December 9

Divine Thirst

After this, knowing that everything had now been accomplished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” — John 19:28 BSB

Here we come to the fifth word spoken by Jesus from the cross: “I thirst.” This was near the end of His suffering, when the work of redemption was almost finished. For six long hours, Jesus had hung on the cross, enduring both physical agony and spiritual torment. Only now did He give voice to His physical thirst.

Someone lifted a sponge soaked in sour wine to His lips, offering a momentary relief. It was a small act of kindness amid the cruelty of the day. This was the only expression of human tenderness that Jesus received during His crucifixion, and we cannot help but be thankful for this small mercy.

Earlier, at the beginning of His crucifixion, Jesus had been offered a drink mixed with myrrh, which would have dulled His senses and lessened His pain. But He refused it, choosing to endure the full extent of His suffering with a clear mind. Now, as He approached the final moments of His life, He accepted the sour wine, not to ease His suffering, but to give Him the strength to speak His final words and complete His work.

Jesus’ thirst reminds us of His humanity. He experienced the same physical needs and sufferings that we do. In His thirst, we see that He truly was one of us, sharing in our human frailty. And because He suffered, He is able to sympathize with us in our suffering. We have a Savior who knows what it is to thirst, to hunger, to endure pain, and to suffer. And because He knows, He can comfort and strengthen us in all our trials.