The Reality of Human Suffering
The saying “I thirst” reveals the physical suffering that Jesus underwent as a human being. Isaiah chapter 53:3 describes the Messiah as a suffering servant. In Isaiah 53:3 it says “He was despised and rejected by men. He was a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering.” In suffering death by crucifixion, Jesus underwent the most intense suffering that human beings have ever conjured up to inflict upon another person. Nothing is more painful, or more agonizing or more prolonged, than the suffering of a death by crucifixion.
Some have speculated that the wine mixed with myrrh that was offered to him by the Roman soldier was the kindness of a sedative to dull the pain. Other interpreters see it as a bitter and mocking response to compound his thirst with sour wine. Regardless, the saying and what followed with the offer of gall reveal that Jesus underwent deep distress and suffering.
Jesus was fully a human being, a man, who understands what it feels like to be in pain, to be hungry, to have your friends betray you, to have your friends deny you, to have yourself carried away by a perversion of justice. He understands what it feels like to be tortured, to be mocked, to be spit on.
I thirst
Jesus understands what it feels like to be sick and to suffer and experience pain. He was a man of sorrows and familiar with sufferings. In this life on earth, there are certainly sufferings. People sin against us, do they not? Confidantes say things that hurt us. Intimate and close friends betray us.
Sometimes others hurt us intentionally out of spite and out of a sinful and evil heart. At other times our loved ones wound us without intending us harm but merely because they too are wounded and finite human beings. Sometimes we suffer and we hurt, and we grieve the loss of our friends. We grieve the loss of control of our bodies. We suffer to the point of even death at times. All of us at one point in our life will suffer to the point of death. Jesus bore our sufferings. Isaiah says: “Surely he took our infirmities and carried our sorrows.” (53:4)
There’s nothing that you can go through in this life that Jesus has not gone through and will not go through with you. If you are in the midst of a challenging time in your life, in the midst of a time of suffering, of pain, of hurt, maybe it’s at the hands of another person or maybe it’s because your body is falling apart. Perhaps it is for some other reason, injustice; whatever your pain, Jesus understands—He has been there before and is with you now.
The writer of Hebrews describes Jesus as a high priest, but not like the other high priests. He is a high priest who is able to sympathize with us in our weakness, as the writer of Hebrew says. In Hebrews 2:14, the writer says:
“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity that by in his death he might destroy he who holds power over death—that is the devil. For this reason, (verse 17) he had to be made like his brothers in every way.”
Jesus had to be made fully human, completely and fully human even in pain and weakness. He shared with us in all of the pains and all of the weakensses with which human beings struggle.
He was made like His brothers in every way. Why? In order that He might become a merciful and a faithful high priest in the service of God, that He might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because He Himself suffered, He is able to help those who also are tempted and are suffering. The writer of Hebrews would go on to say in Chapter four, verse 15, “…but we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are and yet was without sin” and because of that, we can do something that is quite incredible—approach the Throne of Grace for help!
Let us then approach the Throne of Grace with confidence so that we too can receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Are you going through a time of need right now? Do you need Jesus to help you? He sympathizes with you in your sufferings. He is your great high priest who has shares in your sufferings and will abundantly and lovingly help you through the sharing in this trial time. Boldly approach the Throne of Grace, today!
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