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Sunday March 10, 2002

John 19:28-29
"A Word of Agony".

Intro: A legend says that a man was lost in the desert, just dying for a drink of water. He stumbled upon an old shack - it was weather beaten and windowless. He crawled to the limited shade of one of the walls and tried to gather his senses. Approximately 15 feet from where he was sitting was an old rusty water pump. He stumbled over to it and be began
to feverishly pump up & down on the handle. Not a drop of water! Tired & disappointed he staggered bag to the shade. As he sat back down, he noticed an old dusty jug. He looked at it; wiped the dirt away and read a message on the jug. It read, "use this to prime the pump. You must use all of it. P.S. Be sure to fill the jug again before you leave." He popped the cork out. It was full of water! He was now faced with a dilemma. If he drank the water his thirst would be quenched. But if he poured it in the old rusty pump, he maybe able to have cold, refreshing water to his heart's content. What should he do? He studied the possibility of both options. What should he do? Should he take a chance, trusting the writing on the old jug?

Jesus has been on the cross for 6 hours. His blood vessels are almost dried up. A fever rages through His body. His tongue is parched. His lips are swollen. This coupled with the spiritual trials He has endured have left him bankrupt of any strength.
Will He say anything else? How could He? He does! The message is a word of agony. Nothing is worse than the insatiable thirst. People who experience this in desert travel talk about hoarse cries, bleeding from the mouth and bulging eyes. Jesus was suffering as these travelers suffered.
I would like for us to look at what this word reveals to us.

1. The Savior's humanity was existent.
The words of Jesus help us to conclude that He was not an apparition. He was not an angel. Jesus the man is thirsty.
A. Jesus thirsted in life - John 4:6-7 the woman at the well.
Quote: Dr. J. Oswald Sanders - "God does not thirst, but the Man Christ Jesus did thirst, for He was 'God made in the flesh'". Jesus readily became human.
Our temptations then became His. Heb 2:17
B. Jesus thirsted in death
It is interesting to note.
The ministry of Jesus began with Jesus being hungry.
The ministry of Jesus ended with Jesus being thirsty.
Quote: Spurgeon - "Thirst is commonplace misery such as may happen to peasants or beggars; it is no royal grief; therefore, Jesus is Brother to the poorest."
Jesus endured the thirst and became the sacrifice for every man.
Illus. Dr. C. Truman Davis writes for us in his book entitled, The Crucifixion of Jesus, a physical description of what it was like to be crucified. "As the arms fatigue, cramps sweep through the muscles, noting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push [oneself] upward to breathe. Air can be drawn into the lungs but not exhaled. He fights to raise himself in order to get even one small breath. Finally carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream, and the cramps partial subside. Spasmodically he is able to push himself upward to exhale and bring in life-giving oxygen.
Hours of this limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pan as tissue is torn from his lacerated back as he moves up and down against the rough timber.
Then another agony begins: a deep, crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart. It is now almost over - the loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level - the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, think sluggish blood into the tissues - the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. The markedly dehydrated tissues send their flood of stimuli to the brain. Jesus gasps. '"I thirst.'"
Isaiah 69:3 remind us

2. The Savior's humiliation was extreme.

Jesus was man, but He was also the creator.
He scooped out the ocean beds.
He arranged the settings of the lakes.
All the resources that He had created were at His disposal.
In spite of this Jesus asked for help.
It was true humiliation for the Creator.

3. The Savior's hopefulness was enthusiastic

A. His redemptive work is acclaimed Jesus prayer before the cross. Jn 12:28
At the beginning of his ministry - God's words - Matt 3:17
Now he thirsts and experiences what we cannot comprehend - being forsaken by God.
Jesus longed for His Father's smile. Heb 12:2

B. His redemptive work is acknowledged
Jesus & the woman at the well
He asked her for a drink as a conversational involvement with her. In that request was a deep longing (thirst) for love, obedience & devotion.
Quote: Stephen Olford - The Secret of Soul-Winning - He talks about two great men that were characterized by a passion for the lost. Dr. J. H. Jowett, who said, "the gospel of a broken heart begins with the ministry of bleeding hearts and as soon as we cease to bleed, we cease to bless."
Another he writes about is General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army. Booth stated that he would "like to send all his candidates for officer's training to hell for 24 hours, as the chief part of their training. Only then would they be able to accept the sacrifice of winning the lost."

Conclusion: Reluctantly, he poured all of the water into the pump and began to pump; squeak, squeak, squeak. Still nothing came out! Squeak, squeak, and squeak. A little trickle... Then a small stream, and finally it gushed! To his relief fresh, cool water poured out of the rusty pump.
Eagerly, he filled the jug and drank from it. He filled it another time and once again drank its contents. Then he filled the jug for the next traveler. He popped the cork back on and added this little note:
"Believe me, it really works. You have to give it all away before you can get anything back."
Only as we satisfy His heart will we know the satisfaction of our own hearts. 
We must heed the words of David - Ps 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he shall give you the desires of your heart."
Jesus said it Himself, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (Matt 5:6).

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