After the three hours of darkness, Jesus proclaims his physical suffering. John records, “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.” (John 19:28-29 )

During the crucifixion, history teaches us, the victim would become so dehydrated that their tongues would swell and protrude out of their mouths. Imagine for a moment of the physical punishment that was done to Jesus. He was arrested the night before and deprived rest. He was dragged from mock trial to mock trial. He was beaten and flogged by the Roman soldiers, and then nailed to the tree and left to bake in the sun.

This statement from Jesus shows that he was indeed human while being indeed deity. He was not a manifestation of God, but God manifested in the flesh. Paul told young Timothy, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” (1 Tim 3:16 ) God was manifest in the flesh. The very meaning of Immanuel is “God with us”. He was God in the flesh.

John teaches us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:1-3 ) The Word was with Deity and the Word was Deity. John goes on to say, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14 ) That Word, which was Deity, was made flesh, and dwelt among us. Flesh means that which is physical. He was made into a physical human being.

We see from this that Jesus had two natures. He was fully God and called the Son of God, and he was fully man and called the Son of Man. We only have to look no further than the gospels to see proof of Jesus’ divinity. He exhibited divine power. He spoke with divine wisdom. He displayed divine love. He acted with divine holiness. On many occasions he read men’s minds. Even the winds of the sea obeyed his voice! In these same Scriptures, we can also read about his humanity. He was born as a babe, and from there he “increased in wisdom and stature.” He questions as a child so frequently does. He became weary, hungry, slept, wept, prayed, rejoiced, groaned, and marveled. Now we see him thirst!

Jesus suffered physical thirst and never received any kind of satisfaction. He wants you to spiritually thirst and receive satisfaction! He tells us, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.” (John 7:37 ) Jesus can satisfy your spiritual thirst, but what is it that we are thirsty for? Jesus answers this question when he says, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matt 5:6 ) We are to thirst after righteousness! What does this mean?

Do you remember a time in which you have come in from doing chores and just longed for a glass of cold water? Do you remember that inward desire that only water could quench? Have you ever gotten a big glass of water and drank it to the point that you needed to stop and take a breath but your thirst would barely let you? This strong inward desire is what Jesus wants us to have towards righteousness.

One is righteous when they are right in the sight of God. Paul tells us, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Rom 1:16-17 ) Paul tells us here that the righteousness of God is in the Gospel of Christ, in which he is not ashamed of. This “righteousness of God” is not his attribute but his plan to make you righteous. If you are thirsting after righteousness you will find it in the Gospel of Christ. Drink up and be spiritually satisfied!