“I Thirst”

Posted on April 16, 2022 by Todd D. Nystrom

Photo: The view looking west from atop High Dune in Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, Colorado. © Todd D. Nystrom and Todd the Hiker, 2020.

John 19:28-29 – After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.

Introduction

“I thirst.” As I considered these words of Jesus, three things stood out. First, as the passage states, prophecy was being fulfilled. Second, an immense price was being paid for the forgiveness of our sins. And third, even in the agony and suffering of our Lord, we can find the promise of eternal life.

Prophecy Fulfilled

As the passage directly states, Jesus words were meant “to fulfill the scripture.” One of the places we can turn to find prophetic words foreshadowing Christ’s suffering and death is Psalm 22. Verses 14 and 15 are especially poignant when it comes to the passage at hand, “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.” Another place to turn is Psalm 69:21 where we find these prophetic words relating to our passage, “They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink,” which plays out in the guards’ response to Jesus’ thirst.

Even with the many prophecies fulfilled in Christ’s life and in his crucifixion, as well as several occasions where he foretold his own suffering and death to his disciples, there had been an expectation of an earthly king and kingdom which in this moment would appear to be lost. If we had been there, we probably would have had similar expectations and lost hopes; although, from our vantage point we know that Jesus offers much more.

A Price Paid

Which brings us to the next point; this passage confronts us to consider the price that had to be paid for the forgiveness of our sins. We see before us on the cross the Creator of the universe in agony, thirsting for the very water he created, suffering and dying one of the more cruel and painful deaths invented by the mind of sinful man, demonstrating that although he was fully God, the great “I AM,” he was also fully man.

Even his closest disciples did not fully grasp this despite witnessing the many miracles he had performed during his earthly ministry demonstrating his divinity. He turned water into wine, he fed the multitudes with a few fish and loaves, he exercised dominion over his creation by walking on water and calming the storm, he healed the disabled, sick, and blind, and brought the dead back to life, and yet here he hung on a cross, suffering an unjust and agonizing death alongside common criminals. Paul sums it up well in Philippians 2:5-8, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” An immense price, indeed!

The Promise of Eternal Life

Finally, Jesus’ words bring to mind the promise of eternal life, particularly the one found in John 4:13-14. Jesus’, in his encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, makes this promise, “Everyone who drinks of this water [that is, the water from the well] will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

“I thirst.” Jesus’ words on the cross fulfilled prophecy, they confront us with the immense price Christ paid for the forgiveness of our sins, and ultimately point us to his promise for something much greater than just the satisfaction of our physical thirst, they point us to the promise of eternal life with God.

A River of Mud

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

2 Kings 5:9-14 – So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” ¹¹ But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. ¹² Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. ¹³ But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” ¹⁴ So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

Facing a river of mud during a late winter hike on the trail from Furnas Shores to the Day Lodge at Caesar Creek State Park, Waynesville, Ohio.

If you are hiking and encounter a muddy section of trail the best option is usually walking right through the middle. This assumes, of course that you are wearing waterproof boots, which, if you plan to hike during late winter and early spring here in Ohio, are a necessity. Hiking sticks are also a big help to keep you from falling if you lose your footing. Trying to avoid the mud frequently results in a slip as you hit the sloped edge of the trail, and if you try to go around, the trees, brush, and briar patches are often more of an obstacle than just sloshing straight through.

From the first eight verses of 2 Kings 5, we learn about a man called Naaman. He was an important and powerful man, the commander of the king of Syria’s army. Despite his status, he suffered from leprosy. And, through a young servant girl, taken captive on one of his raids into Israel, Naaman learned of a prophet in Israel who could cure his disease. In today’s passage we read about Naaman’s encounter with that prophet, Elisha.

As the passage begins, we find that Naaman has made the long journey from Syria to Samaria and is standing at Elisha’s front door. But, all Elisha does is send a messenger, giving Naaman instructions to wash seven times in the Jordan River. Naaman is angered. First of all, he is an important man and Elisha does not even take the time to speak with him personally. And, second, the idea of washing in the Jordan, a notoriously muddy river, is something beneath a man of Naaman’s stature. Eventually Naaman’s servants do convince him to follow Elisha’s instructions, and his leprosy is cured.

Now there was nothing magical or even medicinal about the Jordan River, nor in the process of bathing seven times in muddy water, of course it was God who healed Naaman. Through these unusual means, though, God did reveal himself as the one true God and make it known that Elisha was his prophet. “Then he [Naaman] returned to the man of God [Elisha], he and all his company, and he came and stood before him. And he said, ‘Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel’” (2 Kings 5:15a).

Many times in our lives we face difficulties, turmoil, and sorrow. Those who know the Lord will go to him in prayer seeking comfort, wisdom and guidance on how to deal with these tough circumstances. And, much like Naaman wanted the easy solution—just have Elisha say a prayer, wave his hands and make the leprosy disappear—we, too, would like God’s answers to be simple, clean, and painless.

That is often not the case, though. By taking us right through the middle of the muddy path, or having us take the seven time plunge in the muddy river, God can draw us closer in our walk with Jesus or teach us a valuable lesson. If the path was always easy, we might never learn the lessons we need to learn; we might become complacent in our lives and forget that we are dependent on God for all that we are and have and do. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

So, the next time you are faced with a river of mud on the path ahead of you, whether metaphorically in your daily walk with the Lord or literally on your next hiking adventure, remember that it is God who has charted your course and that the best route, his route, is often the one right through the middle of it all. Fortunately for those who claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior we are not walking this muddy path alone.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Yours in Christ,
Todd the Hiker

Read more about my “God is Revealed…“ category of posts

Let Us Rejoice

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

Psalm 118:24 – This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Trailside view looking toward the lake, north of the Caesar Creek Lake Visitor Center. Caesar Creek State Park, Waynesville, Ohio.

Today we got our first glimpse of spring. Though the trail was muddy and the forecast calls for a return to colder temperatures in the coming week, less than a week ago the ground was covered in nearly a foot of snow.

Any day in late February with sunny, blue skies and temperatures near 60 degrees Fahrenheit is special, but having that day fall on a Saturday is truly an occasion to rejoice. And, I cannot imagine a better way to rejoice and be glad in this day that the Lord made than getting out on the trail and enjoying the beauty of God’s amazing creation!

Read more about my “God is Revealed…“ category of posts

For to the Snow He Says, ‘Fall on the Earth’

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

Job 37:5-7 – God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend. For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth,’ likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour. He seals up the hand of every man, that all men whom he made may know it.

Snow and ice cover Flat Fork Creek. Caesar Creek State Park, Waynesville, Ohio.