1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000 Our reading this morning is from the Gospel of John, 2 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:12,160 chapter 19, starting at verse 28. 3 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:16,680 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, 4 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:19,400 and so that the scriptures would be fulfilled, 5 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:22,360 Jesus said, I am thirsty. 6 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:25,480 A jar of wine vinegar was there, 7 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:27,920 and so they soaked a sponge in it. 8 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:30,980 They put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant 9 00:00:30,980 --> 00:00:33,800 and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 10 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:34,880 The word of the Lord. 11 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:40,000 Grace had mentioned that this time of year, 12 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:43,120 some families go away on a bit of March break vacation, 13 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:46,360 and we were one of those families that went away 14 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:50,480 this past March break, and we went actually to Cuba, 15 00:00:50,480 --> 00:00:53,980 and when we were in Cuba, we kind of traveled around a bit, 16 00:00:53,980 --> 00:00:57,720 and we stayed a couple nights in the city of Havana. 17 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:01,400 We spent a couple nights in a small little seaside 18 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,800 fishing town called Boca de Camarroca, 19 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:08,120 and then we went to this rural part of Cuba, 20 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:11,040 which was called Vinales, and when we were in Vinales, 21 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:16,040 we took this little tour through this subterranean cave, 22 00:01:16,320 --> 00:01:18,840 and it was just the eeriest, weirdest thing. 23 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:21,160 It was this huge cave underground. 24 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:22,920 Water was flowing through the cave, 25 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:25,440 and you got to go down and get in a boat, 26 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:27,120 and they would take you through the cave. 27 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:28,880 It was like you were in Indiana Jones. 28 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:31,600 You were just waiting for the boulder to come rolling down 29 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:34,560 in Indiana to come running out with the idol in his hand, 30 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:36,240 but it was when we were down in the cave, 31 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:38,880 I think Sally said to me, she said, 32 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:41,120 well, wouldn't it be great to live here? 33 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:45,760 I was like, it's a cave. 34 00:01:46,900 --> 00:01:48,640 Why would I want to live in a cave? 35 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:53,640 She said, no, it's just, it's beautiful, it's peaceful. 36 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:56,800 I was like, it's a cave, right? 37 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:00,240 Human beings haven't lived in caves in like 10,000 years. 38 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:04,040 It's cold, it's wet, and anyways, 39 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:05,560 I guess we had a difference of opinion 40 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:07,380 about whether it would be a good idea 41 00:02:07,380 --> 00:02:10,040 to live in a cave or not, 42 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:12,000 but I just thought I'd throw it out there 43 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:15,000 that we are now in the market for a cave. 44 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:20,000 So if any of you in your neighborhood notice a cave 45 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:24,440 sitting around that's uninhabited by people or wildlife, 46 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:27,560 maybe let us know, we're just curious. 47 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:29,080 At this point, we actually, 48 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:31,640 we'd consider even a good size sinkhole 49 00:02:31,640 --> 00:02:34,720 or maybe even a nice ditch. 50 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:37,840 That would, we'd be willing to give that a try. 51 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:41,640 But no, when we were down in this cave, 52 00:02:41,640 --> 00:02:44,720 one of the things that you can't help but notice is echoes. 53 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:50,700 This noises, whether it's a paddle in the water 54 00:02:50,700 --> 00:02:52,280 or someone clapping their hands 55 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:55,360 or even a water droplet dripping into the water, 56 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:56,800 it creates an echo. 57 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:59,680 It bounces off of all of these hard surfaces 58 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:03,440 and comes back to you in a myriad of different ways. 59 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:08,840 Today, we're gonna talk about a couple words 60 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:13,480 that Jesus spoke 2,000 years ago, 61 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:17,520 but they have been echoing ever since. 62 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:22,520 These are some of Jesus' famous last words, 63 00:03:23,060 --> 00:03:23,980 as we have said. 64 00:03:23,980 --> 00:03:25,740 We've been going over these famous last words 65 00:03:25,740 --> 00:03:27,060 for a number of weeks now. 66 00:03:27,060 --> 00:03:29,460 This is the fifth week we've been into it. 67 00:03:29,460 --> 00:03:31,300 And the words, the two little words 68 00:03:31,300 --> 00:03:34,100 that we're gonna look at today are simply this. 69 00:03:34,100 --> 00:03:39,100 Jesus said, I thirst, I thirst, or I'm thirsty. 70 00:03:40,380 --> 00:03:44,060 Actually, in Greek, it's not two words at all. 71 00:03:44,060 --> 00:03:46,860 It's actually just one word and it's dipsou. 72 00:03:46,860 --> 00:03:48,900 Now, I wanna acknowledge the fact 73 00:03:48,900 --> 00:03:52,500 that some of us might say this seems rather insignificant, 74 00:03:52,500 --> 00:03:55,100 at least compared to some of the other famous last words 75 00:03:55,100 --> 00:03:58,880 that Jesus has shared with us. 76 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:00,740 For example, Jesus says, 77 00:04:00,740 --> 00:04:03,260 today you will be with me in paradise. 78 00:04:03,260 --> 00:04:05,000 I mean, that's pretty powerful. 79 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:08,220 Or Jesus says, please take care of my mother. 80 00:04:08,220 --> 00:04:09,540 It's pretty compassionate, right? 81 00:04:09,540 --> 00:04:10,380 That's amazing. 82 00:04:10,380 --> 00:04:13,180 Or Jesus says, my God, my God, 83 00:04:13,180 --> 00:04:15,300 why have you forsaken me? 84 00:04:15,300 --> 00:04:17,540 Or father, forgive them. 85 00:04:17,540 --> 00:04:19,260 They do not know what they are doing. 86 00:04:19,260 --> 00:04:20,780 These are profound. 87 00:04:20,780 --> 00:04:25,700 And these are powerful final words of Jesus from the cross. 88 00:04:25,700 --> 00:04:29,300 And in comparison, when you look at this one, I'm thirsty, 89 00:04:29,300 --> 00:04:31,300 seems kind of insignificant 90 00:04:31,300 --> 00:04:34,980 and a little bit meaningless in comparison. 91 00:04:34,980 --> 00:04:38,260 But today, what I want to share with you 92 00:04:38,260 --> 00:04:42,240 is that these words, when Jesus spoke them, 93 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:46,620 created countless and very profound echoes, 94 00:04:46,620 --> 00:04:49,780 echoes that we need to hear 95 00:04:49,780 --> 00:04:52,780 as they bounce off different parts of the Bible 96 00:04:52,780 --> 00:04:55,920 and as they bounce off different parts of our lives. 97 00:04:56,860 --> 00:04:58,560 You see, these words, 98 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:02,020 they actually only appear in John's gospel. 99 00:05:02,020 --> 00:05:04,180 And the thing about the gospel writer, John, 100 00:05:04,180 --> 00:05:06,620 is that even though something may appear simple 101 00:05:06,620 --> 00:05:08,380 and mundane, it's not. 102 00:05:08,380 --> 00:05:11,540 There is always something deeper going on 103 00:05:11,540 --> 00:05:12,740 with the gospel writer, John. 104 00:05:12,740 --> 00:05:14,100 Matthew, Mark, and Luke, 105 00:05:14,100 --> 00:05:17,580 they write as if they're reporters on the scene, 106 00:05:17,580 --> 00:05:19,300 cataloging what they're seeing. 107 00:05:19,300 --> 00:05:22,900 But John, he writes more like a poet. 108 00:05:22,900 --> 00:05:26,940 Every word is carefully chosen. 109 00:05:26,940 --> 00:05:29,700 And when you come to a statement like, 110 00:05:29,700 --> 00:05:32,260 I'm thirsty or I thirst, 111 00:05:32,260 --> 00:05:36,380 it is definitely not meaningless. 112 00:05:36,380 --> 00:05:38,740 John has intentionally put that there 113 00:05:38,740 --> 00:05:41,940 to teach us something. 114 00:05:41,940 --> 00:05:46,940 John wants those words to echo in our ears 115 00:05:47,020 --> 00:05:48,980 in new ways. 116 00:05:48,980 --> 00:05:53,140 And when we listen, we can hear there's a lot more going on 117 00:05:53,140 --> 00:05:56,260 than two simple words whispered from the cross. 118 00:05:56,260 --> 00:05:57,860 Today, I want to share with you 119 00:05:57,860 --> 00:06:01,460 what I'm going to call four echoes that these words make. 120 00:06:01,460 --> 00:06:02,380 And it's a little confusing, 121 00:06:02,380 --> 00:06:03,820 but you'll understand as I go along. 122 00:06:03,820 --> 00:06:05,740 But these are what I will call, first of all, 123 00:06:05,740 --> 00:06:08,900 the affliction echo, 124 00:06:08,900 --> 00:06:11,940 then the connection echo, 125 00:06:11,940 --> 00:06:14,100 the satisfaction echo, 126 00:06:14,100 --> 00:06:17,300 and finally, the redemption echo. 127 00:06:17,300 --> 00:06:19,420 Let me explain by getting started 128 00:06:19,420 --> 00:06:22,260 and talk about how when Jesus says, I thirst, 129 00:06:22,260 --> 00:06:24,740 it creates an echo that speaks to us 130 00:06:24,740 --> 00:06:27,440 about suffering and affliction. 131 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:31,420 John, I think, would expect us to understand 132 00:06:31,420 --> 00:06:33,400 that when we heard Jesus say, I'm thirsty, 133 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:35,020 we would immediately say, well, wait a second, 134 00:06:35,020 --> 00:06:38,980 wait a second, just a few pages earlier in the Bible, 135 00:06:38,980 --> 00:06:41,620 didn't Jesus get offered something to drink 136 00:06:41,620 --> 00:06:44,140 and then he turned it down? 137 00:06:44,140 --> 00:06:45,980 I mean, if Jesus was so thirsty, 138 00:06:45,980 --> 00:06:46,820 why didn't he drink 139 00:06:46,820 --> 00:06:48,980 when something was offered to him? 140 00:06:48,980 --> 00:06:50,380 And now here he is on the cross 141 00:06:50,380 --> 00:06:51,540 and he's saying that he is thirsty. 142 00:06:51,540 --> 00:06:54,220 Come on, Jesus, make up your mind. 143 00:06:54,220 --> 00:06:56,220 I'll give you what I'll tell you what I'm saying. 144 00:06:56,220 --> 00:07:00,220 So in Mark chapter 15, we read that they, 145 00:07:00,220 --> 00:07:03,860 and it was probably the women who were around Jesus, 146 00:07:03,860 --> 00:07:08,860 offered him wine mixed with myrrh, 147 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:11,440 but he did not take it. 148 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:12,760 He didn't drink it. 149 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:16,760 And then in Matthew, Matthew kind of maybe corrects 150 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:19,400 or improves upon Mark's version by saying, 151 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:22,320 they offered Jesus wine to drink 152 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:25,400 and it was mixed with gall, 153 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:30,400 but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 154 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:33,140 So why wouldn't he drink something 155 00:07:33,140 --> 00:07:35,520 if he were thirsty? 156 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:36,700 Here's what's going on. 157 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:40,360 It appears that somehow some of these women managed 158 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:43,560 to get a glass of wine through to Jesus 159 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:44,840 amid all the confusion, 160 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:48,180 but what it was was actually no ordinary drink. 161 00:07:48,180 --> 00:07:50,640 What they had done is they had taken a glass of wine 162 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:54,080 and they had put poison into it and mixed it together. 163 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:55,660 And they said, well, why on earth 164 00:07:55,660 --> 00:07:58,360 would they offer Jesus a poison cup of wine? 165 00:07:58,360 --> 00:07:59,280 Well, here's the reason why, 166 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:01,680 because they knew the point of crucifixion 167 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:05,040 was to make you suffer as much as possible 168 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:06,720 for as long as possible. 169 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:08,760 And they loved Jesus and they did not want 170 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:10,240 to see him go through that. 171 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:13,120 So they created this concoction and they gave it to them 172 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:14,600 and they said, Jesus, just drink it. 173 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:18,680 Just drink it, Jesus, and it'll all be over. 174 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:20,480 There is some precedent for this. 175 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:24,000 400 years earlier, a philosopher by the name of Socrates 176 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:28,440 was convicted of some crime that was punishable by death. 177 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:31,640 And I believe he was able to choose the manner of his death 178 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:36,040 and so what he decided was to drink a poison, 179 00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:38,480 a poison called hemlock. 180 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:42,240 And the hemlock worked this way in Socrates. 181 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:46,040 It would deaden the nerves in his legs first. 182 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:49,360 His legs became very heavy and then eventually 183 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:51,760 he couldn't even feel his legs anymore. 184 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:54,000 And then finally he had to sit down 185 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:56,280 and then finally he would lay down 186 00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:59,720 and then he just went to sleep and he never woke up. 187 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:01,800 He died in his sleep. 188 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:05,400 Now, if he had to die somehow, if you're being executed, 189 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:08,520 that actually sounds like a pretty good option. 190 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:12,840 These women are offering Jesus, in essence, hemlock. 191 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:16,360 They say, Jesus, just drink it and soon you'll just, 192 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:19,440 you'll go numb and soon you'll just fall asleep 193 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:21,840 and you'll never wake up and you'll die. 194 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:24,680 And Jesus takes one sip of it 195 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:27,440 and he knows what they've done 196 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:30,040 and he refuses to drink it. 197 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:30,860 Now why? 198 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:36,760 I think there can only be one explanation as to why. 199 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:41,120 And it must be this, that Jesus came to this moment 200 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:46,120 by his own free will and his own decision to suffer. 201 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:52,240 Somehow suffering was an essential part of his mission 202 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:53,360 as he understood it. 203 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:58,360 To show the human race the costliness of their sin and grace. 204 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:02,520 To show that he was willing to take the fullness 205 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:04,240 of the punishment upon himself. 206 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:07,840 To go to the very depths, to go to the darkest place, 207 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:11,920 to go to the very end of the cave where no one ever goes. 208 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:14,800 He is not gonna go to sleep for this. 209 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:18,080 He is not gonna go numb for this. 210 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:20,160 This is the greatest moment. 211 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:23,400 This is moment when he gives everything for us. 212 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:25,480 You know, we live in a day 213 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:29,120 when if there's an easy way, we'll take it. 214 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:32,240 We don't have to suffer, then we'd rather not. 215 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:35,160 You know, even when we were down in Cuba, 216 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:40,160 Sally got a little cold and I was like, 217 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:43,680 hey, take some, here's some Tylenol, take some Tylenol 218 00:10:43,680 --> 00:10:45,120 or take some Advil. 219 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:49,720 And Sally was like, no, I wanna know how my body feels. 220 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:52,760 I don't wanna mask it, I don't wanna cover it up. 221 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:54,480 Well, as you can probably hear, 222 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:56,520 I've now caught that cold a little bit. 223 00:10:56,520 --> 00:11:01,520 And so, as soon as I started to feel 224 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:02,800 like I was coming down with something, 225 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:06,480 I was like popping Tylenol and Advil 226 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:08,040 like they were gummy bears, right? 227 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:11,360 Because we live in this age of the quick fix, right? 228 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:12,720 Give me a quick fix for my health, 229 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:13,960 a quick fix for my marriage, 230 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:16,440 a quick fix for my finances, my career. 231 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:19,080 Give me some comfortable way out of the problem 232 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:20,480 that I am in. 233 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:23,760 And yet Jesus, what he's showing us is that sometimes 234 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:25,560 you have to take the uncomfortable way. 235 00:11:25,560 --> 00:11:28,240 Sometimes the inconvenient way, 236 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:31,960 the way you don't wanna go is the way you need to go. 237 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:34,880 Now, I have to be very careful how I say this, 238 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:39,120 but sometimes suffering and sometimes discomfort 239 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:42,480 can actually be transformative or redemptive. 240 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:45,000 I would never say that's always the case, 241 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:50,000 but the apostle Paul, he said that suffering produces 242 00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:51,600 something in us, perseverance. 243 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:54,960 And the perseverance produces character in us 244 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:58,200 and character produces hope, and that sounds pretty good. 245 00:11:59,080 --> 00:12:01,720 Or as Oswald Chambers once wrote, 246 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:05,760 "'The way of the cross is the only way to spiritual growth. 247 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:07,960 "'The way of suffering is the only way.'" 248 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:10,560 So all this is to say, when Jesus says, 249 00:12:10,560 --> 00:12:13,160 "'I'm thirsty,' it's creating this echo 250 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:17,040 "'we're supposed to pick up on, this echo that reminds us 251 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:19,000 "'that yes, Christ was offered that drink 252 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:21,320 "'and he didn't take it, and it reminds us 253 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:23,440 "'that Christ calls us sometimes to take 254 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:26,480 "'the uncomfortable, dangerous, and risky route 255 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:29,440 "'and to go through things that we don't wanna go through, 256 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:32,600 "'but in going through them, we bring glory to God 257 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:35,680 "'and we ourselves are transformed in the process.'" 258 00:12:35,680 --> 00:12:40,120 So that's the first echo, the echo of affliction. 259 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:44,000 The second echo that we hear in Jesus's words today 260 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:46,160 is what I will call the connection echo, 261 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:47,760 the echo of connection. 262 00:12:47,760 --> 00:12:50,400 Because when Jesus says, I am thirsty, 263 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:54,880 it is a way of saying, I am thirsty, just like you. 264 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:57,440 I am connected, just like you. 265 00:12:57,440 --> 00:13:00,200 We are, I am a human being, just like you. 266 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:02,520 Jesus says, I am thirsty, it's just another way 267 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:04,400 of saying Jesus is really human. 268 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:06,080 Now today, we don't have such a hard time 269 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:07,560 believing that Jesus is human. 270 00:13:07,560 --> 00:13:09,800 We struggle to believe that Jesus is divine, 271 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:14,800 but actually, in that day, it was the opposite that was true. 272 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:17,640 In fact, the first couple centuries of the church, 273 00:13:17,640 --> 00:13:20,960 people accepted the idea that Jesus was divine, 274 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:22,880 that Jesus was from God. 275 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:24,360 The thing they struggled with most 276 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:27,560 was the idea that Jesus was a human being. 277 00:13:27,560 --> 00:13:29,000 And I'll just give you an example. 278 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:32,160 Right around the year AD 70, 279 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:34,040 there was this group of Christians 280 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:37,560 that became known as the Docetists, okay? 281 00:13:37,560 --> 00:13:42,560 And Docetists believed that Jesus only seemed to be human. 282 00:13:42,680 --> 00:13:44,200 Like, he wasn't really human. 283 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:46,640 He only appeared to be human. 284 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:49,480 In fact, the word Docetism comes from the Greek word 285 00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:53,160 dakeo, which is the verb to seem. 286 00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:54,760 Jesus only seemed human. 287 00:13:54,760 --> 00:13:57,120 He only maybe even pretended to be human. 288 00:13:57,120 --> 00:13:58,960 But really, he was divine. 289 00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:01,520 Really, he was immune from all kinds of suffering. 290 00:14:01,520 --> 00:14:04,040 So when Docetists saw Jesus hanging on the cross, 291 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:06,880 suffering, they were like, wait, God cannot suffer. 292 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:10,560 The Son of God cannot go through pain and death and agony. 293 00:14:10,560 --> 00:14:12,840 Oh, I know what's going on. 294 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:14,720 It just seems that way. 295 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:15,920 It just looks that way. 296 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:18,120 It just appears that way. 297 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:21,160 But really, Jesus is untouchable. 298 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:22,640 No pain can touch him. 299 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:24,840 No death can take hold of him. 300 00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:27,920 And some of them went so far as to say 301 00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:30,640 that actually it wasn't Jesus on the cross at all. 302 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:32,120 I mean, it couldn't be Jesus on the cross. 303 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:32,960 He was God. 304 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:33,800 He couldn't suffer. 305 00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:37,360 And they actually said it was actually Simon of Cyrene. 306 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:39,160 Do you guys remember how in week one of the series, 307 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:42,000 we talked about how Simon of Cyrene was this fellow 308 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:45,480 who got enlisted to carry the cross of Jesus? 309 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:49,360 And some Docetists believe that actually in that process, 310 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:51,980 there was a mix up and Simon of Cyrene ended up being 311 00:14:51,980 --> 00:14:53,960 the person who was crucified. 312 00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:56,400 And again, the reason is because the Son of God 313 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:58,000 could never suffer. 314 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:03,000 I believe that Muhammad 500 years after the time of Christ 315 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:08,000 also taught that Jesus wasn't actually crucified. 316 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:12,200 Or if he was crucified, he didn't actually die on the cross 317 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:14,420 because it's impossible for God to suffer. 318 00:15:14,420 --> 00:15:15,840 And I actually think, I'm not sure, 319 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:19,620 but I think some Muslims also believe that Simon of Cyrene 320 00:15:19,620 --> 00:15:21,520 was the one who was on the cross 321 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:24,040 and that Jesus himself was immediately whisked off 322 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:25,420 to heaven. 323 00:15:25,420 --> 00:15:29,560 But here, listen, Jesus cries out, I'm thirsty. 324 00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:33,960 It's an echo of his humanity. 325 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:36,640 And John is saying, look, I was there. 326 00:15:36,640 --> 00:15:38,240 I was at the cross. 327 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:39,360 I looked at him. 328 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:40,600 It was him. 329 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:45,200 And I heard him say, I am thirsty, 330 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:46,440 which is really important 331 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:48,880 because it points to his humanity. 332 00:15:48,880 --> 00:15:51,080 And in so doing, it points to his connection 333 00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:53,020 with our humanity. 334 00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:59,060 And maybe you've been with a loved one in hospital 335 00:15:59,060 --> 00:16:02,360 and they're dying and eventually as they're dying, 336 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:05,760 they can't eat and they can't drink anymore. 337 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:07,360 And so then usually what the nurse does 338 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:09,640 is the nurse brings in like a big styrofoam cup 339 00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:14,640 with a straw and you try to help them take sips of water. 340 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:16,200 And then sometimes even that doesn't work. 341 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:19,600 And so they'll bring in like a cup with like chipped ice 342 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,600 and you put the ice on that person's lips 343 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:29,600 because they need it, but they can't drink it. 344 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:32,720 Dallas Willard said, in Jesus, 345 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:37,720 we see God's ultimate act of identification with humanity. 346 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:39,560 He became one of us. 347 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:42,480 He experienced our joys and our sorrows 348 00:16:42,480 --> 00:16:44,960 and ultimately suffered and died for us. 349 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:49,960 Through his humanity, we find hope, healing and redemption. 350 00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:54,960 Like every other dying human being, Jesus was thirsty. 351 00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:57,200 He was just like us. 352 00:16:57,200 --> 00:17:01,560 And we need a God who is just like us in every way, 353 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:04,360 even a God who knows what it's like to suffer. 354 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:07,360 So that is the second echo. 355 00:17:07,360 --> 00:17:09,520 So far, when Jesus says, I'm thirsty, 356 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:11,760 we hear the echo of affliction. 357 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:13,480 He refused to take the easy way. 358 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:15,400 And then we hear now the echo of connection. 359 00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:17,200 Jesus really was human, just like you and me. 360 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:18,880 But now I wanna talk to you about the echo 361 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:20,960 of satisfaction. 362 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:23,120 You see, I have to believe the gospel writer, John, 363 00:17:23,120 --> 00:17:25,160 by putting these words, I'm thirsty there, 364 00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:28,640 wants us to hear the echo of the only other time 365 00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:32,000 I can find in the gospels that Jesus ever said, 366 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:33,200 I am thirsty. 367 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:35,020 And I wonder if you guys can even remember, 368 00:17:35,020 --> 00:17:35,860 if you know your Bibles, 369 00:17:35,860 --> 00:17:37,560 well, do you know the only other time 370 00:17:37,560 --> 00:17:39,740 that maybe Jesus said, hey, I'm thirsty? 371 00:17:41,060 --> 00:17:44,920 The woman at the well, that's right, John chapter four. 372 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:48,240 In John chapter four, Jesus sends his disciples into town 373 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:51,600 and he sits down at a well with a woman 374 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:53,460 and a woman shows up. 375 00:17:53,460 --> 00:17:56,100 And this woman was divorced 376 00:17:56,100 --> 00:17:58,560 and she had been remarried like five times. 377 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:01,240 And now she was living with a man who wasn't her husband. 378 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:03,120 And it was clear to Jesus 379 00:18:03,120 --> 00:18:05,080 that this woman was searching for something. 380 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:07,600 She was thirsting for something to satisfy her. 381 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:10,000 And she thought that maybe that husband would have done that, 382 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:11,320 but that didn't work out. 383 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:13,440 And so she tried another and then another, 384 00:18:13,440 --> 00:18:14,800 and then there was another husband, 385 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:15,680 and then there was another. 386 00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:17,640 And now the person that she's living with 387 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:20,300 maybe won't even marry her at all, I don't know. 388 00:18:21,300 --> 00:18:23,880 But it seemed that nothing could satisfy 389 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:27,120 this woman's thirst in her heart. 390 00:18:27,120 --> 00:18:29,400 And so Jesus waits for her. 391 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:31,600 And then Jesus says to her, 392 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:34,640 he says, woman, will you give me a drink? 393 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:37,400 And that's just another way of saying, I'm thirsty. 394 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:41,940 And she fetches him a drink from Jacob's well 395 00:18:41,940 --> 00:18:44,040 that was there and she hands him the drink. 396 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:47,100 And as he drinks it, he says to her, 397 00:18:47,100 --> 00:18:51,160 if you knew the generosity of God and who I am, 398 00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:53,880 you'd be asking me for a drink 399 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:56,560 and I would give you living water. 400 00:18:58,200 --> 00:18:59,760 It's interesting, because what Jesus does 401 00:18:59,760 --> 00:19:04,760 is he uses his own thirst as a way of offering living water 402 00:19:05,120 --> 00:19:07,940 to a woman who had not found satisfaction anywhere. 403 00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:11,560 I believe we're supposed to hear this echo. 404 00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:14,080 So then now on the cross, once again, Jesus says, 405 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:15,680 I'm thirsty. 406 00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:19,600 And could it be once again, he's using his own thirst 407 00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:23,060 as a way of offering living water, 408 00:19:23,060 --> 00:19:28,060 this time not just to one woman, but to all of us. 409 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:34,240 Tim Keller says that we are all like the woman at the well 410 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:38,460 thirsting for something that will truly, truly satisfy us. 411 00:19:38,460 --> 00:19:40,660 Only Jesus can quench our thirst. 412 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:45,280 Say, what are you thirsting for in life? 413 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:46,120 What is it that you think, 414 00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:48,440 oh, if I could just get my hands on that, 415 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:50,140 I would truly be satisfied. 416 00:19:50,140 --> 00:19:55,140 Maybe it's a better wardrobe or if I had some better friends 417 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:58,900 or if I had a better career, bigger car, a bigger house, 418 00:19:58,900 --> 00:20:00,440 a bigger cave. 419 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:03,780 If I could just get my hands on a bigger cave, 420 00:20:03,780 --> 00:20:07,160 a better paycheck or a promotion. 421 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:08,860 But Jesus hangs on the cross. 422 00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:12,880 In his dying breath, he reminds us 423 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:17,880 that only the water he offers us can quench 424 00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:21,360 the deepest thirsts that we all have. 425 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:26,060 And that brings me to the fourth and final echo 426 00:20:26,060 --> 00:20:27,320 I wanna talk to you about today. 427 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:28,880 There's probably a hundred more, 428 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:31,440 but we'll talk about this one to end. 429 00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:34,280 And to understand this one, you have to remember again 430 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:38,240 that in John's gospel, nothing is there by accident, okay? 431 00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:42,100 So this is the echo of redemption. 432 00:20:42,100 --> 00:20:45,800 Now, John not only tells us that Jesus was thirsty, yes, 433 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:50,040 but he also tells us they offered him wine vinegar to drink. 434 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:52,600 Okay, I like balsamic vinaigrette 435 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:53,560 as much as the next person, 436 00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:54,800 but I'm not sure I would wanna drink it. 437 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:57,480 But that's what they was offered and Jesus did drink it. 438 00:20:57,480 --> 00:21:00,720 But they tell us that he dipped the sponge 439 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:05,440 into the wine vinegar, put it on a stick. 440 00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:08,180 But then John offers like this weird detail. 441 00:21:08,180 --> 00:21:12,940 He tells us the type of stick that they used 442 00:21:12,940 --> 00:21:15,520 and that it was a hyssop branch. 443 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:16,880 Now that's interesting. 444 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:19,400 What is John into botany or something like that? 445 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:22,060 Why is he telling us a hyssop branch? 446 00:21:22,060 --> 00:21:23,640 And here's the problem. 447 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:25,460 This is what hyssop looks like. 448 00:21:26,860 --> 00:21:30,940 Now, again, I'm no expert, but I can't for the life of me 449 00:21:30,940 --> 00:21:35,580 figure out how you could take a branch of hyssop, 450 00:21:35,580 --> 00:21:40,160 put a soaked sponge on it and then hold it up to somebody 451 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:43,200 so that they could drink from it without it going, 452 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:44,720 and just bending over. 453 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:47,240 Like how on earth would that even work? 454 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:48,760 But I think what John is saying, 455 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:51,720 hey Rob, you're missing the point. 456 00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:52,880 You're asking the wrong question. 457 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:56,480 Remember, I'm not a botanist, I'm a poet. 458 00:21:56,480 --> 00:21:59,920 Remember, listen with your heart and not with your ears. 459 00:21:59,920 --> 00:22:01,480 Listen to what I'm trying to tell you. 460 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:03,280 And so when we realize that, 461 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:05,800 and when we listen with our hearts, 462 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:09,240 we start to see the real meaning behind this hyssop. 463 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:11,640 And let me just give you a quick little rundown here. 464 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:13,680 But remember, Jesus is being crucified 465 00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:16,200 during the Jewish festival of Passover. 466 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:19,520 Passover celebrates the fact that 1,500 years earlier, 467 00:22:19,520 --> 00:22:23,480 God had delivered all of his people from slavery in Egypt. 468 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:24,600 You remember how the story went? 469 00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:26,080 He sent Moses, he said, 470 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:27,800 "'Moses, go set my people free.' 471 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:29,360 And Moses went up to Pharaoh and he said, 472 00:22:29,360 --> 00:22:31,680 "'Pharaoh, let my people go.' 473 00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:33,720 And Pharaoh said, "'No way.' 474 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:36,320 And so Moses said, 475 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:37,240 "'Well, he said, no way.' 476 00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:38,560 And God said, "'Well, then tell Pharaoh 477 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:40,440 some pretty nasty things are gonna happen 478 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:42,000 if he does not let my people go.' 479 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:43,240 And Pharaoh said, "'Still, 480 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:44,880 I'm not gonna let your people go.'" 481 00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:48,360 And so then that's when the 10 plagues 482 00:22:48,360 --> 00:22:51,000 came forth upon all the people of Egypt. 483 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:51,960 They were horrible things. 484 00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:54,200 They were like the Nile turning to blood, 485 00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:55,320 the animals that were dying. 486 00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:57,520 There were small little bugs everywhere. 487 00:22:57,520 --> 00:23:00,280 There was like sickness that broke out on people. 488 00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:02,760 And it was dark, darkness covered the whole land. 489 00:23:02,760 --> 00:23:04,400 Like living in a cave, your whole life, 490 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:06,960 darkness covered the whole land. 491 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:08,800 And then by Pharaoh kept saying, 492 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:12,280 "'No, no, no, no, no, I'm not letting the people go.'" 493 00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:13,640 And so God says, 494 00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:15,280 "'All right, fine, I'm gonna send the 10th 495 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:16,600 and most deadly plague at all. 496 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:18,000 And this will do the trick. 497 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:20,520 I'm going to send the angel of death 498 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:22,080 through the land of Egypt. 499 00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:26,520 And the angel of death will kill the firstborn child 500 00:23:26,520 --> 00:23:27,600 in every family. 501 00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:29,000 They're gonna die. 502 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:33,840 But my people, Israel, they will be spared if they do this.'" 503 00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:34,680 Here's what you gotta do. 504 00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:37,120 Take a lamb, slaughter the lamb, 505 00:23:37,120 --> 00:23:40,200 catch some of the blood from the lamb and put it in a bowl. 506 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:42,120 Now roast the lamb and eat the lamb 507 00:23:42,120 --> 00:23:43,200 because you're gonna need the energy 508 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:44,480 because tomorrow you're gonna be gone. 509 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:45,320 You're gonna be free. 510 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:47,400 But then there's this instruction. 511 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:52,400 Take a bunch of hissop, dip it in the blood in the basin 512 00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:55,840 and put the blood on the top 513 00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:59,880 and on the sides of your doorway. 514 00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:04,880 And when the angel passes through the blood of the lamb 515 00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:06,080 from the hissop on your doors, 516 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:09,680 when it sees that, it will pass over you 517 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:13,440 and you will be safe and your family will be free. 518 00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:20,880 John uses the hissop plant to create an echo, 519 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:24,720 an echo of redemption. 520 00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:28,720 In Jesus, you are being delivered. 521 00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:31,840 You are being saved from death. 522 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:34,280 Holding up the hissop plant, 523 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:37,520 you are being set free from whatever it is 524 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:39,920 you're here today that is oppressing you. 525 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:42,560 He is the lamb of God that was slaughtered. 526 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:46,080 He is the one who has come to redeem you. 527 00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:51,840 So do you see how, look, these two simple words, 528 00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:56,840 I'm thirsty, they echo through the scriptures and our lives. 529 00:24:57,480 --> 00:24:59,640 They got so much to teach us today 530 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:01,680 and we're still just scratching the surface. 531 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:04,040 When Jesus says, I'm thirsty, 532 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:06,880 we're meant to hear the echo of affliction. 533 00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:11,880 Jesus refused to drink poison, to numb and avoid his pain, 534 00:25:12,360 --> 00:25:15,160 but he chose the path of suffering. 535 00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:16,760 When Jesus says, I'm thirsty, 536 00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:19,280 you're meant to hear the connection echo. 537 00:25:19,280 --> 00:25:21,560 Jesus was human, just like you. 538 00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:25,960 And just like me, he knows everything that we go through. 539 00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:28,200 When Jesus says, I'm thirsty, 540 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:31,160 we need to hear the satisfaction echo. 541 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:34,600 Only Jesus can give us the living water 542 00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:36,640 that truly satisfies. 543 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:39,320 And finally, when Jesus says, I'm thirsty, 544 00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:42,320 we need to hear the redemption echo, 545 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:45,800 that by his blood, by his death, 546 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:48,560 we are saved from death. 547 00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:53,560 So as we hear Jesus say, I'm thirsty, 548 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:57,960 I'd say let's respond to him with the same words. 549 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,520 Jesus, we're thirsty. 550 00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:05,560 Let's acknowledge our own spiritual thirst, 551 00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:10,560 our own spiritual longing for his presence in our lives, 552 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:18,560 knowing that he alone can quench the thirst of our souls. 553 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:21,160 Thanks be to God, amen. 554 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:27,480 Knowing that he alone can quench the thirst of our souls. 555 00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:38,480 Thanks be to God, amen.