1986 years ago Jesus was crucified. Crucified.

Jesus came to earth with a message of peace, forgiveness, love and the promise of eternal life for those who followed Him

He didn’t break any laws or commit any crimes, but the religious leaders feared Jesus because they could see His followers growing by leaps and bounds. They considered Him a threat and wanted Him gone!

Jesus was arrested and tried. Pilate could find no wrong in Him, but the religious leaders insisted that He was was causing problems and needed to die. Pilate washed his hands of the matter and handed Jesus over to be beaten, scourged and crucified.

At the height of his ministry, at just 33 years of age, He suffered a death unlike anything we can imagine. When Jesus was on the cross, He had already been scourged to the point that He should have died, but He endured six more hours. Just before He gave up his spirit, Jesus spoke words that can still speak to us today.

John 19:28 tells us that when all had been accomplished, right before Jesus died, He said “I thirst”. This fulfilled scripture, but as a man I’m sure He DID thirst!

I’m not the brightest bulb in the box, but I think I have some “smarts”. I was thinking about those two words Jesus said and I decided to look below the surface.

What if, there was a deeper meaning to the words “I thirst”? What was Jesus thirsting for? I’m sure He WAS very thirsty, but could this also be because of the brief period He was cut off from His Father? When Jesus took the sins of the world upon Himself, God the Father was not with Him. Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He was utterly alone. How desolate that must have felt.

JESUS – The one who could have called a legion of angels to save Him, endured the agony of the cross all the way to the end as a man and not God. He paid the ultimate price for US – me and YOU! He didn’t have to leave heaven and come down to an earth full of misery, but He did!

The early believers lived among Christ and his disciples. They witnessed Jesus’s life and ministry, saw what the Romans did to him and watched him die. Their world was shattered! Jesus was their leader, their teacher and friend — then He was GONE!

Did they have any idea that three days later He would rise from the dead? I know they had been told, but did they get it? I really don’t think they did. They were distraught and felt lost.

Can you imagine if you had witnessed these events? To have loved Jesus, shared in His ministry and then see Him die?? Then, three days later to see the stone rolled away from the tomb and the tomb empty? Finally, to rejoice when you saw Him alive?

Here’s a glimpse for you of what it could have been like:

We know, by faith, that Jesus did indeed die for our sins and He rose from the dead. He conquered death and is ALIVE forever.

Many people are thirsty – in our world, our country, our family and circle of friends.

What are you thirsting for today? The saving grace of God? A closer walk with the Lord? Maybe you don’t even know what you’re thirsting for – you just feel an intense void in your life. Each of us have walked those paths many times in our lives.

As believers, we need to be a beacon of hope in a fallen world. Don’t be afraid to reach out to others. Often a smile and a few kind words can make a difference to someone.  Share the love of God wherever you go.

This Easter, take time to be thankful for what the Lord has done for each and every one of us. Think about the ultimate sacrifice He made on that dark day centuries ago and rejoice that three days later He was resurrected. Jesus triumphed over death and is ALIVE! He is not on the cross, he is no longer in the tomb. He is alive in each who believes on Him!

Jesus is truly the friend who will stick closer than a brother – if you let him….

I hope you enjoyed reading this article.
Be sure to check out another of my articles: Can an Old Dog Learn New Tricks??

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