I had the honor and pleasure of preaching the Fifth Word, "I Thirst," at the Seven Last Words Good Friday Service at Myrtle Baptist Church this year. Here is the text and a SoundCloud link to the audio. Enjoy!
I thirst
But you don't know what that means
I thirst
And after all of this time with me you still think I'm talking about earthly water?
“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10)
I'm telling you I'm thirsty
"my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death." (Psalms 22:15)
These words have been said before
And I want you to see the connection
Those Psalms written in ancient poetic language
Are not so far off and distant now
The story is the same;
The world is a cold cruel place
For you and for me
But this world is not my home
"They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." (Psalms 69:21)
These words have been said before
And I want you to see the connection
I know what's coming
You're going to give me sour wine
I know what it means
But do you?
I thirst
Theologians will look back at my words, millennia from now and say that this is when I was my most human
I am Jesus of Nazareth in my earthly thirst
Oh no, disciples whom I love,
This is when I am the Christ at my most Divine
The fullness of the God head
This is what I came for
I thirst
Give me your sour wine
Your sickness and disease
Your mockery and disbelief
Your broken spirit and shattered dreams
Your sins, your evils, your doubts and disbelief
I am the lamb of God
I take away the sins of the world
But you have to cast your cares on me for this to work
To get into my father's house, you have to pour everything that is not like God into me
And I can take it
I WANT it
I thirst
You know how this works
You find a sacrificial lamb
A scapegoat
Without spot or blemish
And it drinks in as much of your sin until it can't take any more
And you slay that beast on the horns of the temple alter
You do it year after year
Festival after festival
And it takes the edge off
But that lamb can only take so much
That relief can only last so long
And honestly that innocent lamb didn't ask to have anything to do with you
But I
I AM that I AM
I AM the lamb of God
And I can take it
ONLY I can take it
I AM the lamb of God
And I would rather die on this cross than have you be separated from my Father's love for even another instant
I thirst
And my thirst is eternal
Like sheep you have scattered and gone astray
But hear my voice
You know my voice
I thirst
For you!
I thirst for you!
And it will always be so
I promise
I won't get tired of you
Give me your bitterness
Your worst
I won't turn away
I'm here aren't I?
The sound of my voice will reach you
Wherever you are
Whenever you are
However you are
I thirst
And it will always be so
Don't believe me?
Stick around a few days
You will
You ain't seen nothing yet!
I thirst