March 22, 2015
God satisfies our thirst!
Gracious Father! In the
desert when Your people had left Egypt and wandered on their forty year journey
to the Promise Land, they were thirsty for water, You not only commanded the water
to flow, but You provide for us today the Water of Eternal Life. This comes through Your Son Jesus Christ who
said, “I thirst!” May our
thirst today be fulfilled by Jesus Christ and may we understand that You have
satisfied our thirst, not only of our mouths, but of our hearts, souls and
spirits through the gift of grace from Jesus Christ. For this gift of grace is freely given
because of Your love for each of us as shown by Your Son and our Savior, Jesus
Christ. AMEN.
Clearly here in Northwest Kansas, we don’t need any explanation of
what it means to be without water. Our
being in a severe drought clearly qualifies us for understanding what Jesus
Words from the Cross when He says, “I thirst”. But Jesus thirst has a greater meaning,
connection and implication for us today.
The first and best connection is that Jesus specifically alluded
to a passage from the Book of Psalms.
The Psalms that we have today in the Old Testament and that we use in
worship, even this morning, were what were considered to be the prayer guide
for any Jew. From a young age, the
Psalms were taught to Jewish children since they were a gift given by David,
their King to his people. David, not
only was King and ruler of Israel, but Jesus own ancestor and a prolific
author, specifically the Psalms. David
wrote Psalms of praise, adoration, humility and prophecy. And our Word from the Cross was specifically a
Psalm of Prophecy that was being fulfilled with Jesus words from the Cross of “I
thirst”.
In Psalm 69 that Jesus make reference to in His Words from the
Cross of “I thirst”, David had previously penned a Psalm of Distress,
which clearly epitomizes Jesus current predicament on the Cross of
Calvary. David’s first words in this
Psalm, “Save me, O God” clearly show the need David feels to be saved
from what he is experiencing. On the
other hand, Jesus Christ went to the Cross willingly praying that His Father’s
Will be fulfilled. And this is the
difference, David was trying to not only tell of what was happening in his own
life, but it was a prophecy and connection for David of what would happen to
his ancestor, Jesus Christ. So when
David wrote, “Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick. And I looked for sympathy, but there was
none, And for comforters, but I found none.” This was not only what David was living, but what
Jesus would experience and would be fulfilled by Jesus Christ on the Cross. But the key for us here today is Jesus simple
words from the Cross of “I thirst” and how David foretold of
Jesus personal experience when David wrote, “They also gave me gall for food
and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” This was one clear way that David was linked
to Jesus, not just by the ancestry, but clearly by David’s foretelling Jesus
thirst and what Jesus would be given, vinegar.
But the implication for Jesus was more profound, because a drink of
vinegar in Jesus day was a hostile drink.
When vinegar was used in Jesus time, it was not refreshing. In Jesus day vinegar was very different than
what we use today for salad’s, cleansing and even as a ‘healthy drink’. Vinegar was bitter, musty, cloudy and really
it was the spoiled wine of the day that was no longer good to drink by even the
common man. It was an insult to whoever
would use or be given vinegar as a drink.
So Jesus Who was being crucified did not deserve fresh clean water, but
only what was ready to be thrown out, the vinegar. Hence why it was sitting in a bucket at the
foot of the cross for those whose death was certain and didn’t deserve anything
better.
The connection we can make between the bitterness of vinegar and
Jesus experience on the cross as bitter is very clear. But Jesus experience that He was enduring had
a purpose. For those who watched from
the foot of the Cross, the purpose of this bitter experience of Jesus was
uncertain, but Jesus had been telling them, in essence like David’s prophecy of
what He would experience in Jerusalem.
And Jesus prophecy was not only His bitter death, being given vinegar
because of His words, “I thirst”, but three days later the
fulfillment of the resurrection from the grave as proof of the victory Jesus
Christ won for all of mankind.
In our Creeds that we not only believe in, but confess weekly we
claim this victory over death by Jesus and the prophecy of Jesus resurrection
from the dead. When we say, “I believe in Jesus Christ,
his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived
by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
died, and was buried. He descended into
hell. On the third day he rose again.” Our confession is certain of Jesus
resurrection from the dead. For if we do
not believe in Jesus life, His death and especially His resurrection, our faith
is in vain.
But there is something more certain and clear, when
Jesus said the words, “I thirst”
He showed His true humanity. Jesus
Christ showed He not only was conceived, but He could feel the same things we
can. This window cracked open with the
phrase, “I thirst” clearly connects
each of us with Him today. For Jesus not
only was thirsty for His parched throat.
Jesus was thirsty for a relationship with each and every one of us
gathered here.
Jesus with the words, “I thirst” wants each and every one of us to enter into a
personal relationship with Him. Jesus
wants us to be connected with Him and for it to have as a connection point the
Cross of Calvary. For on the Cross of
Calvary, Jesus Christ offers all of mankind, but especially each of us gathered
here this morning the opportunity to have a personal relationship with Him. And we can have this personal relationship
with our resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ.
The reality is, Jesus knew there would be times where our personal relationship
with Him would have some brokenness and bitterness, but what Jesus offers us
today overcomes the bitterness we feel in our daily lives with the sweetness of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ and binds our brokenness with His healing of us.
For the Gospel of Jesus Christ can and does overcome
that which separates us from Jesus Christ.
For in the words, “I thirst”
we can be reminded that Jesus thirsts for this relationship with us. And not only a relationship, but our
accepting the gift of grace that He offers us by His being on the Cross of
Calvary. For when Jesus hung from the
Cross of Calvary and uttered the words, “I
thirst” His desire was not only to fulfill the prophecy of David, but
His desire to have a personal relationship with each of us. And that relationship is built upon the love
He has for us.
Jesus Christ love was so powerful and overwhelming
that it is the greatest gift offered all of mankind. And it is offered freely, without cost in
order to take away the bitterness and brokenness that separates us from God and
to bind us to Jesus Christ. We then can
be caught up in His love for us, His life, death, but especially His
resurrection that we look forward to celebrating in a few weeks. For this offer from Jesus Christ is for all
of mankind, but especially all of us saints gathered here who hear Jesus words
from the Cross of “I thirst”
and understand it is an offer of divine grace of relationship with Him for all
of mankind. Especially including all of
us saints gathered here at Emmanuel who are thirsty for the personal
relationship with Jesus Christ who uttered in true love for us, “I thirst”. AMEN.
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