As He felt His life slipping away, dying slowly and painfully, Jesus cried out in thirst (Jn. 19:28), and in doing so, brought deeper meaning to the ancient words of David he knew so well.
My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.
Psalm 22:15
So here’s Jesus dying on a Roman crucifixion rack, asking for a drink. And all He gets is the diluted sour wine that Roman soldiers were allowed to drink while on duty (Jn. 19:29).
His mother, Mary, was there watching this all take place, no doubt remembering what her son had done earlier with the water and wine at the wedding in Cana. He had taken water and turned it into an abundance of the finest wine anyone had ever tasted (Jn. 2:1-12). This miracle, of course, would have signaled to any good Jew that the Kingdom of God was arriving on earth, just as the ancient prophets of Israel had said it would (Amos 9; Joel 3). What Jesus did with wine at Cana most certainly marked the beginning of God’s Kingdom coming to earth.
This is what Israel had been waiting for! This is what humanity has always needed—for God to return and reclaim His throne in the Messiah King, who would rule with peace and righteousness so that the world would flourish with abundance in every way.
Now back to Jesus crying out in thirst from the cross. Think of it! The eternal God, Jesus the Messiah of Israel and true Lord of heaven and earth serves the world with an overabundance of wine, but when He thirsts on the cross, the world has nothing to offer Him but cheap sour wine. In this moment of great agony, rather than receiving its King and all the abundance He offers, the world rejects the Christ, putting Him to death in the most horrific manner.
But in this seemingly tragic moment, Jesus is again turning water into rich wine. He takes the water of His human life and transforms it into the rich wine of God’s love, so all can drink freely.
In John 4:13-14, Jesus said,
Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 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.
Jesus Himself is the water of life that we need desperately in order to live. Any human life without Jesus, is a broken human life destined to die. But life in Jesus is full and rich, such that it bubbles over and leads to eternal life.
Two chapters later, after feeding the 5,000 and teaching that He Himself is the new and better manna, the bread of heaven, Jesus again makes the claim, “Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (Jn. 6:35). Not only is Jesus the bread that feeds us, He’s also the water that quenches our thirst.
Some of you may be attempting to live without Jesus, as though it is possible to find your life without Him. It’s impossible. You will not find it. Jesus is the giver of life and abundance. You cannot find your life without Him.
He doesn’t offer to make your life easy or perfectly happy. But He offers you the deep abundance of God’s love through forgiveness, restoration and life.