“JESUS’ LAST WORD ON SUFFERING”
JOHN 19:28

I. Introduction
Some of you may recognize the name Stan Telchin. He was a Jewish believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Telchin married his wife Ethel in 1948, and they had two daughters, Judy and Ann. The insurance agency he built in suburban Washington, D.C. became a major success story. By 1974 the Telchins lived a large home complete with swimming pool, four BMW’s and a full-time housekeeper.

But then something happened. Telchin’s older daughter Judy, a student at Boston Univer-sity, phoned her father to tell him she had come to faith in Jesus. Once the initial shock had passed, Telchin determined that he would do whatever he could to show his daughter that she had made a terrible mistake. In order to do this he would read the Bible, learn all that he could, and prove to his daughter that Jesus could not possibly be the Jewish Messiah.

On July 3, 1975, after months of studying the Hebrew Scriptures as well as the New Testa-ment, Telchin also came to believe that Jesus Christ is the Jewish Messiah. Then, to his sur-prise, he discovered that his wife Ethel had independently made the same decision. Four years later, in 1979, Stan Telchin left the insurance business and went into full-time ministry.

To say that his conversion changed his life would be a gross understatement. How did it happen? Immersing himself in the Bible was the key. The details of the Messianic prophe-cies in the OT and their obvious fulfillment in the NT fascinated him. In Telchin’s book, Betrayed, he lists forty-one of the prophecies fulfilled by Jesus that had an impact on him.

Depending on what scholar you consult, the OT contains anywhere from 365 to 456 prophe-cies concerning the Jewish Messiah. In the 1960’s Peter Stoner wrote an article in Science Speaks wherein, using the laws of probability, he mathematically calculated the chances of one man fulfilling just eight of those prophecies. Stoner wrote…
“…we find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is one in ten to the 17th power. This would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 (quadrillion). In order to help us comprehend this we take 10 to the 17th power in silver dollars and lay them out on the face of Texas. They will cover the entire state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Then blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote them in their own wisdom.”
Since the chances of one man fulfilling eight prophecies are 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000, what are the chances of one man fulfilling the forty-one prophecies that so impacted Stan Telchin? And what are the chances of one man fulfilling 300 to 400 more? Such numbers are beyond comprehension. Peter Stoner concluded his study of the laws of probability by saying, “Any man who rejects Christ as the Son of God is rejecting a fact, proved perhaps more absolutely than any other fact in the world.”

What is the point of all this? The point is that I want to set the stage for the fifth thing that our Lord said from the cross.

During the first three hours that Jesus was on the cross said three things…
• We heard Jesus’ last word on the forgiveness of His enemies. He said, “Father, for-give them; for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34).”
• We heard Jesus’ last word to every lost sinner who will ever repent and trust Him. He said, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise (Luke 23:43).”
• We heard Jesus’ last word on compassion toward parents and loved ones when He gave the care of His mother over to “the disciple whom He loved.” He said to Mary, “Behold your son,” and to John, “Behold, your mother (John 19:26-27).”

It was some time later when darkness fell upon the land as God unleashed the full fury of His wrath for sin on His beloved Son. This lasted for nearly three more hours. It was near the end of this second three hours when…
• We heard Jesus’ last word on His spiritual pain and anguish when He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
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II. Text
Now this morning we will hear our Lord and Savior fulfill the very last one of those hun-dreds of OT prophecies about the Jewish Messiah. He will simply say, “I am thirsty.”

How can three simple words fulfill prophecy? Turn back with me to the passage Brock read to open the service.
*Psalm 69:3a, 21 (a psalm of David)
3a I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched…
21 They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

David wrote his psalms one thousand years before Jesus was born. Yet in v. 21 there are actually two prophecies, both of which are fulfilled at the cross. The first is fulfilled imme-diately before Jesus is nailed to the cross when He’s offered a drug to help ease the pain.
Matthew 27:34
34 …they gave Him wine to drink mingled with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink (it).
Mark 15:23
23 And they tried to give Him wine mixed with myrhh; but He did not take it.

Jesus did not take it because He knew it would dull His senses and He needed to keep a clear head throughout the coming ordeal. The second prophecy in Psalm 69:21 – “…and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink,” is the final one. It is this specific prophecy that John refers to in his gospel. It follows Jesus’ words of compassion for His mother and John, the disciple whom He loved.
*John 19:28-29
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I am thirsty.”
29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop, and brought it up to His mouth.

Once again we see Jesus in both His humanity and His deity. His suffering, both physical and spiritual, is finally coming to an end. Knowing this, He will fulfill the one remaining prophecy about the Messiah’s life and death. While His body is all but destroyed, His mind is still sharp. This is a good time to remind ourselves that He is in control of all this.
*John 10:11, 15b, 17-18
11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”
15b “…and I lay down My life for the sheep”
17 “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it (up) again.
18 “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” (back to 19:28)

In John 19:28-29 we see Jesus’ omniscience (He knows all things) and His omnipotence (He possesses all power). Jesus knows all and He controls all. In John 10 we just read that He is in complete control of His own life and His own death. He said, “I lay down My life… I take it up again… No one takes it from Me… I lay it down on my own initiative… and authority.” Finally He makes it clear that the power to do all these things comes from His Father.

Back in vv. 25-27 He had fulfilled His duty to His mother and His beloved friend, John. Then in v. 28 it says, “…knowing that all things had already been accomplished…” How could He know that all things had been accomplished? He is omniscient! Then the rest of v. 28 says, “…in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled…” How could He see to it that the Scripture be fulfilled? He is omnipotent!

Psalm 69:21 prophesied “…for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” Here was the one prophesy that was yet unfulfilled.
And so Jesus utters His fifth word from the cross when He says, “I am thirsty,” or as it is translated in the KJV, “I thirst.” Why do you think the soldiers would respond to Jesus – because they cared about the comfort of their victims?

Do you think they knew anything about the prophecies in the Jewish Bible, or would have cared had they known anything about them? Of course not! These Roman soldiers, these professional executioners, responded to Jesus’ words because they were under the control of an omniscient and omnipotent God. They had no choice; they had to respond. God would see to it that His Word – even the smallest detail of His Word – would be fulfilled.

In John 19:29 it says that there happened to be “…a jar full of sour wine” nearby. This was ŏxŏs, a sour or spoiled wine which would become like vinegar. It’s probably the same thing Jesus was offered but refused just before He was crucified. But now, in fulfillment of Psalm 69:21, He will accept it.

But there is even more to this than the fulfillment of the final prophecy. In v. 29 it says that they dipped a sponge in the wine and used a hyssop branch to raise it up to Jesus’ mouth.
Hyssop is a long reed with a bushy end that every Jew immediately recognized as significant to the history of their people. When God initiated the Passover He designated hyssop as the implement to be use for applying the blood of the sacrifice.
*Exodus 12:21-24
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb.
22 “And you shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.
23 “For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to smite you.
24 “And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever.”

So hyssop was used at every Passover. And every Jew knew what it was used for. How appropriate that hyssop was there to be used on this Passover and with this Passover Lamb! Thus they gave Jesus a drink and God saw to it that the last prophecy was fulfilled. And once again we see God in the details. There are no coincidences and there is nothing hap-pening by chance. Everything God does has a purpose and means something. What an awesome and magnificent God we serve!

There are at least four things Jesus’ words, “I am thirsty,” tell us about Him. They tell us of His humanity, they tell us of His suffering, they tell us of His reverence for God’s Word, and they us of His willingness to submit to His Father’s will. Let’s consider each of those.
First, “I am thirsty” speaks of Jesus’ humanity. This goes right to the heart of what is so amazing about our Lord and Savior. He was – and He IS – fully God and fully man. He is the only “God-Man” if you will. In Him alone dwells deity and humanity. He was forever God, and He is now forever man. When Jesus came to this earth He did not cease to be God. And when He returned to heaven He did not cease to be man. Isaiah spoke of the Messiah as both God and man in his prophecies.
Isaiah 9:6 (from a “Christmas” passage)
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 53:3a (from an “Easter” passage)
3a He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief…

John’s gospel opens with an incredible statement about the deity of the man Jesus.
*John 1:1-3, 14
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Why did the Son of God become the Son of Man? The writer of Hebrews tells us…
Hebrews 2:16-17
16 For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant(s) of Abraham.
17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, (so) that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, (in order) to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Think of just some of the ways Jesus was human.
• He prayed. “He…departed to a lonely place, and was praying there (Mark 1:35).”
• He became tired. “…being wearied from His journey (John 4:6).”
• He slept. “He…was in the stern (of the boat), asleep on a cushion (Mark 4:38).”
• He knew sorrow and tears. “Jesus wept (John 11:35).”
• He knew joy. “…He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit (Luke 10:21).”
• He knew hunger. “…after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He…became hungry (Matthew 4:2).”
• And He knew thirst. “I am thirsty (John 19:28).”
So first, Jesus’ words, “I am thirsty,” point to His humanity. Second, they tell us something of Jesus’ physical suffering. Last Sunday we saw the anguish of Jesus’ soul and the spiritual suffering of being separated from His Father when He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” We cannot relate to such spiritual suffering.

But, Jesus’ words today, “I am thirsty” reflect a level of suffering to which we can more easily relate. At one time or another we have all suffered from some degree of physical pain. At one time or another we have all suffered from some degree of thirst. But we’ve never experienced this kind of thirst. In Psalm 22:15 it says that Jesus’ thirst was so great that it made his tongue cleave to his jaws.

Remember what His body has been through over the last fifteen hours (from midnight to what is now 3:00 pm). His agony began in the Garden of Gethsemane where His stress was so intense that He sweat blood. After His betrayal and arrest He was taken to the high priest Caiaphas, where He was mocked and beaten. Then He was taken to Pilate where He was scourged. After being taken before Herod, He was returned to Pilate where He was scourged again, forced to wear a crown of thorns, and to carry His cross out of the city. (Simon of Cyrene)

At Golgotha He was nailed to the cross. Then, after the cross was lifted to the vertical, every breath would be agonizing because He would have to push against the nails in His feet just to raise His body enough to take a breath. His thirst would be overwhelming.

Third, His words, “I am thirsty,” tell us of Jesus’ reverence for the Word of God. Jesus’ loved the Scriptures. Doesn’t every man of God love the Scriptures?
*Psalm 1:1-2
1 How blessed in the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But His delight is in the law of the LORD (the Word of God), and in His law he meditates day and night.

Remember what John tells us in John 19:28 – “…Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I am thirsty.’”

What a marvelous statement of the Lord’s self-control! In the midst of this incomparable ordeal or pain and suffering Jesus is thinking clearly and focused precisely where He is ever and always focused – on God and His Word. Oh, what a lesson for us! How easily we are distracted from the things of the Lord. How readily we forget Him and focus on own little hurts and discomforts. How quickly we seek after worldly diversions and pleasures.

But how anxious are we to revere God’s Word by seeking after Him and His will and obey-ing Him in all things?
*Psalm 119:11, 30-35
11 Your word I have treasured in my heart, (so) that I may not sin against You.
30 I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me.
31 I cleave to Your testimonies; O LORD, do not put me to shame!
32 I shall run the way of Your commandments, for You will enlarge my heart.
33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I shall observe it to the end.
34 Give me understanding that I may observe (obey) Your law, and keep it with all my heart.
35 Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it.

Jesus words, “I am thirsty,” remind us that He obeys God, He does His divine duty, and He loves His Father’s Word. He will see to it that every detail of it is fulfilled.

Fourth, His words, “I am thirsty,” remind us of Jesus’ humility and His willingness to sub-mit Himself to God’s will. This is what the Apostle Paul illustrates for us in the “kenosis,” where Jesus “emptied” Himself in order to become a man able to die for us. (He had to become a man – God couldn’t die.)
Philippians 2:5-8
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied (“kĕnŏs”) Himself, taking the form of a bondservant (“dŏulŏs” or slave), and being made in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

The key lesson for us is in v. 5 – “Have this attitude in yourselves…” But must I obey God when I’m hungry? Must I submit myself to Him when I’m thirsty? Must I humble myself before God and man even when I don’t want to? The answer to questions like that are found throughout the Scriptures, but are nowhere more clearly seen than in Gethsemane where Jesus agonized so over what He knew was coming.
Luke 22:42
42 “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me, yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

So we’ve seen Jesus’ humanity, His suffering, His reverence for God’s Word, and His wil-lingness to submit to His Father’s will. But there is something else. Listen carefully, please.

Because Jesus knows what suffering is, He can relate to yours. Your suffering, in what-
ever form it may take, is not some abstract concept that our God cannot understand. On
the contrary, He knows more pain and suffering than any of His children will ever now.

Isaiah 53:4 tells us, “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried…” Hebrews 4:15 says that Jesus, “…has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”
Thus 1 Peter 5:7 says, “…casting all you anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.”
And that brings us to the last thing I want to say about this morning’s passage.
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III. Conclusion
Certainly John 19:28-29 illustrates Jesus’ suffering. But in His willingness to suffer like this we also see His infinite love for us. The One who freely gives us living water is the One who is dying of thirst. What irony is that? Our Lord cannot get even a spoonful of water when He so desperately needs it. But He pours out on us “rivers of living water.”
*John 4:5-14
5 So He came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph;
6 And Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour (noon).
7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”
8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
9 The Samaritan woman therefore said to Him, “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
11 She said to Him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw (water) with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water?
12 “You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?”
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water (the water from the well) shall thirst again;
14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

“…a well of water springing up to eternal life!” What a marvelous word-picture that brings to mind! It always makes me think of Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park. If you’ve seen it you know that the water is crystal-clear and fairly explodes out of the ground.

Since salvation is from Him alone, and since eternal life is found in Him alone, Jesus uses the analogies of thirst and of water again and again to teach us about our hope for salvation and His gift of eternal life. And each time we’re reminded that He’s the source of that water.
*John 7:37b-38
37b “If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’”

When Jesus said “I am thirsty,” He was in desperate need of water. When you stand at the foot of the cross, as we’ve been doing these last few weeks, that need is easy to see, isn’t it? But there’s a need that’s even greater than that. It’s our need, yours, mine, and everyone else’s need for the living water that He gives to all who will trust Him.

Had Jesus received any water while He suffered on the cross, it might have extended His life by minutes or even hours. But the water He gives extends life forever. He said, “…whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life (John 4:14).”

Look with me at the last chapter of the Bible to see just how significant this picture of water really is for all who would trust Christ, for all who would come to Him for eternal life.
First, consider what John sees when God gives him a glimpse into eternity future.
*Revelation 22:1-2
1 And he (an angel) showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, com-ing from the throne of God and of the Lamb,
2 in the middle of its street. And on either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Second, consider what John hears when God gives Him a glimpse into eternity future.
*Revelation 22:16-17
16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches.
I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star.”
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

~ Pray ~