Fulfillment: Jesus made this fifth cry[1] from the cross, the cry of a death thirst. He declared it to fulfill Psalm 22:15, which spoke of a thirst that would lay the Messiah “in the dust of death.” There was certainly a physical side to this. By this moment, Jesus had suffered tremendous blood loss and was drained of fluids. His body was dried out like fired clay[2] and His tongue stuck to His mouth. The process of torture and execution dehydrated His body. But there was also a symbolic side. His physical thirst signified alienation from God and His judgment. In Scripture, water always comes from the LORD. Whether Hagar or Isaac, in the wilderness or at Sychar, the LORD was always the source of water.[3] He is, therefore, called “the fountain of living waters” (Jer. 2:13). Thus, the Lord Jesus often spoke as that fountain and offered the water of salvation,[4] for He is that LORD of salvation (Mt. 1:21; cf. Is. 12:2; 25:9; 33:22). But on the cross, it was entirely backwards. The LORD panted for water. Why?

Substitution: The water source Himself became athirst to become our substitute. Jesus took our death sentence for us.[5] We deserved the agonizing flames of judgment and its thirst, even as the rich man in hell begged for just one drop of water (Lk. 16:24). But Jesus suffered that torment in our place. Even as He became naked (Jn. 19:24) for us and was rejected (Ps. 22:1) for us, so He also became thirsty for us. Spiritual refreshment—its foretaste now and its fullness in eternity—comes to us freely,[6] for Jesus took our thirst on the cross.

[1] The first four are found in: Lk. 23:34; Lk. 23:43; Jn. 19:26; and Mt. 27:46.

[2] “strength” may be “palate” (cf. NET fn; Craigie & Tate, Psalm 1-50 [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004], 196).

[3] For Hagar, cf. Gen. 21:19. For Isaac, cf. Gen. 26:24-25. For Israel, cf. Ex. 17:6. For the woman, Jn. 4:10.

[4] Cf. Jn. 4:13-14; 7:37-39; Rev. 22:1, 17. Cf. also Is. 55:1-3.

[5] Our death sentence was declared in Gen. 3:19, but Jesus served our sentence in our place (Heb. 2:9).

[6] The freeness of salvation portrayed as thirst quenching is seen in Rev. 21:6; 22:17; Is. 55:1. Christ’s death as the ransom for our redemption is seen in Mark 10:45; 1 Tim. 2:5-6; Tit. 2:14; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 2:24; 3:18.