I am thirsty. ... It is finished.


Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. -John 19:28-30 NRSV

I want to again look at the cross through the eyes of Mary, John and others at the cross. They had no understanding about what would happen in just a few days. Unlike us, they had no ability to see the cross in light of the resurrection. It reminds me of that day that I stood by my wife's side when she breathed her last breath. "It is finished" seemed so final.

Jesus' death seemed both human and divine. Like a man, he was thirsty. Like God, he had power to leave his body. Yet the people who were watching Jesus die did not understand the divine part of the story. It causes me to consider how I forget about my own divine story. I am more than the sum of the things that happen to me. Divinity lives in me.

Lord help me to remember that I am part human and part divine because you live in me.


... this devotion is part of an ongoing series on the Gospel of John.

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