He Asked For Himself

“I Thirst”

The Bible doesn’t tell us anything about what Christ asked for Himself, until we get to the Passover night where He prayed:

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. (Matthew 26:39 KJV)

He knew what was coming.

And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. (Matthew 26:1-2 KJV)

Yet, He asked. And, perhaps this would be construed as asking:

After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. (John 19:28 KJV)

The One who told a Samaritan woman about water that sated thirst says “I thirst.”

Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. (John 4:13-15 KJV)

As Mark and Bev Lowry tell us, He who made the rivers, He who made the sea, said “I thirst.”

David foresaw that He would:

They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. (Psalms 69:21 KJV)

And, at first He didn’t:

They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. (Matthew 27:34 KJV)

Then He did:

And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. (Matthew 27:48 KJV)

He told us that we would be blessed for our own thirst:

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6 KJV)

I think of His death this Good Friday and cannot imagine the feeling of loss experienced by His disciples.  They did not remember His words, did not recall His deeds. Nothing in this world, even the principalities and powers, understood the necessity of His death.  Had they, Paul explains,

… for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1 Corinthians 2:8b KJV)

Everything else our Lord prayed, all the words He taught, glorified God. He asked not for Himself. May we do both, too.