stand firm in confidence against the accusations of the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh because our Savior, the Thirsty One on the cross, is also the Living Water.  He is the spiritual Rock, as St. Paul tells us; the Rock from which the waters of salvation flow, quenching our thirst, filling us with the life and salvation that comes from having our sins forgiven because He thirsted in our place.  Just as the LORD commanded Moses to strike the rock at Massah and Meribah to quench the thirst of the Israelites, so our thirst has been quenched by the living water that flows from the Rock that was struck with a spear on the cross.  When Jesus finished the work of our salvation and gave up His Spirit, a soldier pierced His side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water (John 19:34).  It is this blood and water that flows eternally from the Rock of our salvation, from the Living Water Himself who became thirsty in our place, and fills all who believe in Him.

Dear friends in Christ, because you've been washed clean by the water that flows from the Savior's side into the baptismal font, you've been given faith to believe in the One who suffered eternal thirst in your place, and you shall never experience the agonizing and eternal thirst that is suffered in Hell.  Because you continue to have your hunger and thirst quenched by the Word of God and by the very Body and Blood of Christ in the Holy Supper, your regenerated spirit remains satisfied as your faith is strengthened and preserved.  You have received the living water Jesus promised to the Samaritan woman at the well, the water that completely quenches spiritual thirst and wells up to eternal life.  You are refreshed in every way.  All your sins are forgiven and you are dressed in the everlasting holiness and purity of the Savior who thirsted in your place.  Because of His agonizing and eternal thirst on the cross, you are filled and satisfied forever.  You will never experience the fate of the rich man suffering torment in Hell, for that fate is reserved only for those who reject the Savior's work on the cross.  But, for you who believe in the Thirsty Savior, Paradise in the eternal kingdom is your reward, where St. John assures you in Revelation 7, that you will never hunger or thirst again, for the Lamb at the center of the throne will lead you to springs of living water (Rev. 7:16-17).   

"I thirst,” Jesus says, "so that you, my brothers and sisters, will never thirst.”  Thank you, Lord Jesus.  In Your Holy and Precious Name.  Amen.             

Now the peace of God that passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting.  Amen.