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After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said, “I thirst”. John 19: 28
Jesus’ fifth word on the Cross, and the second word as recorded by John, expresses that he is physically drained and in need of a drink. This word follows Jesus’ affirmation of men and women in partnership for mission, the words he spoke to his mother and disciple “Woman, here is your son” and “Here is your mother” (Jn 19: 26, 27). After bridging the gap between woman and man in the mission of God, Jesus says that he thirsts, bridging the gap between divinity and humanity within him. Of the seven words from the Cross, this fifth word of Jesus is the sole expression of his physical need: he thirsts. The missiological relevance of this word of Jesus to us today, in our own contexts, is discussed here.
a. Mission as Breaking the Ground of Stereotypes
Jesus’ word from the Cross that he “thirsts” projects a different Jesus to the audience of John. This first-century audience to whom John wrote his gospel knew Jesus as Logos, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among them. John used different metaphors which emphasized Jesus as the divine son of God. In the context of Gnosticism, in the face of which John addressed his gospel, “divine” was understood in the parameters of being far removed from all physical pain and needs. Towards the end of his gospel, when John records Jesus’ physical need of being thirsty, he provides a lead in breaking ground out from under a stereotype that Jesus was above any physical need. The divine logos crying out for a drink or water was path-breaking in people’s perception about Jesus, showing that his dying on the Cross involved genuine pain and was real. This shout for a drink bridges the gap between the divine logos and the human Jesus.
In our situations today, stereotyping has been the norm in oppressing and discriminating against people. Gender stereotypes, racial stereotypes, caste stereotypes etc, have been belittling and have not allowed our communities to be transformed. Therefore, in mission today we are called to break open the stereotypes in our communities and provide a space for the people to be empowered and liberated. Mission engagements require us to break down such norms and stereotypes, and to pave the way for transformation in our communities.
b. Mission as Breaking the Ground of Complacency
To the audience of John, Jesus was already introduced as “living water”, and when they heard at the end from the Cross that Jesus thirsts, they would have been perplexed. Can a living spring be drained out? Can perennial waters dry away? Can the living Spirit of God, which hovered on the waters at the time of creation, cry for a drink? Can the creator of waters thirst? These would have been some of the questions that emerged for the audience of John as they read out that Jesus thirsts. But such a cry from the perspective of Jesus came to express that he was not complacent. A living spring can certainly dry up for known reasons, and therefore he cried out to quench his thirst. If Jesus had been complacent thinking that there is no need of pain nor thirst, his incarnation as flesh would be put to risk. On the contrary, Jesus expressed his need and countered the very idea of being complacent. Neither the sour vinegar offered by the crowd around the Cross nor the tears of heaven could quench Jesus’ thirst, which underlines the breaking of complacency by Jesus on the Cross. Jesus died on the Cross thirsty.
The very act of sharing and caring is countered in the act of being complacent. Mission today is to break down the grounds of complacency, something which is rampant in our societies. Churches today have become very comfortable in their arm-chair theologies and ideologies, and so are unable to listen to those voices of need that are expressed from within and from outside the vicinities of the churches. Mission calls for repentance, from all of us, for being complacent and selfish.
c. Mission as Breaking the Ground of Thirstiness
Jesus’ saying he “thirsts” certainly resonates with those thirsty across the nations and across the histories. At this point Jesus happens to be like a dry riverbed, asking the people around, and God, to quench his thirst. Jesus, who was a perennial stream of living waters, watered others all his life, quenched people’s thirst, was split into multiple tributaries and turned many deserted lives into green pastures, yet now his is thirsty. A large variety of species of flora and fauna took life from Jesus the living water. Due to human error, especially errors based on greed and power, the living water took on the pollution and other waste. As a result, the living water had to be put on the Cross and hang there as a dry river, without a drop of water in him. So from the Cross, Jesus cries out that he thirsts. Jesus’ thirstiness is a cry of solidarity with all those dry rivers, with all those waterless lives, with all those that are thirsty for life and with all those that are enduring drought and awaiting refreshing showers in their lives. When Jesus says he thirsts, he calls on us to intervene and quench the thirst. Jesus breaks the ground of thirstiness, by his saying, “I thirst.”
In our situation today, when the whole creation is groaning in pains of thirstiness, awaiting the renewal of life, this saying of Jesus challenges us to address thirst and those who are thirsty. When almost one billion people across the globe do not have access to safe drinking water, their cry of thirstiness is a challenge for the church to address. The mission to which we are called today is to engage in breaking such ground for thirstiness by protecting our creation. During this Lenten season, let us repent of our callous attitudes towards creation and let us pledge to safeguard our nature and let us strive to provide access to clean and safe water for those who are thirsty. Jesus died thirsty, and many people today are dying of thirst, so let us awake to be the showers of life. For the healing of nations, let us all become the waters of healing!
Some Last Drops
Who knows the pains of deep blue waters, For her tears wept and kept within What’s for a man but domination that matters For his power swept and crept herein
When she tries to quench the thirst of the poor,
He grabs it from their mouths for sure
For he dictates that water is for money and not for any And pours her in the rich houses for waste
Arise O waters, Arise O people,
Water for life and water for all
Injustice to water and injustice to people
Speak out and speak aloud
For man’s injustice to be watered away
And justice to be for waters again
Let Waters roll down in justice and
And let the streams be ever flowing to all in righteousness.
May God bless our initiatives for water justice and let justice roll down like waters; let righteousness flow like a never-ending stream!
Thoughts for Reflection:
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How is mission understood in your context as breaking ground?
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What are the ways in which we can give up our callous attitudes towards our
creation and save & share water?
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Is quenching the thirst of people who are dying of thirst the same as quenching
the thirst of Christ?
Ecumenical Water Network - Seven Weeks for Water: www.oikoumene.org/7-weeks-for-water 3
Please note: Opinions expressed in Biblical reflections or background resources do not necessarily reflect EWN and WCC policy.
Questions for Discussion:
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In your locality, identify the rivers that have been polluted, and make an analysis of the reasons, and discuss the way forward in protecting the rivers and other local water bodies.
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How can you sensitize your local congregations regarding the need to address the thirsting communities around? What are the ways forward?
Ideas for Action:
- Initiate a campaign on behalf of your church to save rivers, local water bodies and create awareness of the importance of water to your congregation members.
* Raj Bharath Patta is an ordained pastor from the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church in India, currently serving the Student Christian Movement of India as its general secretary.
