By: Juliet Constantine

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

Sour wine as a drink! Was it a crime to serve clean water or wine? Or was it customary for prisoners sentenced to death to be given sour wine or vinegar? It’s a possibility in the Roman/Jewish culture of Jesus’ day. John, one of the closest disciples to Jesus, noted that Jesus was served sour wine when He cried out that He thirst.

However, in civilized cultures, for prisoners who committed heinous crimes and are condemned to die; the final meal served to them, before execution, is usually the prisoner’s favorite. Also, persons tend to be kinder to them in their final hour. So, had Jesus lived in our time and we decided to kill Him, I believe we would have served Him fresh clean cool water or wine. Or would we? Nevertheless, I wonder if Jesus’ cry for thirst was just the physical thirst for water.

I have been told that the dying, especially those who were injured by gunshot, always ask for water when death was drawing near. It would seem that this thirst was a natural occurrence before death comes and the water was needed to wet the tongue which clings to the jaws. Whatever is the cause for this thirst before death, it can also be viewed in a spiritual sense.

From time to time, we allow ourselves to die spiritually. This spiritual death isn’t immediate, just as Jesus didn’t die immediately when He was nailed to the cross. It is a gradual continued process of neglect of our devotional life and our relationship with God. We neglect to study God’s words, to communicate with Him in prayer and also to share the good news of His saving grace. Gradually, after much fault-finding we started to absent ourselves from church services and fellowship with God’s people. We become careless and indifferent until alas, we realize that we have become so thirsty for spiritual things and God’s words. Our thirst is so intense that hardly any presenter can reach us, no matter how good the sermon presented. Yes, in times like these, like Jesus, we can truly say, “I thirst!”

But lovingly the Savior still sounds the invitation: “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters,” (Isa. 55:1). We are called to drink from the streams of living waters once again; so that our parched souls won’t cling to death. Jesus promised that when we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we will be filled. He also promised that those who believe in Him “shall never thirst”. And the promises just keep coming. For those of us who thirst physically here, we are assured that in the New Earth, we will neither hunger nor thirst anymore.

You don’t need to die from thirst, physically or spiritually. Just as how bottled water is in abundance everywhere, even more, God’s words are available in any and every medium desired. We can feed ourselves by inviting the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us in God’s truth, by reading, listening and obeying. I am sure if we do this, Jesus wouldn’t have thirst in vain for us. We can vow never to let Jesus’ sacrifice be in vain. He already thirsts for us. We don’t need to thirst anymore. Are you thirsty? Start or resume drinking from the streams of living waters. Resume your devotional life and your time alone with God. Go to Him daily for a fresh refilling of His grace and mercy and you will never thirst again.

Holy Father, sometimes we thirst for your living word because of our inconsistent attitudes in our relationship with You. Please help us to daily spend quality time with You so that we can know Your will for our lives and live in the guidance You give. Help us to feed on Your words as they are life. This is our prayer in Jesus’ name, amen.

Copyrighted by Juliet Constantine 2014 (for “Alone With God – Finding Jesus In The Scriptures” Daily Devotional)