I have now a third picture to present to you CHRIST AND HIS MOURNERS. Of the many benefits we have in learning from Paul, a few stand out:1. Conservative, but not too much depth. It came from the parched lips of the Divine Victim towards the close of his agony, and after the darkness which endured from the sixth to the ninth hour. "Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing." We do not read that they removed the crown of thorns, and therefore it is most probable, though not absolutely certain, that our Savior wore it along the Via Dolorosa, and also bore it upon his head when he was fastened to the cross. Metaphorically understood, thirst is dissatisfaction, the craving of the mind for something which it has not, but which it pines for. Well might the Master say, "Weep not for me, but for yourselves." This is a kind of sweet whereof if a man hath much he must have more, and when he hath more he is under a still greater necessity to receive more, and so on, his appetite for ever growing by that which it feeds upon, till he is filled with all the fulness of God. Our text is the shortest of all the words of Calvary; it stands as two words in our language "I thirst," but in the Greek it is only one. Know ye not, beloved, for I speak to those who know the Lord, that ye are crucified together with Christ? Who among us would not willingly pour out his soul unto death if he might but give refreshment to the Lord? And well they may; the son of such noble parents deserves a nation's love. The sharpness of that sentence no exposition can fully disclose to us: it is keen as the very edge and point of the sword which pierced his heart. Was not the Redeemer led thither to aggravate his shame? He must love his chosen whom he has once begun to love, for he is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. The soldiery mocked and insulted him in every way that cruelty and scorn could devise. His great love makes him thirst to have us much nearer than we are; he will never be satisfied till all his redeemed are beyond gunshot of thee enemy. Even now to a large extent the true Christian is like a Pariah, lower than the lowest caste, in the judgment of some. My heart shall not be content till he is all in all to me, and I am altogether lost in him. Our sinful tongues, blistered by the fever of passion, must have burned for ever had not his tongue been tormented with thirst in our stead. We gave him our tears and then grieved him with our sins. Universal manhood, left to itself, rejects, crucifies, and mocks the Christ of God. Lloyd-Jones opens John 19:31-37 to answer that very question. As for yourselves, thirst after perfection. When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered. After our Lord Jesus Christ had been formally condemned by Pilate, our text tells us he was led away. I cannot say that it is short and sweet, for, alas, it was bitterness itself to our Lord Jesus; and yet out of its bitterness I trust there will come great sweetness to us. This was the homage which the Son of God received from men; harmless and gentle, he came here with no purpose but that of doing good, and this is how mankind treated him. Oh! He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. No man dare call him friend now, or whisper a word of comfort to him. Then came, "Women, behold thy son!" We thought sometimes that we loved him as we heard the story of his death, but we did not change our lives for his sake, nor put our trust in him, and so we gave him vinegar to drink. I like to think of our Lord's saying, "It is finished," directly after he had exclaimed, "I thirst"; for these two voices come so naturally together. Jesus took the wrath; Jesus carried the sin; and now all that you endure is but for his sake, that you may be conformed unto his image, and may aid in gathering his people into his family. There can be no shadow of doubt but that our Lord was really crucified, and no one substituted for him. "After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst." The high places of earth's worship and honor are not for us. This hint only. I cannot give you more than a mere taste of this rich subject, but I have been most struck with two ways of regarding our Lord's last words. John 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries; John 1:12 Multiple Older Commentaries on this verse; . NOTICE the connection, or you will miss the meaning of the words; for at first sight it looks as if our Saviour taught us that it John:6:29 The Marvellous Magnet "He that taketh not up his cross and followeth not after me," says Christ, "is not worthy of me." Even as the hart panteth after the water brooks, our souls would thirst after thee, O God. Even if I may not come at him, yet shall I be full of consolation, for it is heaven to thirst after him, and surely he will never deny a poor soul liberty to admire him, and adore him, and thirst after him." . Christ was spit upon with shame; sinner, what shame will be yours! Therefore while he thirsts give him to drink this day. It was most fitting that every word of our Lord upon the cross should be gathered up and preserved. And what makes him love us so? Beeke, Joel R. & Thompson, Nick. But my Prince is hated without a cause. Jesus, being a man, escaped none of the ills which are allotted to man in death. Acts 19 Acts 19 He preached in the same church as C. H. Spurgeon over one hundred years earlier. As he commends his spirit into the Father's hand, so does he bring all believers nigh to God, and henceforth we are in the hand of the Father, who is greater than all, and none shall pluck us thence. John 19:3. (1-4) Pilate hopes to satisfy the mob by having Jesus whipped and mocked. If we be true to our Master we shall soon lose the friendship of the world. And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou ? What whips of steel for you, what knots of burning wire for you, when conscience shall smite you, when the law shall scourge you with its ten-thonged whip! As Christ went through the streets, a great multitude looked on. While other religions create what appear to be worship-filled gatherings, they are empty and void of fact. He sipped of the vinegar, and he was refreshed, and no sooner has he thrown off the thirst than he shouted like a conqueror, "It is finished," and quitted the field, covered with renown. First, we shall look upon them as THE ENSIGN OF HIS TRUE HUMANITY. As Spurgeon puts it "Faith is described as 'receiving' Jesus. The most careless eye discerns it. If he carried all the cross, yet he only carried the wood of it; he did not bear the sin which made it such a load. Either Christ must die for me, or else I must die for myself the second death; if he did not carry the curse for me, then on me must it rest for ever and ever. Hail, ye despised children of the sun, ye follow first after the King in the march of woe. He had been all night in agony, he had spent the early morning at the hall of Caiaphas, he had been hurried, as I described to you last Sunday, from Caiaphas to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, and from Herod back again to Pilate; he had, therefore, but little strength left, and you will not wonder that by-and-bye we find him staggering beneath his load, and that another is called to bear it with him. Secondly, we shall regard these words, "I thirst," as THE TOKEN OF HIS SUFFERING SUBSTITUTION. The lictors executed their cruel office upon his shoulders with their rods and scourges, until the stripes had reached the full number. So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh." To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, Spurgeon's Verse Expositions of the Bible. "'Twere you my sins, my cruel sins, His chief tormentors were; Each of my grimes became a nail, And unbelief the spear. ye unregenerate men and women, and there are not a few such here now, remember that when God saw Christ in the sinner's place he did not spare him, and when he finds you without Christ, he will not spare you. Scripture provides a wealth . Sit at his feet with Mary, lean on his breast with John; yea, come with the spouse in the song and say, "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for his love is better than wine." We ought all to have a longing for conversions. Beloved, there is now upon our Master, and there always has been, a thirst after the love of his people. More solemn still is the reflection that according to our Lord's own teaching, thirst will also be the eternal result of sin, for he says concerning the rich glutton, "In hell he lift up his eyes, being in torment," and his prayer, which was denied him, was, "Father Abraham, send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame." Now we see Jesus brought before the priests and rulers, who pronounce him guilty; God himself imputes our sins to him; he was made sin for us; and, as the substitute for our guilt, bearing our sin upon his shoulders for that cross was a sort of representation in wood of our guilt and doom we see the great Scape-goat led away by the appointed officers of justice. There is the complete justification of the believer, since the work by which he is accepted is fully accomplished. Hast thou laid thy hand upon his head, confessed thy sin, and trusted in him? It began with the mouth of appetite, when it was sinfully gratified, and it ends when a kindred appetite is graciously denied. He also knew well the terrible joy that comes only through suffering as he lived quite afflicted (both by illness and slander). As not a bone of him shall be broken, so not a word shall be lost. Borrowed from his lips it well suiteth my mouth. Alas poor African, thou hast been compelled to carry the cross even until now. Have you prayed for your fellow men? You and I have nothing else to preach. Beloved, if our Master said, "I thirst," do we expect every day to drink of streams from Lebanon? There are some who in company hold their tongues, and never say a good word for Christ. away with him." Yet, dear friends, to some eyes there will be more attraction in the procession of sorrow, of shame, and of blood, than in you display of grandeur and joy. They are created in the minds of men. Take up your cross, and go without the camp, following your Lord, even until death. It is almost done, thou Christ of God; thou hast almost saved thy people; there remaineth but one thing more, that thou shouldst actually die, and hence thy strong desire to come to the end and complete thy labour. There is one way by which you can tell whether he carried your sin or not. Let this mind be in you also. After preaching his first sermon at the age of 16, he became pastor of the church in Waterbeach at the age of 17. They would be very proper, very proper; God forbid that we should stay them, except with the gentle words of Christ, "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me." Largest collection of Spurgeon resources online, including a complete 63 volume set of sermons, audio sermons, books, and quotes. This very plainly sets forth the true and proper humanity of Christ, who to the end recognised his human relationship to Mary, of whom he was born. Ah, beloved, our Lord was so truly man that all our griefs remind us of him: the next time we are thirsty we may gaze upon him; and whenever we see a friend faint and thirsting while dying we may behold our Lord dimly, but truly, mirrored in his members. If not, bestir yourselves at once. May the Holy Ghost work in you the complete pattern of Christ crucified, and to him shall be praise for ever and ever. Do you not remember how that thirst of his was strong in the old days of the prophet? May the Holy Ghost help us to hear a fourth tuning of the dolorous music, "I thirst." Cover it with a cloak? If not, may that picture of Christ fainting in the streets lead you to do so this morning. Shall it ever be a hardship to be denied the satisfying draught when he said, "I thirst." John, the gospel of faith by Harrison, Everett Falconer, 1902- from Everyman's Bible Commentary series. All nations gathered about my Lord, both great and mean men clustered around his person. "I thirst" is the fifth cry, and its utterance teaches us the truth of Scripture, for all things were accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, and therefore our Lord said, "I thirst." John 19:28 J.R. Thomson This is both the shortest of all the dying utterances of Jesus, and it is the one which is most closely related to himself. April 14th, 1878 by C. H. SPURGEON (1834-1892). We see how the Holy Spirit wants us to pray. "And they took Jesus, and led him away." His wounds unstaunched and raw, fresh bleeding from beneath the lash, would make this scarlet robe adhere to him, and when it was dragged off; his gashes would bleed anew. This is man's treatment of his Saviour. May we not despise our loaded table while he is neglected? In your chamber let the gasp of your Lord as he said, "I thirst," go through your ears, and as you hear it let it touch your heart and cause you to gird up yourself and say, "Doth he say, 'I thirst'? We can never forget the painful scenes of which we have been witness, when we have watched the dissolving of the human frame. Have you repented of sin? Shall the servant be above his Master, or the disciple above his Lord? London shall see the glory of the one: Jerusalem beheld the shame of the other. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe. The next time we are in pain or are suffering depression of spirit we will remember that our Lord understands it all, for he has had practical, personal experience of it. She craved full flagons of love though she was already overpowered by it. My Lord is not altogether without his espoused one. Last Sunday the remark was made to me "If the story of the sufferings of Christ had been told of any other man, all the congregation would have been in tears." 1 So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. There is a fulness of meaning in each utterance which no man shall be able fully to bring forth, and when combined they make up a vast deep of thought, which no human line can fathom. Once again, as we think of this "I thirst," which proves our Lord's humanity, let us resolve to shun no denials, but rather court them that we may be conformed to his image. The words, "I thirst," are a common voice in death chambers. III. Do we not see here the truth of that which was set forth in shadow by the scape-goat? I do not think we should seek after needless persecution. Glorious stoop of our exalted Head! The sufferings of Christ should make us weep over those who have brought that blood upon their heads. You may sit under a sermon, and feel a great deal, but your feeling is worthless unless it leads you to weep for yourselves and for your children. See, brethren, where sin begins, and mark that there it ends. I have sometimes met with persons who have suffered much; they have lost money, they have worked hard all their lives, or they have laid for years upon a bed of sickness, and they therefore suppose that because they have suffered so much in this life, they shall thus escape the punishment of sin hereafter. Jesus said, "I thirst," and this is the complaint of a man. O to be enlarged in soul so as to take deeper draughts of his sweet love, for our heart cannot have enough. This cross was a ponderous machine; not so heavy, perhaps, as some pictures would represent it, but still no light burden to a man whose shoulders were raw with the lashes of the Roman scourge. A second mode of treating these seven cries is to view them as setting forth the person and offices of our Lord who uttered them. what a black thought crosses our mind! It is said that a German regiment was at that time stationed in Judea, and I should not wonder if they were the lineal ancestors of those German theologians of modern times who have mocked the Savior, tampered with revelation, and cast the vile spittle of their philosophy into the face of truth. He had no sooner said "I thirst," and sipped the vinegar, than he shouted, "It is finished"; and all was over: the battle was fought and the victory won for ever, and our great Deliverer's thirst was the sign of his having smitten the last foe. They prefer a ceremonial pompous and gaudy; the swell of music, the glitter of costly garments, the parade of learning all these must minister grandeur to the world's religion, and thus shut out the simple followers of the Lamb. That impenitent thief went from the cross of his great agony and it was agony indeed to die on a cross he went to that place, to the flames of hell; and you, too, may go from the bed of sickness, and from the abode of poverty, to perdition, quite as readily as from the home of ease and the house of plenty. A Christian living to indulge the base appetites of a brute beast, to eat and to drink almost to gluttony and drunkenness, is utterly unworthy of the name. "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" is the first. One would have said, If he were thirsty he would not tell us, for all the clouds and rains would be glad to refresh his brow, and the brooks and streams would joyously flow at his feet. We would fain lift thy name on high in grateful remembrance of the depths to which thou didst descend! For the thousands of eyes which shall gaze upon the youthful Prince, I offer the gaze of men and angels. 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