St. Luke Ev. Lutheran Church
Sermon delivered by Pastor Anthony E. Schultz
Lenten Vespers #5. March 29, 2006 John 19:28


Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”


People of God, rescued from the flaming lake of fire in hell by the innocent blood of the very Lamb of God:

It was reported in the London Evening Standard. Two men—the uncle 40 years old and his 21 year old nephew—on their way across the Australian Outback—to get jobs picking fruit. They broke down. Their 30 year old Land Rover wasn’t good enough. They didn’t bring enough water. They didn’t tell anyone they were going. No one knew they were missing. The fact is—they didn’t think it would be that difficult! Oh, there was water—all the water in the world just 9 kilometers away—but it might as well have been 9 million Kilometers. They couldn’t find it! They started out. They got close—but they turned back. They turned back and died in the 100 degree heat! To actually die of thirst! It’s hard to imagine! And yet it happens—literally happens all the time! Today—this 5th Lenten Vesper—we hear—

Jesus Spoke A Word Of Painful Need

1. Our Savior needed this drink
2. We needed that drink even worse.

As we catch up in spirit with our Lord Jesus—Jesus has been on the cross for about 6 hours—suffering to wash away our sins. God’s Word tells us, “Later, knowing that all was now completed…” It is impossible for the human mind to comprehend—how a baby boy born 2,000 years ago—could take away the sins of the world—but he did. We know by grace through faith that he did. This little baby boy named Jesus—born in Bethlehem and brought up in Nazareth in a carpenter’s home—could make us right with our Heavenly Father—but he did. Now—after being up through Thursday night and the wee hours of Friday morning—being nailed on the cross for the last 6 hours—the blood sacrifice for our sins was now completed. And yet there were just a few details that remained.

Knowing that all was now completed, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” Thirst is a painfully human quality. Doctors say our body is about 65% water. If you have ever taken care of a baby—you have changed lots and lots of diapers—as milk and water and fruit juice go through such a little body. When we are all grown up doctors tell us—we need to drink lots of water. The average person needs to drink 2 ½ liters of water every day—just to replace the waste water and the sweat that we make. We are supposed to drink lots and lots of water. If we don’t there is a price to be paid. It’s hard on your kidneys if you don’t drink enough water. You dehydrate—without even realizing it. Your blood actually thickens. Your kidneys start to fail. If it gets bad enough—you are not only thirsty—you get tired—you get confused. If it gets bad enough—you lose consciousness—fall into a coma—and actually die! They say nearly 20% of little children who get the flu—and die—actually die from being dehydrated. That would be 3.5 million children—losing their life—because they were dehydrated. How tragic is that!

What do I know of physical thirst? If you go into the jungle—the rain forest near the Equator—they tell you—drink plenty of water. You carry bottled water—2 liter bottles. They say—if you even think of taking a drink—chances are—your thirst is a sign you are already getting behind. You need to drink—and drink some more! If you are sweating bullets—the back of your shirt stuck to your body—sweat stinging your eyes—your legs wet with sweat—drink more water. If you get kidney stones in the autumn—that isn’t by chance. You probably sweated in the summer and didn’t drink enough water! My doctor said—you know those people—whenever you see them—they have a bottle of water? Yes? That needs to be you! Living in these United States—how spoiled are we? We have oranges—fresh oranges and tangerines—grapefruits lemons and limes that you can squeeze for fresh fruit juice in the morning. Or you can buy OJ frozen from concentrate—or you can buy boxes and bottles of orange juice with a little pulp, lots of pulp, no pulp or country style—which is somewhere in between! We have red white and purple grape juice apple juice, prune juice, cranberry juice—or just about every combination of juice—two and three and more in the same bottle! We have more flavors of coffee than you can count—regular and decaf—countless kinds of tea—again regular and decaf. This is not to mention all the different kinds of fermented grain beverages—dark for during Lent. There are bottles and boxes of wine. Cognac—very expensive French brandy was on the way out--$40 a bottle—until rappers started to make a point of drinking it. And now—people not old enough to legally drink any alcohol—are drinking the most expensive drinks—to the point they are saving the industry? That’s the way it goes in this sin infected world!

Jesus died on the cross to wash away all our sins. Sometimes—it seems we worry about all the wrong things. We worry about germs and bacteria—physical dirt and danger—when the real danger is spiritual. Like dirty door handles in public washrooms. That sounds like a pretty germy place to me. And yet a professor of environmental microbiology says the door handle—made of stainless steel—dry—is not nearly as dangerous as say your desk—which can be moist and sticky—with more than 400 times as many germs as the really germy part of the washroom! Did you know your toothbrush is in danger? If you leave your toothbrush sitting out on the counter—by the sink—there is danger from all kinds of bad germs flying around the bathroom! I didn’t know that! But I do know there is terrible danger from our mouth—from saying things that are hateful and hurtful and wrong. There is danger from people grumbling and complaining and tearing down. There is danger from people harboring grudges! There is danger from people who curse and swear and call down God’s eternal destruction on cars and lawnmowers that don’t work. Calling down eternal destruction of coffee cup handles that get too hot in the microwave—bowls of soup and hot cereal that overflow in the microwave. There is danger—not so much from the pillow where we rest our head and sweat and drool—but danger from our mind—from our sinful and selfish imagination. Jesus died to wash away all that is wrong deep inside us. Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath to fix us deep inside!

So that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst!” Bible scholars who study such things say that Jesus fulfilled at least—at least 300 Old Testament prophecies. Some are exceedingly simple to see. Like in Genesis chapter 3 when it says, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15 Jesus did that when he died on the cross—when he stomped on Satan’s head and truly hurt his heel. Obviously Isaiah 53 talked about Jesus’ passion. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5 Psalm 22—King David wrote 1,000 years before it happened, verse one, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And further into Psalm 22:6, “But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. “He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” Psalm 22:6-8 And still in Psalm 22:18 “They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” Again and again—hundreds and thousands of years before the fact kings, shepherds and fig tree farmers wrote down how Jesus would live and die to save us. None of these prophecies was missed. None of these prophecies were contradicted in the life of the carpenter from Nazareth—who was born to buy us back!

“I thirst!” St. Augustine wrote hundreds of years before Martin Luther—that Jesus made people with a place in their heart—an emptiness deep in your soul that only Jesus could fill. The apostle Paul told the wise men of Athens, “From one man he (God) made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.” Acts 17:26,27 People have tried to slake—to satisfy this thirst deep inside in all sorts of ways. You can try to satisfy this thirst with knowledge. You can go to school—achieving advanced degrees in world knowledge! You can study literature and philosophy—the deepest thoughts that have ever been thought! You can study science and mathematics—physics and medicine—to understand how everything works. You can study history—everything that has been done and said for the past thousands of years. But still that thirst will gnaw away at you. You can spend all your time and energy earning lots and lots of money—so you can have the most beautiful home—tastefully decorated on the inside and all landscaped around the outside. You can fill garages with antique sports cars—you can have a personal chef who prepares meals that are art works on your plate! You can achieve great earthly power and influence—so that people will do almost anything to be your apprentice! You can be the next American Idol! And still that thirst will hurt deep inside! Only the Gospel can satisfy our deepest forever thirst!

Jesus said, “I thirst!” When Jesus was being arrested—Simon Peter got out his sword—and tried to use deadly force—to rescue Jesus from physical harm. God’s Word says, “Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” John 18:11 The cup that Jesus is talking about here—is the cup of his Father’s wrath on account of our sins. The Psalmist Asaph wrote about it in Psalm 75 where it says, “In the hand of the LORD is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs.” Psalm 75:8 The dregs are the bitter little pieces of grit at the very bottom of the glass. Isaiah warned God’s own people about this cup of wrath. In Isaiah 51—the second part—the mostly Gospel part of Isaiah it says, “Awake, awake! Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes men stagger.” Isaiah 51:17 Again—it’s to the very bitter little crudlies at the very bottom of the cup. The cup of God’s wrath will be drained to the very bottom! The price will be paid utterly and completely! Nothing less than absolute justice will satisfy the demands of God’s complete holiness!

Jesus said, “I thirst!” This is the time each year—that lots of people go to Key West, FL for spring break. Sometimes—it is a time of alcohol abuse and all the sins that go along with that. They have this special court to handle what they consider misdemeanor cases of drunk and disorderly. The deal is—if you plead guilty—admit your mistake—and then put on this really big orange shirt—and pick up trash for 8 hours! Then you can go back to the Judge—and they will expunge your record. They will hit the delete button—and all your records will be erased. Your fingerprints will be shredded. It will be—they say—just like it never happened! If only it were that easy—to take away a sin—by picking up highway shoulder garbage! It cost Jesus his blood—his literal life—to take away our sins. Jesus willingly paid that price because he loves us so much! All eternity will not be too long—to thank and praise him—for knowing that painful thirst—to make us forever free! Amen! To God alone all glory!

Rev. Anthony E. Schultz