The Fifth Words

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished (ended), said in fulfillment of the Scripture, I thirst. John 19:28 [AMP].

The fifth words, ‘I Thirst’, are words of distress. Jesus began His journey to Golgotha at say 9am in the morning, endured the whipping and carrying the cross, and the pain of the nails as they were being driven into His hands and feet. Through all of this, Jesus did not once think about Himself until when He was sure that God’s work had been completed. Jesus voiced His personal need at about 3pm in the afternoon. Jesus had drinks twice at Golgotha; the first time was in the beginning when He first got to Golgotha and the soldiers offered Jesus sweet wine mixed with gall. This was the anesthetic cocktail given to those been crucified in those days, to numb their pain. As soon as Jesus knew that it was an anesthetic cocktail, He rejected it. Jesus rejected the anesthetic because He wanted to experience the sacrifice to the fullest and stay faithful till the end. Jesus even at this time, still took time to demonstrate the importance of making God and His will priority. Jesus by now must have been really dehydrated but He still put God’s purposes before His personal needs. Do not because of a need, push honoring God aside. God knows you need money so you spend the money you should set aside from your tithe. Jesus had refused the first drink offered and now He was asking for water. Why would He request for water that will still keep Him alive to experience more pain? Perhaps because all he really needed was water. Or still, just to educate us that all we really need is the ‘waters of life’. ‘But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life’ John4:14. The only thing that can quench the thirst you feel is the ‘Waters of Life’.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that you are a gift God has prepared for me and I ask that You satisfy my thirst with Your ‘Living Waters’ today, in Jesus Name.