Lenten Midweek 4
“I thirst.” (John 19:28)
LENTEN MIDWEEK SERVICE
MARCH 13, 2024
IN THE NAME OF JESUS, WELCOME TO ST. PAUL’S!
VESPERS
7:00 p.m.
✠ ✠ ✠
PRELUDE
ENTRANCE VERSE (Stand) LSB 229
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare Your praise.
Make haste, O God, to deliver me;
make haste to help me, O Lord.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Praise to You, O Christ, Lamb of our salvation.
LENTEN HYMN O Dearest Jesus Sts. 1-3 LSB 439
1 O dearest Jesus, what law hast Thou broken
That such sharp sentence should on Thee be spoken?
Of what great crime hast Thou to make confession,
What dark transgression?
2 They crown Thy head with thorns, they smite, they scourge Thee;
With cruel mockings to the cross they urge Thee;
They give Thee gall to drink, they still decry Thee;
They crucify Thee.
3 Whence come these sorrows, whence this mortal anguish?
It is my sins for which Thou, Lord, must languish;
Yea, all the wrath, the woe, Thou dost inherit,
This I do merit.
FIRST READING (Be seated) Isaiah 53:1-6
Who has believed what they heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM 69 (selected verses)
Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts.
Let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel.
For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face.
I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother’s sons.
For zeal for your house has consumed me,
And the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.
They gave me poison for food,
And for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.
But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high.
I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.
RESPONSORY (Stand) LSB 231
Deliver me, O Lord, my God, for You are the God of my salvation.
Rescue me from my enemies, protect me from those who rise against me.
In You, O Lord, do I put my trust, leave me not, O Lord, my God.
Rescue me from my enemies, protect me from those who rise against me.
Deliver me, O Lord, my God, for You are the God of my salvation.
Rescue me from my enemies, protect me from those who rise against me.
GOSPEL READING John 19:28-29
After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
SERMON (Be seated)
John 19:28‒29 “After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), ‘I thirst.’ A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.”
During this Lenten season we’ve been reflecting on the words spoken by Jesus as he was dying on the cross. Because they were spoken at such a critical time, each statement, as we’ve discovered, is pregnant with meaning.
On Ash Wednesday we considered how Jesus’s prayer— “Father, forgive them”—was the ultimate expression of forgiveness.
Likewise, Jesus’ promise to the penitent thief who hung on a cross next to him— “Today you will be with me in paradise”—conveys not only rich pardon but also abiding hope.
His words to his mother— “Woman, behold your son”—convey supreme compassion for his dear parent.
And his cry from the cross— “My God, why have you forsaken me?”—expresses the ultimate experience of abandonment and anguish.
Each of these words from the cross is full of feeling and weight and their profound meaning is easily seen. By comparison, the words which we are reflecting upon today might seem insignificant and unexceptional. The words “I thirst” seem slight and even mundane.
So why did Jesus speak them? And why did the Apostle John find these words worthy of record in his gospel account?
The fact is, when we make a more careful and thoughtful examination of these words, we find that they are packed with great meaning and significance. And this can be seen for at least three reasons.
First, the words “I thirst” indicate that Jesus suffered bodily. A person thirsts because the body needs fluids. Without fluids, the body is in great distress. So this cry of Jesus for meeting that need speaks to his humanity.
Jesus had a real human body. And this may not seem important at first glance, but it’s significant because there are some who have claimed that Jesus did not have a real human body. They say that it just appeared as if he did. These are the ones who deny the full humanity of Jesus and therefore question his ability to understand and relate to us.
As he hung upon the cross, it had probably been about 20 hours since he had had anything to drink. Add to this the loss of blood from being scourged and nailed to that cross and you can
see why he was in such an acute need for water. All this indicates that he was truly human and genuinely suffered, and not just from his wounds but also from bodily deprivation.
This suffering is in fact what the prophets had foretold about the work of the Messiah. Which then leads to a second reason why these words of Jesus were so significant. They were significant because they fulfilled earlier scriptures. John in fact specifically mentions that Jesus’ statement was “to fulfill the Scripture” (v. 28).
One scripture which comes to mind is from Psalm 22 – a psalm that, as a whole, is one of the most important prophecies of the Messiah’s suffering and death. There in verse 15 it is foretold that the Savior would experience extreme thirst. The writer says: “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws.”
However, the most direct connection to Jesus’ words is in Psalm 69. There in verse 21 it says: “For my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.” Jesus no doubt had this verse in mind. And it was confirmed to him when they gave him the sour wine, right on cue.
Yes, just as the prophets had foretold, the Messiah would experience extreme thirst in his physical suffering. And this is important not only so that he could relate to us, but also because the Savior had to become human in order to save us. He had to become one of us in order to substitute for us and bear the torment we deserved for our sins.
This punishment included physical suffering. So Jesus suffered physically in our stead. And his bodily deprivation is demonstrated in his cry of thirst.
But there is also a third reason Jesus announces his thirst while dying on the cross. Not only does Jesus experience physical suffering and fulfill scripture, but he also endures spiritual suffering.
We know this because many scriptural passages use thirst as a metaphor for spiritual deprivation. Thirst is an expression of lacking God. Listen to the way it is depicted in these passages.
Psalm 42:1‒2 says, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?”
Another passage from the Bible, Psalm 63:1, puts it similarly: “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
These passages, and many others, compare bodily thirst to the suffering which results from the absence of God. And that is what Jesus is experiencing as he hangs dying on the cross. It is not just physical suffering. It is also spiritual suffering. For he is being deprived of the presence of his Father.
In this way, his cry— “I thirst”—is similar to his cry “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”—which, according to Matthew and Mark, was spoken immediately before this (Matthew 27:46‒48). Jesus was experiencing the spiritual torment of being forsaken by God the Father, and so he thirsts after God.
And why does Jesus undergo such spiritual suffering? As with the physical suffering, it is all for us. He does so as our substitute. Jesus suffers the spiritual alienation from the Father that we deserved.
Because Jesus bears our sins, and the sins of all humans of all time, the Father turns his face from his Son. As we learned last week, that’s his forsakenness. God the Father recoils from the totality of sin that Christ bears. As Jesus hangs teeming with sins—our sins!—the holy God must turn away in horror. Thus Jesus, as he suffers upon the cross, cries out as one who is damned. He speaks as if he were in hell itself.
Remember the story of the rich man and Lazarus? The rich man died unrepentant and in unbelief. He thus went to hades – the place of the dead, separated from God. From there he expresses his suffering in terms of thirst. Luke 16 says: “In hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame” (Luke 16:23‒24).
Similarly, Jesus’ calling out “I thirst” is saying that he is in anguish in flame, in the fire of hell. On the cross he literally experiences hell.
And what does this mean for you and me? It means that Jesus has gone to that place so that we don’t have to. It means he has suffered the punishment we deserve for our sin—the punishment of hell itself.
He paid sin’s penalty in full. He suffered physically, died bodily, suffered spiritually and experienced hell itself… all for you!
There is one other feature of this episode of Christ’s passion that reveals him as our substitutionary sacrifice. The text says that after Jesus spoke the words “I thirst,” someone – perhaps a soldier – soaked a sponge with sour wine and put it on a branch and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth as a drink (v. 29). And we’re told that the branch was from a hyssop plant.
Hyssop branches in the Old Testament were associated with sacrifice and cleansing. An example of this are the branches of hyssop used in the Passover as brushes for spreading the blood of the lamb on the doorposts (Exodus 12:22). They were also used for other animal sacrifices and purification rites as recorded in the books of Numbers (19:2‒6), Leviticus (14:4, 6, 49‒52) Hebrews (9:19) and Psalm 51 (7).
The hyssop branch which was extended to Jesus’ mouth marked him yet again as the supreme sacrifice for sin which brings cleansing to our lives. It adds to the clear and unmistakable
message that he is the ultimate Passover Lamb – the one who has been sacrificed for us (John 19:36, 1 Corinthians 5:7). As John the Baptist said very directly, he is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
“I thirst!” said our Lord Jesus from the cross. And these short words are by no means insignificant, for they express to us the physical and spiritual suffering Jesus underwent at that time – reminding us of the alienation from the Father that should have been our destiny but that Jesus endured on our behalf.
As we today hunger and thirst for righteousness – which we will do, and which we should do – let us do so recalling that our Lord Jesus endured thirst on our behalf. In doing this he extended his righteousness to us, that we may live with him forever in his kingdom.
In the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
HYMN (Stand) Jesus, In Your Dying Woes Sts. 13-15 LSB 447
13 Fifth Word: John 19:28
Jesus, in Your thirst and pain,
While Your wounds Your lifeblood drain,
Thirsting more our love to gain:
Hear us, holy Jesus.
14 Thirst for us in mercy still;
All Your holy work fulfill;
Satisfy Your loving will:
Hear us, holy Jesus.
15 May we thirst Your love to know.
Lead us in our sin and woe
Where the healing waters flow:
Hear us, holy Jesus.
OFFERING (Be seated)
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VESPER PRAYERS (Kneel) LSB 233-234
KYRIE LSB 233
Lord, have mercy;
Christ, have mercy;
Lord, have mercy.
LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven;
give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom
and the power and the glory
forever and ever. Amen.
COLLECT
O Lord, hear my prayer.
And let my cry come to You.
O Lord God, You led Your ancient people through the wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide the people of Your Church that following our Savior we may walk through the wilderness of this world toward the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
COLLECT FOR PEACE
O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works, give to us, Your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey Your commandments and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
BENEDICAMUS LSB 234
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
BENEDICTION LSB 234
The grace of our Lord ✠ Jesus Christ and the love of God
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Amen.
SENDING HYMN Now the Light Has Gone Away LSB 887
1 Now the light has gone away;
Father, listen while I pray,
Asking Thee to watch and keep
And to send me quiet sleep.
2 Jesus, Savior, wash away
All that has been wrong today;
Help me ev’ry day to be
Good and gentle, more like Thee.
3 Let my near and dear ones be
Always near and dear to Thee;
O bring me and all I love
To Thy happy home above.
4 Now my evening praise I give;
Thou didst die that I might live.
All my blessings come from Thee;
Oh, how good Thou art to me!
5 Thou, my best and kindest Friend,
Thou wilt love me to the end.
Let me love Thee more and more,
Always better than before.
POSTLUDE
THOSE SERVING:
Greeter: Charles Fisher
Reader: Charles Fisher
Acknowledgments
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2024 Concordia Publishing House.
439 O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken Text: Johann Heermann, 1585–1647; tr. Catherine Winkworth, 1827–78, alt. Tune: Johann Crüger, 1598–1662 Text and tune: Public domain
447 Jesus, in Your Dying Woes Text: Thomas B. Pollock, 1836–96, alt. Tune: Bernhard Schumacher, 1886–1978 Text: Public domain Tune: © 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326
887 Now the Light Has Gone Away Text: Frances R. Havergal, 1836–79, alt. Tune: Liederbuch für Kleinkinder-Schulen, 1842, Kaiserswerth Text and tune: Public domain
