In 2007 Brennan Manning was speaking at a conference in the
Midwest. He said, "In the 48 years since I was ambushed by Jesus in a
little chapel in the mountains of Western Pennsylvania, and in literally the
thousands of hours in Bible studies, prayer, meditation, silence and solitude
over those years, I am now utterly convinced on Judgment Day the Lord Jesus is
going to ask each of us one question and only on question. "Did you
believe that I loved you? That I desired you? That I waited for you day after
day? That I longed to hear the sound of your voice?"
Now you may think that a bit melodramatic. Or you may say,
"Prove it." I think one can quite easily prove it when you examine
the last words of Jesus on the cross as recorded by His beloved disciple, John.
In fact, John is the only Gospel writer to record these remarkable words, which
are a perfect sequel to his story of Jesus' encounter with the woman at the
well.
One of the things we will say on Sunday is that John
bookends his Gospel with the thirst of Jesus. In fact, John uses the word
"thirst" five times; and each time Jesus is the center figure in each
usage. Jesus is always quenching the thirst of someone other than Himself.
Think of the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. The story
begins with Jesus' thirst, and it ends with Him quenching her thirst. In fact,
He is never said to get a drink from that well. In John 19 it's the same thing.
After 6 hours on the cross, Jesus exclaims, "I thirst!" But again, He
is never pictured as getting His thirst quenched. As we will see on Sunday, He
again quenches the thirst of another. In fact, His exclamation is proof that
He's quenched the thirst of another.
But John leaves Jesus' thirst right there. He says, "I
thirst." But His thirst is never quenched. Listen to what one of my
favorite commentators says, "There is a sense, a real one, in which Christ
still thirsts. He is thirsting for the love and fellowship and devotion of His
own. He is yearning for fellowship with His blood-bought people. Here is one of
the great marvels of grace - a redeemed sinner can offer that which satisfied
the heart of Christ."
Manning is absolutely right, and John would agree. We are
going to dissect all of this on Sunday in a message entitled, "A Matter of
Thirst." The text is John 4:1-15 and John 19:28-30. In preparation for
Sunday's message you may wish to consider the following:
1. Why does John consider thirst so important?
2. How does Jesus attend to people thirsty in chapter 2?
3. What evidence do we have that Jesus quenches the deepest
thirst of the Samaritan woman?
4. How do Jesus' words in Matthew 26:29 and Matthew 26:39
relate to His words in John 19:28?
5. What causes His thirst on the cross?
6. What is the cup of wrath referred to in Jeremiah, Isaiah,
and Revelation?
7. What similarities can we draw from Jesus' thirst at the
well and His thirst on the cross?
8. Whose thirst does Jesus satisfy on the cross?
9. How does Jesus' words in Revelation 3:20 relate to John
19:28?
10. How does the message of John 19:28-30 show us that
Brennan Manning's certainty is well-founded?
