"I thirst"

Jesus knew that everything was now finished, and to fulfill the Scriptures He said, "I am thirsty."John 19:28 (NLT)

I was heading to class that evening, running late, but as I approached I heard - "Just grow up!" said one young woman to another, as they were sitting under the oak trees on campus. "There's no superman, no batman, and no god. No one is coming to save you, so you'd better get over that fantasy."

It has been over 18 years since I heard that conversation, and it still bothers me. A bright, intelligent, educated young woman attending a Baptist University - how could she possibly believe that. How could she possibly not believe in Jesus Christ?

Well, she was reflecting what she was taught. Marx said religion was "the opiate for the people." Sigmund Freud said "religion is a pack of delusions", and "Men and women cannot remain children forever. They must in the end go out into hostile life. We may call this 'education to reality.'"

Reality?

I'll give you an education in reality Sigmund.

Christianity is anything but an escape from reality. It is instead a journey straight to the center of everything that is real. That reality might be dark, and cold, and startling for some. I'm not sure all the story is suitable for any but 'mature' audiences - that is, people who are willing to "test and see" or "seek to find." We hide that reality when we reduce the facts to "Bible stories", when we seek to cover the dangerous nature of our sins with today's trite phrases and when we minimize the extent of God's love.

I've had the opportunity on several occasions now to watch children react to the telling of the Easter happenings. Watching them as their emotions come out when Jesus is cruelly treated tugs at my own heart. And then thrilling along with them to see God raise Jesus from the dead makes me want to cheer too. So I do. :)

But showing the reality of the depths men went to try to kill God is almost too much for children. One mother told me that she had watched "Jesus of Nazareth" with her kids, and because the crucifixion scenes were so real, she had to fast forward to the end to reassure her little ones that Jesus was alive. "He's okay mommy, isn't He? They didn't kill Him, did they?"

It was only when they saw Jesus walking with His disciples after the resurrection, that they were calm enough for her to get them off to bed. Real life, and real death.

In a small mission I once served, Bunny took the older kids in the kitchen and had them make impressions of their hands in some good Georgia clay. Then she read the crucifixion passage to them and gave each a nail. When she asked them to consider their sins had caused nails to pierce those clay hands, one young girl grew very quiet, with large tears beginning to fall upon the clay. She knew. For the first time in her life, she knew reality. The reality that "God had laid on Him the sins of us all." Her sins. (Not long after that day, that young woman pledged her heart and her life to Jesus.) Real death.

Is that real enough?

So the fact that the Son of God was placed on a cross with nails through his hands, hanging there throughout most of a hot Palestinian afternoon meant that He was thirsty. Of course it could have been the result of having His back flayed until the flesh hung as tattered ribbons, or maybe due to a crown of thorns that pierced one of the most vascular rich parts of the human body. Yes, I suppose sheer blood loss could have caused Him to say, "I thirst."

But you'd miss something great if you jump to that conclusion. No, not great - wonderful. And wonderful not just for that day's scene, but for today's - and tomorrow's - and the day after that - and beyond. Go back and read the verse again.

28 Jesus knew that everything was now finished, and to fulfill the Scriptures he said, "I am thirsty." John 19:28 (NLT)

Jesus was in complete control of reality. He was mentally aware - no opiate for Him - and He summed all of His 33 years of life in human form with the knowledge that He had done everything He needed to do.

And so... "to fulfill the Scriptures..."

Beloved, there's a deep fountain of love for you in that phrase. Promises for many of us rise and ebb with the tide of convenience and whim. We say, "I'll always love you", and crowd the counters at the county clerk's filing for divorce. We tell each other, "I'll always be there for you," and then, "I can't do that." Our promises don't mean much.

But here Jesus, DYING ON A CROSS, makes sure He keeps His promises. Every single one!

That's real love. Every promise of God is yours if you know Christ as Savior. Every blessing, every joy, every hope! Through the real life, real death, and real love of Jesus Christ, we can know God personally - intimately - forever!

Do you know Him?

Hallelujah, what a Savior!