After this, Jesus knowing that all things
were now accomplished, that the scripture
might be fulfilled, saith, "I thirst."
John 19:28
I was never a religious person, and I am not one now. Rather I am a believer in the Lord Jesus, whom I know to be the Messiah of the Jews and Savior to the Gentiles. Christ offers salvation to all who place their faith in Him...
were now accomplished, that the scripture
might be fulfilled, saith, "I thirst."
John 19:28
I was never a religious person, and I am not one now. Rather I am a believer in the Lord Jesus, whom I know to be the Messiah of the Jews and Savior to the Gentiles. Christ offers salvation to all who place their faith in Him...
And I am not one for religious traditions or for holding certain days in a special regard. However, I have no objections to those who do.
Nevertheless, many Christians consider Good Friday to be sacred. So, as is our custom here at the prison, this morning we held a worship service in the chapel. And my assignment was to give and approximately five minute talk on John 19:28-29 where Christ uttered the words, "I thirst."
I therefore explained to the congregation how that when one of the Roman soldiers heard Jesus say this from the cross, he took a sponge mixed with vinegar and spices and passed it up to Christ for the Lord to wet His mouth. The Lord died almost immediately afterwards. However I added that there was more to this story besides Christ being thirsty because He was in tremendous pain and His throat was parched. I said that God's Son was actually thirsting for His heavenly Father, and not for mere water.
Christ thirsted for God, because at this very moment, Jesus was taking all our sins upon Himself and it was these sins, I said, that caused Christ to experience a deep sense of separation between Himself and His heavenly Father. This had never happened to Jesus before. Thus His thirst was more spiritual in nature than it was physical, although I'm sure His physical desire for water was intense, too.
In a similar way, I explained to the congregation, when we are without God, and when we are far from Him because of our sins, we too thirst. Yet in our ignorance and spiritual blindness we try to satisfy our inner thirst in the wrong ways. This was the story of my life before I repented of my sins and placed my faith in the Lord Jesus. Now, thanks to God, out of my innermost being flows a river of living water. I thirst no more.
D.B.
Nevertheless, many Christians consider Good Friday to be sacred. So, as is our custom here at the prison, this morning we held a worship service in the chapel. And my assignment was to give and approximately five minute talk on John 19:28-29 where Christ uttered the words, "I thirst."
I therefore explained to the congregation how that when one of the Roman soldiers heard Jesus say this from the cross, he took a sponge mixed with vinegar and spices and passed it up to Christ for the Lord to wet His mouth. The Lord died almost immediately afterwards. However I added that there was more to this story besides Christ being thirsty because He was in tremendous pain and His throat was parched. I said that God's Son was actually thirsting for His heavenly Father, and not for mere water.
Christ thirsted for God, because at this very moment, Jesus was taking all our sins upon Himself and it was these sins, I said, that caused Christ to experience a deep sense of separation between Himself and His heavenly Father. This had never happened to Jesus before. Thus His thirst was more spiritual in nature than it was physical, although I'm sure His physical desire for water was intense, too.
In a similar way, I explained to the congregation, when we are without God, and when we are far from Him because of our sins, we too thirst. Yet in our ignorance and spiritual blindness we try to satisfy our inner thirst in the wrong ways. This was the story of my life before I repented of my sins and placed my faith in the Lord Jesus. Now, thanks to God, out of my innermost being flows a river of living water. I thirst no more.
D.B.
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