A Good Friday Reflection - I Thirst
We follow a Messiah who knows what it is to thirst.
After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” John 19:28
One of the final utterances of Jesus as he hung on the cross were the words ‘I thirst’. He felt dry lips, burning mouth and that very human need for water. Every person knows what it is to feel thirsty, Jesus knows it too. His earthly body was a human body, made of skin and bones, just as ours is.
Jesus, God incarnate, the one who made everything - the oceans, the rivers, the very water that sustains life - now thirsted for water.
In human form, in a body that had been beaten and made weak. He willingly stepped into the agony of the human condition. Not as an outsider observing from a distance, but as one who feels and who knows. ‘We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses.’ (Hebrews 4:15)
I often jump straight to hunger when thinking about those experiencing poverty in the UK; I don’t tend to think about access to water. However, I was recently reminded that access to water can be precarious if you don’t have a home or if your home isn't a safe place to be.
Ethan shared his testimony at Newday as part of the Jubilee+ seminar stream and said, “That’s really scary, to not have something to eat or have somewhere to get a drink of water. That’s really, really scary as a youngster.”
As Christians we are called to bring hope and relief to those who are thirsting, whether that is physically, emotionally or spiritually.
Jesus knows, sees and cares about those who thirst. And he calls us to bring relief, provision and freedom for those experiencing thirst (and hunger!). In Matthew 25:35 Jesus says ‘For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink”. When we provide drink for those who thirst we are doing that for Jesus.
We know that the Easter story doesn’t end on Good Friday – Sunday is coming and that means resurrection and new life for all! Jesus’ thirst on the cross shows his solidarity with our suffering - and the resurrection reminds us that hope and life triumph over every thirst and hunger.
This Easter, as we hear Jesus say “I thirst”, may it remind us that Jesus knows the reality of human need. And when we encounter those who are hungry or thirsty around us, let’s remember his words: “I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.” (Matthew 25:35)