Sermon -- Good Friday: The Fifth Word (March 29, 2024)

This year, we observed the Service of the Seven Words from the Cross.  This is one of the sermons following the selected reading.

THE FIFTH WORD — John 19:28,29

     To fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I thirst.”

     It is hard to say for sure which Scripture this fulfills.  Most likely, it refers to Psalm 69: “I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched.  … They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink” (Psalm 69:3,21).  It could refer to Psalm 22: “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws” (Psalm 22:15).  There may be other references. 

     To fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I thirst.”  What Scripture is being fulfilled is not as obvious as others such as Isaiah 53 (which we heard earlier) or as Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1). 

     To complete the work of salvation, to prove himself to be the Christ, to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Jesus had to fulfill all of Scripture.  From the clear prophecy that he would be born in Bethlehem to the obscure prophecy that he would be called a Nazarene.  Jesus fulfilled them all.  To fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I thirst.”

     His thirst also shows the reality of his sufferings.  Jesus is not God who merely plays the role of a man.  Jesus is true man—flesh and blood, body and soul, with intelligence and emotions.  His nervous system was taxed to its limit.  His bones and ligaments were stretched out.  He was tormented by physical, mental, and spiritual anguish. 

     Jesus had been flogged, forty lashes minus one, which would be brutal on any body.  On top of that, Jesus was sleep deprived.  His face had been beaten.  His head had been crowned with thorns.  He was stripped bare and nailed to a cross where he hung suspended over the earth.  Jesus had poured out plenty of sweat and blood.  It is no wonder he thirsted. 

     Jesus hung on the cross to die.  He also hung on the cross to fulfill all Scripture.  The Scriptures foretold that he would be a guilt offering, that his punishment would bring us peace, and that by his wounds we are healed, even that he would thirst.  He craved a drink, and it was given to him.  Above all, Jesus craved your salvation.  He satisfied God’s demands.  He fulfilled all the Scripture.  And by fulfilling all Scripture, he himself is satisfied.