I Thirst
John 19:28

Ø Have YOU ever been really thirsty?
Ø Have you ever had, or nearly have had, heat prostration or heat stroke?

1. Context, Background, and Theologyè “28…Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said*, “I am thirsty.”

a. Why was it necessary for Jesus Christ to Die? There are many reasons, but here are five categories of answers which perhaps sum it all up.

(1) To bring glory to God the Father and receive Glory from the Father

(John 17:1) "Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,"

(John 17:4) ""I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do."

(2) To satisfy the Law of God

Rom 3:31 “…Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law…”

(3) To turn aside the wrath of God

(Rom 1:18) "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,"

(Rom 5:9) "Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him."


(4) To Destroy Satan and his works

(1 John 3:8) "He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil."

(Gen 3:15) "…He shall crush your head….”

(5) To be substitutionary Sacrifice for sinners è

(Isa 53:5) "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed."


b. God’s plan of redemption was decided, determined, designed, declared (in prophecy) and decreed before the world began—Rev 13:8, 17:8, 1 Pet 1:18-21, Titus 1:1-2

c. Jesus was no helpless victim, nor was He an unwilling participant in this event

(1) He possessed within Himself the power to destroy all His enemies, as He demonstrated when they came to get Him (John 18:4-6
(2) He had the power to lay His life down and to take it up again (John 10:15-17)
(3) He poured out His own life, He “gave up the ghost…”

d. So, each word said there on Calvary needs to be understood in the light of all that was going on there, as Jesus hung on the Cross..

e. Biblical Context—this is the fifth word from the Cross, and it is uttered by One who could see the finish line in sight.

2. What Jesus Knew —(John 19:28) "…, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said*…”

a. Jesus Knew

(1) The word for “to know” here is εἰδὼς, Innate knowledge

(2) And as a perfect participle, it indicates sure and complete knowledge

b. Why Jesus Knew all things were accomplished—He had accomplished them

(1) “All things” included everything to do with His mission on Earth, not just His crucifixion

(2) All was done—the word here is tetelestai, which Jesus was about to say to the world. Before He said it, He knew it was true, because He had accomplished His mission.

(3) His statement in John 17:1 indicates that even before entering the depths of His Passion, Christ Jesus had a definite and certain knowledge of the outcome

c. The paperwork was not yet done—“…to fulfill the Scripture…”

(1) Part of His mission was to fulfill the Scriptures—Mat 5:17-20

(2) His fulfillment of prophecy was and IS one of the most important parts of His ministry

(a) During His ministry on Earth, there were literally hundreds of prophesies that were literally and directly fulfilled.

(i) His Virgin Birth—Is 7:14
(ii) His ancestry, through Abraham, David, etc.
(iii) His birth place—Micah 5:2

(b) And on and on, hundreds of literal fulfillments

(3) Here the statement is plain

(a) He was aware of fulfilling the scriptures,
(b) He was consciously dealing with this issue, so that in everything, the Glory of the Father would shine through

(4) What scriptures were being fulfilled in this one statement of thirst?

(Psa 22:15) "My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death."

(Psa 69:21) "They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink."

3. “I Thirst”

a. Language—this is in the present tense, expressing continuity

b. Why, of all of the physical sufferings of the Cross, did Jesus highlight this one for special attention?

(1) He did not say, “my feet and hands hurt,” in spite of the nails
(2) He did not say, “my back is in agony,” from the scourging He received.

(3) He did not say, “my forehead is in agony,” from the crown of thorns they forced upon His brow

(4) He did not say, “My face hurts,” from where they plucked out hunks of His beard.

(5) He said, “I am thirsty.” Why?

(6) Because thirst is one of the greatest desires, and dehydration is an extremely painful and dangerous condition

c. Facts About Thirst

(1) Thirst is dangerous painful: Symptoms of severe dehydration include:

(a) Muscle spasms
(b) Vomiting
(c) Racing pulse
(d) Shriveled skin
(e) Dim vision
(f) Painful urination
(g) Confusion
(h) Difficulty breathing
(i) Seizures
(j) Chest and Abdominal pain

(2) Thirst is immediate—you can live for a long time without food, but not long at all without water.

(3) Thirst is deadly—for many it is the immediate cause of death, however it is brought on—10% fluid loss and above can be fatal.

(4) Given that Jesus had begin sweating drops of blood in the Garden, and given the beatings, the bleeding from the scourging, the dragging of a Cross through the streets, and given His extreme distress from the position in which He was hanging, His thirst just have been beyond imagination.

d. He Said “I” thirst—imagine that!

(1) The Creator of water had none
(2) The one who was the giver of the water of life was seeing His poured out

4. All Human Beings Thirst

a. Saved people have thirsted and have been filled

(1) For righteousness—(Mat 5:6) "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled."

(2) For the Water of life—John 4

(John 4:13-15) "Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." 15 The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.""

(John 6:35) "And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."

(Rev 7:16) ""They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat;"

b. Ah, but the Lost!

(Luke 16:22-24) ""So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 "And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 "Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.'"