I thirst.

Holy Saturday, April 4th, 2015.

     "I thirst."

     A contemplation

Jesus is so completely and utterly human. Here we see in his sufferings not only an affirmation of his thirst, his natural need for hydration, but also through this, a profound affirmation of his humanity. Spiritual beings cannot thirst because they do not have bodies for which regular hydration is necessary for survival.  Jesus's words here pronounce, in fact, to all those willing to listen, "I am like you, I have a body, which you can see; it's a body that needs the same nutrition and hydration that yours do." It's especially theologically provocative to compare this with his having recently responded to the high priest who asks, "are you the Christ, the son of God?", by saying "I am He" (Mark's Gospel, I think).  Thus within two days, with this pronouncement and the statement of his humanity through His "I thirst," we see Jesus revealing BOTH his humanity and divinity -- extremely subtly.

I might add, Jesus is not one to knock you over the head with His teachings. You listen, compare His words with your own personal observations made with openness and a heart ready to recognize Truth, and then believe or reject what He says.  Thus he respects and loves our freedom to actively decide to accept Him ("love is a decision," a wise friend reminded me recently) more than he desires to convert the entire world in one fell swoop. His is a subtlety executed brilliantly by God who was a man.

I might also suggest here that Jesus' statement offers a stark contrast to the lack of thirst decidedly chosen to be experienced by most "Earthly kings." For the over-indulgent, Dionysian kings of his time, and perhaps for many king-like, indulgent characters of our modern/post-modern age, including us, thirst doesn't exist because it is always -- always -- satiated. We get what we want precisely when we want it. Kings and regular people alike fall prey to the temptation for immediate gratification.  We live in a society where waiting does not exist, and if it does, it brings our our irritability and impatience.  What would it be like to really "thirst" again, to desire something so fervently we cry out for it, as Jesus did on the cross? What would it be like?  We don't know; we've never tried it. Someone texts us an we forget about the thirsting of our hearts.

Not to thirst is thus a sort of reduction of our nature, a reduction of humanity, which we whole-heartedly embrace. To have an over-abundance of material goods, or to have the cursed luxury of immediate gratification, is thus a sort of slavery. It may be strange to our modern eyes, but it is evidently true, that constant, uninterrupted physical "satiation" is not really satisfying at all.  Would you desire something you always had with you?  It is absurd to want lunch when you just finished eating a sufficient lunch. In what does that "happiness" of the elimination of desire consist?  Can a deeper joy really be identified beyond the baroque satisfaction of physical needs?

Instead, consistent with Jesus' kingdom "not being of this world," He "thirsts" in this world, both out of the physical necessity for hydration, and also for the type of fulfillment that is permanent -- a fulfillment that proceeds only from adherence to God the Father's will and from union with His Father. He knows therefore that His thirst will not be satisfied til He is united with His father in heaven. His drink is something of another world, as is His kingdom. It is interesting to consider what Jesus did not say.  He did not say, "I need water!", or "please give me something to drink!", though certainly he was dehydrated.  He thirsted. Period.

I also just love that Christ unites Himself, in a simple but meaningful way, with all those who suffer from hunger or thirst. Through his simple declaration, He elevated all suffering of those in need of adequate food and drink. Jesus is a genius -- with two words, He admonishes wealthy and impatient sinners, and elevates the starving poor.

The last observation I want to make about Jesus' words "I thirst" is a contemplation of the semantic ramifications of His words.  Jesus said "I thirst," and as already noted, this exalts our hearts because we recognize in Him a man who is God. He does not say "I am," or "I am human," or "I think, therefore I am."  He is far subtler as we pointed out. And compared with Descartes' claim, Jesus' claim is far more convincing. He thirsts for water, therefore he is human. (He also thirsts for eternal life, making him a human loyal to his humanity.)  He is human, therefore He is. The breathtaking twist is that He is also God; it was God who thirsted, God who desired eternal life, God who felt the pain of brutal lashes, whips, and nails. It was the Creator of the universe who thirsted for both water for his human body and for the conversion of our sinful hearts which he loved.

Descrates' similarly structured "I think therefore I am" is a statement of being made from the perspective a man who (thought he) could make himself. Jesus's "I thirst" is the statement of a man who realized his very nature depended on others, and ultimately, on Another.  Jesus is not only a genius and lover, but the consummate poet and critique of flawed reasoning.

Amen.