Thirst, Satisfaction, and the Cross - John 19:28-30

1:04Jesus had already told us that this day was coming. In John chapter 3, verse 14 and 15, he said, as the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, he would be lifted up, the Son of Man, that whoever would believe in him have eternal life, death sentence removed, and would have the life. Eternal life. Then in John 3:16, the motivation for the cross John gives us for God so loved the world that he gave his only Son. Whoever believes in him not perish, but have eternal life. That's the motivation for the cross. Love.

1:54But it accomplishes something specific. There's a need that was sought to be met. And out of love, God stepped into our world to meet that need. You know, as we reflect upon Memorial Day weekend, as we think about sacrifices that have been made by many so that we can enjoy some of the privileges we have today, in some ways I think back on past generations and I ask myself the question: are we a better America than we were some years ago? And I would almost have to conclude that we are not.

2:48We seem to have a greater understanding of the concept of sacrifice in times gone by than perhaps we do today. Well, there's great sacrifice. Many noble people still sacrificing, but by and large, uncommon valor is not a common virtue in our generation. We are very individualistic. We are very self-focused. We set ourselves up as the one to be pleased. And in our relationships with one another, we seek to extract from people that which we want. We hardly know the concept of sacrifice because we hardly understand the concept of love.

3:37You don't sacrifice because you don't love. We've lost, in many ways, a love for our country. We've lost a love for the principles upon which this nation was founded. But it goes beyond that. We ask far more what our country can do for us rather than what we can do for our country. That's because we don't love our country. And so, if we don't love our country, we won't sacrifice for our country. Same is true in relationships. I see this show up all the time in relationships between husband and wife, relationships between people and people.

4:20We hardly know the concept of really sacrificing for one another because we don't love one another. We love ourselves. We elevate ourselves as the one to be pleased in the relationship. We cannot sacrifice because we do not love. But when we come to Scripture, we are met with this God who is the God of love. And he was driven, he was motivated for the well-being of others. And so he gives himself in sacrifice. And if we're going to follow this Christ of Scripture at all, you're going to realize that he's doing something in you.

5:00He is teaching you to love, and that love is going to be demonstrated through sacrifice. Taking second place in relationships, taking second place in service to others, taking the lower. Well, this morning, I want us to look upon this long-awaited Jewish Messiah as he dies upon the cross. This Christ of Scripture as he hands his spirit over to the grave. It wasn't taken from him. He hands it over. He gives it. And as we look upon him, I want us not only to see the example that we are to follow, but I want you to see that soul-satisfying fountain that enables you to make such sacrifices. If I just told you here, go live like this and give you nothing to do it, you would fall flat on your face. You can't just adopt Jesus as some moral guide because you will never be able to follow him. You've got to come to him as a satisfying stream. And when you do, then you're able to do what he did because you love like he loved, because you've been filled like he fills.

6:18And that's where we want to go this morning. Jesus makes two simple statements that express volumes about himself, his work, and our relationship with God. The first is an expression of thirst, and the second is an expression of satisfaction. And that's what I want to look at this morning. The title of the message is It is Finished: Thirst, Satisfaction, and the Cross. And I'm going to do something that they told me you're never supposed to do in seminary. Make a disclaimer. Make a disclaimer. Make an apology up front for the sermon. But as I study these words, I realize that we are looking upon some deep, profound truths. Every time we open Scripture, we're dealing with deep truths, but certainly when Christ comes to the point and he says it is finished, we're talking about a profound theological depth that we little bitty boats up here on the top of the surface can hardly even begin to fathom. And so, at best, as we walk through this, I can only Bring to mind some of the implications, but in no way can this be exhausted in the short time that we have. In fact, I would venture to say it's going to take an eternity for us to exhaust the profound richness of this passage.

7:56Well, this morning I want you to understand what caused Jesus' physical thirst so that you will find your spiritual satisfaction in him. So, first, I want to look at this, Jesus' expression of thirst. I am thirsty. Look back at verse 28. After this, after what? After the events of 26, 27, taking care of his mother. Son, behold your mother, mother, behold your son. Isn't that a wonderful detail? After this, what are you taking care of these details? Listen to last week's sermon. I'm really impressed by that.

8:33Just how he paid such careful attention. But after this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished to fulfill the scripture, said, I am thirsty. I am thirsty. It's the same word there when he says everything already been accomplished. It's the same word that's translated as finished. Couple of verses. So it's just as correct to say, after knowing that all things had been finished, he then later says, it is finished. Why? Because all things have been finished. Same word.

9:15But then, to fulfill Scripture, he says, I am thirsty. I am thirsty. Marvelous scene. The Lord of the universe, one who created all things, thirsty. The one who created the water, the one who could gather it together, the one who could bring fresh water upon the earth, the one who could turn water into wine, the one who could bring water from a rock is thirsty. We need to ask ourselves the question and think about it. What brought him to this point? What brought him to this point that the Lord of the universe is thirsty?

10:11Well, obviously, the first thing to observe, the physical suffering of the crucifixion. Obviously, he's thirsty. He's human. He's upon the cross. And part of the suffering of the cross is the dehydration from the loss of blood. The lack of water and all the physical exertion that he had been going through. His last drink was probably there in the upper room. And so he drank of the cup, and then he's up all night, physical exhaustion, exertion. So obviously, his loss of blood, lack, and physical exertion led to his physical thirst. But we have to ask ourselves the question: what caused his physical suffering? Because that's going to lead to his physical thirst. What was it that drove him to the cross in the first place?

11:15The answer to that: it's not just a physical thirst we're looking at here, but behind that is a spiritual thirst, a spiritual thirst. And I just want to talk to you for a moment in these terms: a spiritual thirst of God, spiritual thirst, the nature of thirst. You just think about what is, just humanly speaking, if we're talking about thirst on its basic level, it's a desire for relief. You want, you know, physical thirst is relieved by physical water, a quenching, a relief.

11:51And so, on a, but on a humanly level, we can also consider what spiritual thirst is. Spiritual thirst is a yearning within a person for something that's out of order, to make something right that is out of order. Perhaps maybe some clean discomforts that are good for you are a desire to be forgiven, a desire for pardon, a sense of guilt, a longing to have God's favor upon your life. These are good spiritual thirsts. A desire to have victory over your sin, a yearning for a restored fellowship with God, or a desire for peace, a desire for contentment. A lot of times we medicate people for some of these, but these are good to have these longings, these spiritual thirsts, because they are to cause you to look for satisfaction. So we can understand thirst on a physical level, but how, and on a spiritual level, even humanly speaking, but how do we understand a spiritual thirst of God?

13:12What does thirst look like from God's perspective? Well, we can think about his desire for justice as a thirst, an intense desire for justice, for righteousness. For fellowship and to put things all right. See, looks, he has a thirst that justice and righteousness prevail upon the earth. Have you ever started a project that you couldn't wait to get back to, that you just had to complete, and it just occupied your mind, and you got so into it, and you just dominated, and it just took your attention, and you couldn't rest until you completed it. Well, God began a project way back in Genesis 1:26. He wanted to create human beings to be his image, to be the living reflector of himself upon the earth. God wanted man as his image.

14:20And you know what? He is zealous and jealous to complete the task. That's why, as you go through and you read in scripture like Exodus 34:14, we're speaking about idolatry. This is what is so off about people going after other gods is because God says, You shall not worship any other God, for the Lord whose name is jealous, is a jealous God. You are created as my image. And you are to bear that image, and I am zealous to complete this task. And it's an intelligent. Intense, intense desire. It's an intense thirst. And you think about it, as you start comparing the thirst to complete this task, the intensity of it can be seen by comparison. It's greater than his hatred for sin. His desire to see Christ formed in his people. Christ's likeness in his people is greater than his hatred of sin.

15:28Get that around, right? Here's his hatred of sin. Here's his desire to see Christ like to thirst to have his image created in man. And also, it's a stronger desire than his reluctance to strive with man. I mean, he's infinitely holy, and yet he's willing to strive. You can tell, he's so adverse from our ways, and yet he's willing to strive. He's willing to put up with our defection. He's willing to put up with criminal earth. Why? Because he has a stronger desire to see Christ's likeness reign upon the earth. And you think about even heaven and earth are going to pass away, and his love for forming Christ's likeness in us is greater than his love for this masterpiece universe that he created. Heavens and earth are going to pass away.

16:31People aren't. Now, God's thirst for righteousness in humanity is greater than all of these. And Christ's suffering on the cross satisfied God's thirst for justice and for righteousness in humanity. It satisfied him. That's the righteousness he's looking for. In fact, Leviticus 1:9 and others speak about the burnt offering going up by fire. And you read this strange phrase, and a soothing aroma of the burnt sacrifice, the soothing aroma. Literally, a soothing takes place, a quieting, a pleasing. And that's what quiets. That's what quenches.

17:24Of course, the burnt offering was just a rehearsal. So Jesus physically thirsted on the cross because God spiritually thirsted for reconciliation with humanity. And that's not to say that God is incomplete at all. He's complete and complete in himself. But you see this desire, this intensity. And look, as I go through this, I realize just even as I go through this passage, you have to pick a paradigm. How are you going to explain it? And you've heard me explain passages like this through this lens of justice and mercy. And certainly, there's justice and there's mercy at the cross.

18:04But as I go through this today, I'm using the words that John used. He speaks about thirst, and he speaks about satisfaction in this. And so I'm going to use his paradigm and go down those thoughts so that we can get in our minds what John is seeing. But there is a thirst. God has a thirst to form himself in humanity, in us, his people. However, the cross-it isn't just about how God satisfied himself, but also how God satisfies the deepest longings of humanity. God and man are satisfied at the cross, and that is why we can meet there. That is why there's a fellowship there. That is why our relationship is there. That's the place.

19:03And when you think about this, Scripture describes hell often as a place of eternal thirst, terms of thirst. You remember a rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16? The rich man said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue. For I am in agony in this flame, a thirst. Remember Jesus' exhortation in Mark chapter 9 and verse 43: If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. Strong language of getting rid of sin in your life. It is better for you to enter life crippled than having your two hands and then go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.

20:01The fire is unquenchable, where their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. Now, Jesus' mind goes back to the very last verse in Isaiah. Remember in Isaiah, the very last verse, after all this wonderful picture of the joy of Jerusalem. Jerusalem's future is going to be joyful, and all of mankind is going to come up year after year. And then we read the very last verse. Then they will go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against me, for their worm will not die, and their fire will not be quenched, and they will be an abhorrence to mankind. Interesting language. You're looking at these dead bodies, these dead corpses.

20:57And it's speaking about their worm. Worm going on there. There's a fire within them that is not going to be quenched. Something is happening. You may see the physical, but there's also a spiritual dimension in this. And this is the horror of hell. Along with all the physical torment, there is a spiritual torment. Listen to this. Think about this. Hell, guilt with no pardon, regret with no ability to make it right. Broken relationships with no chance to amend. If you have broken relationships, make them right now.

21:46Loneliness with no hope for company. Shame without cover. Eternal embarrassment with no excuse. Sorrow with no remedy. An eternal example of what not to do. How would you like to be held up as an eternal example of what not to do? Self-loathing forever. You think you can be hard on yourself now? You wait. Hell is described as a place of thirst. And I'm afraid some of you may be on your road there right now. Will you listen to me?

22:44Will you let me speak to the condition of your soul right now? There's good news. This is what John's gospel is all about. Jesus came to satisfy thirsty souls. It's a major theme in John. Living water, satisfying drink. You remember in John chapter 4, you remember the woman with five husbands who was currently living with a man who was not her husband? She was a thirsty soul in need of water, and her sin had deceived her. Her sin had left her disappointed. Her sin had left her devastated, cynical, and lonely.

23:39He even asked, I'm sure she had the question: what's the meaning of life? As she every day came to draw water right between those two great mountains of Gerizim. And tell me the other one. Yeah, Evil, I was just there. Thank you. The name went out, right? The mountain of blessing and the mountain. Of cursing, right? Every day coming through there and drinking water, aware of her sin, aware of the curse of God, coming there. And Jesus utters these words: Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst. But the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. This living water is the gift of God, very Spirit of God. In fact, in John 7, you remember at that glorious celebration of the Feast of Booths, where that drawing the water from the wells of salvation is reenacted daily. Do you remember that incredible feast? We spent a lot of time in John chapter 7. And then listen to what he says in verse 37. Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture said, from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. Wow, what an invitation. Who does this guy think he is? I absolutely know the human condition, and I am completely sufficient to supply absolutely to the highest degree your deepest longings. Come to me.

25:30What an invitation. Your innermost beings, you know what the innermost beings are? Those deep spiritual recesses of the heart. From there, from that deep place. That's why we can't make sacrifices in relationship, because when we get down to the spiritual recesses of our heart, we're all about ourselves. And we will bow down and we will serve ourselves before we will serve others. But out of this innermost being, a soul that's been satisfied is then able to give.

26:03Innermost being, living water is like a well with an underground supply stream. Not just a stagnant well that gets empty, but one that's connected to an underground stream. Living water is God's Spirit flowing in and out of man's inner being, flowing in and through. But notice, he says, you know what's going to happen? Rivers of water are going to come out, not just a river. Multiple channels of water going in different directions. And what Jesus is speaking about there in John chapter 4 and John chapter 7 is the abundant satisfaction that a soul finds in him. He is so satisfying that when you connect, when you tap to his supply, it becomes a conduit of blessing for others, the soul that is watered by Jesus. Then it becomes a conduit to water others, and I mean in all directions. Satisfaction to such a deep level that your satisfaction can't help but come out and be a conduit of blessing and satisfaction to others. The problem is, many of us, even though we've seen these truths, we're not really satisfied by Christ alone.

27:27I hope you purpose to change that today. You know what happens is, you see, a vessel cannot overflow until it's full, right? It cannot be full until it's filled, right? So a thirsty soul must drink to satisfaction before it can be a conduit of blessing to others. So, where do we find such a satisfying stream? Where do we go to get our fill? Where is that stream? Where was it opened? When was it opened? Well, you know where we go to the place? That's a very good question.

28:15If we're going to be a source of blessing to others, we're going to need to know where we're going to need to know the source. We go to that place, to that moment in time where Jesus said, it is finished. That's the opening of the stream. That is where it is. It's a work where God Himself is satisfied, where Jesus Himself is satisfied. It is finished. It's a statement of satisfaction. So let's look at that. Second statement. We've looked at the first expression of Jesus, that being of thirst. The second expression is that of satisfaction. And we'll come to there in just a moment. But first, look at verse 28. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished to fulfill Scripture, said, I am thirsty. Now look at how the soldiers responded. Verse 29. A jar full of sour wine was standing there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to his mouth. Now, John's the one who picks up on the detail of hyssop. Hyssop. And he doesn't go into any detail, doesn't try to make any deeper connection, so we can't go too much as to what the connection was, but he does make an important connection that the branch, and it would be just as proper to translate it as a bunch of hyssop. You can see a little bunch of hyssop over there on the screen, just a little. But the hyssop had a very Significant role in ceremonial law. It had a very specific role in the first Passover, where the blood in the basin, take the hyssop, a bunch of hyssop, you could dip it in, and it becomes a good way to, like a big brush, it's a good way to sprinkle things. You see that happening in Leviticus 14, the cleansing of people and the cleansing of things with water and with blood. You get a bunch of hyssop, you'd get it up, and you can sprinkle.

30:30Very, very significant role in the ceremonial law. And at the first Passover, it was dipped into the blood of the Passover lamb, put on the doorpost, so that God's destroying hand wouldn't visit that house. In fact, David, Psalm 51:7 says, purify him. This is after his big sin with Bathsheba and killing Uriah and the whole collection of sins involved in that. Purify me with hyssop, with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be wider than snow. We read earlier the Hebrews commentary on the whole ceremonial system where they took the blood of calves and the goats and water and on hyssop sprinkled both the book and the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.

31:30So John is making a real connection, drawing our mind to the Passover lamb, to the Passover event, to the cleansing, to the sprinkling of the blood, to the cleansing aspect of this work. And you can think about the hyssop, it's probably about 18 inches, 20 inches. You put it a bunch together. He could tie a little sponge, not one of those great big old ones that you go scrub a big floor with or something like that, but just a little one, dipped in the wine, could nest it up there pretty easily and put it up there and just kind of cram it up there right up to his mouth.

32:15And if you think about, this gives us a little bit of a picture of what maybe the crucifixion may not been really high, like you see in some of the movies. It really only had to be a couple of feet. The crucified person only had to really be a couple of feet off of the ground. And so a bunch of hyssop with a little sponge on it would probably give somebody about another two feet or something like that, 18 inches. And so a tall person standing up could probably reach up and put that in Jesus' mouth. And so Jesus would take it up to his mouth. He'd probably bite in and get some of the. And that was probably very practical. Obviously, it fulfilled scripture. I don't want to jump in. That just for time's sake, but obviously he's completing things, seeing a fulfillment, but also very practically, he's about to say something and he wants to articulate it. And so, but it's hard to imagine that John, as he's witnessing this, that that hyssop doesn't just smash up against Jesus' face and inevitably pick up some of the blood upon it.

33:31But what John is giving us a reminder is that here's the Passover lamb, here's the blood of the new covenant, and hyssop draws our attention to that this blood is poised to cleanse the nation, nations by the virtue of the new covenant. There's some connection that John is making. Verse 30. Therefore, when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, It is finished. And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. He gave it over, just like Judas handed Jesus over, just as the Jews handed Jesus over, so Jesus handed over his spirit. Spirit. His life was not taken from him. He gave it.

34:37What John omits is really significant, I believe. He doesn't talk about the volume of Jesus' speech. This could very well be the loud cry that Mark writes about. John gives us the content of his words. John doesn't mention the tearing of the veil as the other three gospel writers do, but John gives us the reason the veil was torn. It is finished. The ceremonial law, what it had rehearsed for millennia, was now realized in Christ. Every detail of the ceremonial law, it is finished. And the veil has no place as part of the revelation of it being torn. But the reason that it's torn is it is finished. Rehearsal is over. The way opened, the real way, the copy, the shadow is met with the reality.

35:41Finished. This is no cry of somebody who is a helpless victim. This is the cry of victory. It is finished. Oh, to get to the end of your life. I've done all, gave all. All, did all, and it's complete. It's done. That's the kind. It's a victory. Race. Done. Completed. It's a statement of satisfaction. So then the question we have: what is finished? What is finished? Look carefully in the text and it tells you, what is it?

36:31It. It is finished. You see it? It is finished. What is it? It is something marvelous that I don't know we could ever plumb its depths. Like a masterpiece that you cannot add anything to or take anything away without lessening it. It is finished. From God's perspective, it is something so wonderful that it meets the law's thirst for righteousness, that it provides God's pardoning for sinners, that it appeases the infinite holiness of God, that it grants a perfect righteousness.

37:30To those God wants to commune with. It is finished. It, from a divine perspective, is incredible, but from a human perspective, it is also something so wonderful that it supplies a living stream of life that is fully and eternally capable of satisfying the deepest longings of humanity. Do you believe that? Do you believe what is opened up there at the cross satisfies the deepest longings? It is finished. We look for satisfaction in so many things, don't we?

38:17Here's the fountain. Here's the place. I wish I could describe it to you. It is finished. The law kept. As Luther looked upon this, he said, it is finished. I will comfort myself in these words, and I will confess that all my finishings or the will of God is imperfect. It is piecemeal work, while yet the law urges me that not so much as one tittle of it must remain unaccomplished. Christ is the end of the law. What it requires, Christ has performed, and in it I comfort it is. Finished. The law cat.

39:06And yet there's more. I wish we could. I wish I could tell you about it. I wish I knew what all involved. It is finished. Duty is complete. The ceremonial law is fulfilled. Pardon is just. The prophecies of Christ's suffering are done now. It is finished. His suffering is over. His humiliation is over. The resurrection is secure. The reward is subtle. His exaltation is guaranteed. It is finished. I wish I could give utterance. I wish I knew how to give utterance. I wish I knew the truths that were under these deep treasures. It is finished. Evil is crushed. Sinners are freed. Satan is absolutely bankrupt. It is finished.

40:14Righteousness is granted. The way is opened. It is finished. I wish I could articulate the majestic glory of these words. It is finished. Death conquered. Life given. Obedience empowered. Glory displayed. Love demonstrated. The veil torn. Communion realized. Thirst quenched for God and for man. Thirst quenched. What a fountain. All his life, Jesus did everything necessary. He obeyed every precept. He performed every duty, paid every price, suffered everything needed to save sinners, satisfy the righteousness of God, and bring us in fellowship with his heavenly Father. It is finished. He did it all his life. And he comes to the end of his life. And he says, it's not just enough that I completed it. I want them to know it is finished. Wow. Those words bring forth a whole new humanity. A new humanity was born that day.

41:39I may not be able to explain all these words to you, but this much I am certain on, certain of is that my life is built upon a finished work. I don't need to finish something that's already finished. I don't need to complete something that's already completed because it is finished. And so now I come. Live. I can begin to live. I can live because my life is built upon something that's finished. I'm not striving to get to some platform.

42:11I don't need to spend my life trying to satisfy some unquenchable lust for more or some new experience or for something exciting or for me to be significance. It's here. It's here. It's here at the cross. I can live. That's the stream. This is why we can't love, is because we don't drink from this stream. We love ourselves. And so we cannot sacrifice. Our relationships we make all about ourselves. I can look at the cross and I can hear these wonderful words. It is finished. And I know that I too can share with John in that most beautiful title in Scripture. That title can now be applied to me and you. Do you want to know what that title is? Look back at verse 26.

43:25When Jesus then saw his mother and disciple whom He loves standing nearby. Did you catch it? The disciple whom he loved. John said, There's the reason I write this gospel is because I am a disciple whom Jesus loved. I have no other end, no other aim, no other source or satisfaction. There is not a higher statement that anybody can make. There isn't not a more deeper statement that anybody can make. I am perfectly content in being a disciple whom Jesus loved. That's John. It was enough for him, and guess what? It's enough for us. And when you look upon the cross and you realize what's taking place, and you hear these words, it is finished. And you begin to drink from the supply they give, your soul is satisfied. And then all of a sudden, I am simply a disciple that Jesus loves.

44:31And nothing changes that. I can now live. I can now love people. I can now sacrifice people for people. It is finished. And now we can begin to live. These words are an invitation to get caught up in his work on the cross. Never will be able to do cross work until you're filled up by what happens on the cross. This is the only place where you will find a satisfaction that will last in this lifetime and next.

45:19Well, the motivation of the cross was love. God knew we needed something. We needed Him. He made us as His image. We are the statue. We are the image. And we need Him. And He knew that. And He was motivated by His love to make things right. So drink in what happens at the cross. Let these words, it is finished at a stability and a satisfaction in your soul until you can come away knowing that you are a disciple whom Jesus loves. And that's sufficient.

46:26It is finished. And so is this sermon. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for Jesus uttering these words so that we can know that he was completely satisfied in his work upon the cross. His physical thirst gives us a window. Into the way that we can satisfy our souls. We can come to you for forgiveness, for pardon. We can come to you for all the significance, all the needs, everything that we have. We come to you. Thank you for opening such a fountain and help us, Father, I pray, to drink in, to let these spiritual realities come into us, settle us, and be the means of transforming all of our relationships.

47:37In Jesus' name.