Really, Really Thirsty

Really, Really Thirsty

O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.

Psalm 63:1

Those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.

John 4:14

To fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.”

John 19:28

Have you ever seen a movie or TV program that shows people lost at sea, baking in the sun on their raft, desperately thirsty and surrounded by salt water that they can’t drink? Drinking salt water only increases a person’s thirst and causes even more intense dehydration. So even though it looks inviting when you’re really thirsty, it will only make you thirstier.

In a sense, when we expect the things of this world—like experiences, entertainment, or success—to satisfy us, it is like we have put our heads down into salty water, only to find it causes us to dry up.

As Jesus hung on the cross he said, “I am thirsty.” It is interesting that he said this, because throughout being whipped and beaten and nailed to the cross, he never complained about the physical torture and agony. So when he said, “I am thirsty,” he probably wasn’t talking about a physical thirst, even though he must have been desperately thirsty. More likely he was speaking as our substitute, as the one who became sin for us. He was saying that he felt the agonizing pain every sinner deserves to feel forever. And in our place, Jesus descended into hell—that place of unquenchable thirst and scorching fire. Jesus Christ experienced the agonizing thirst of eternal punishment on behalf of those who turn to God for the living water of life.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

When you are really, really thirsty, what drink best satisfies your thirst?

Why do you think Scripture uses the metaphor of thirst to describe intense longing?

How would you explain to someone what it means to drink the living water of Christ?