John 19:28-30 (NRSV)
Read John 19:28-30 on biblegateway.com
Verse 28After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), "I am thirsty." Verse 29A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. Verse 30When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished." Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Devotion
Every Good Friday we hear the story of Jesus' passion as told by John. We hear Jesus speak words of divine wisdom. We watch Jesus carry his own cross, wearing a purple robe and a crown of thorns. We listen as he forms a new family between his mother and his beloved disciple. In his final hours, we experience Jesus as truly human and truly divine.
Jesus thirsts. Perhaps we hear in his words not only a thirst for liquid but a thirst for life. Jesus' thirst is also a divine thirst. His thirst fulfills Scripture and God's gracious purpose. Jesus obediently does his part in order to reveal his true identity. His drink mixed with hyssop recalls for us the doorposts of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt, marked with hyssop and the blood of the lamb so that the angel of death might pass them by (Exodus 12:21-23). Behold our paschal lamb. Jesus' physical thirst is for us. His death gives us life. Thanks be to God.
Prayer
Keep us mindful, Lord, of all you have done for us. May we remember all those who thirst around us and daily thirst for your living water.
Amen.