John 19:28 – After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. (KJV)

If you have done any hiking or work in the woods, you may have used a canteen. I can remember once working at putting up tents at a Scout camp, when I got so dry that I do not think that there was enough moisture left in my mouth to wet a stick of gum. And I was not carrying a canteen. One of the older staff members who drove the supply truck showed up with a large cooler of water on the back of the truck. Did that water ever taste great!

Did you know that it is possible to be so dry that one's body can no longer absorb moisture? This is what is called dehydration. At that point, one must be given a mixture of salt and other minerals to get the cells to again absorb water.

Jesus, when given vinegar on a sponge, had probably reached that state of dehydration, as he hung on the cross between two thieves in the hot Middle Eastern sun. Jesus had also lost great amounts of blood, compounding the dehydration process. The thirst he had was probably unquenchable.

Jesus endured this for our sake. He thirsted for us. We need to thirst for him, and to develop an unquenchable thirst for his Word and for the souls of the lost.

Prayer: Father, we thirst for your Word. Send us into the world so that others may see your love in us and likewise thirst. Amen.

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About the author:

Ken Bakewell <kids_karate@yahoo.com>
Russell, Pennsylvania, USA
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