The 5th Saying of Christ Jesus: "I thirst."

 The Hyssop

"Jesus was quite aware everything
He had set out to do at the Cross,
was completed.
Now, He simply fulfilled the Scipture
and said: "I am thirsty."
  
   Gleaning from John 19:28


 Jesus was thirsty as the sixth hour, His last minutes on the Cross came to a close.

 Much has been written about these three words: "I am thirsty." Some have taken it to be a symbolic gesture: a thirst for our lives to be with Him...and so on.
 For me, I just think Jesus was thirsty. He was "one of us", 100% man, and the toll His body has taken....it would be natural to thirst.
 After all, Jesus had thirsted before in Scripture, like the time He shared with the Samaritan woman at the well, and this was the second time while on the Cross He was to receive a drink.
 The first time while on the Cross He refused, because it had myrrh mixed with it to act like a pain killer and dull His senses. Even with all the brutal beatings and the pure agony of being nailed to a Roman cross, He wanted a clarity of mind.
 Now, that being said, I am quite convinced He did have us on His mind, His love for us, and the joy that was forthcoming.

 One thing: when I read of the Roman soldiers offering Him a spongeful of sour wine, I thought..."How cold and brutal these guys really were." But, then as I looked deeper into it, I realized something.
 First, why did the Roman soldiers have the wine-water mix there in the first place? Did they just have it handy when someone was to be crucified? No, the Roman soldiers actually had it there...for themselves.

 When Roman soldiers were to serve in foreign lands, they had learned some things. One, since departing from their homeland of Italy, and doing their time in Israel, they were aware of the climate change...a much warmer climate compared to "the homeland".
 And one thing they had learned, unless you had grown up in an area like the land of Israel, the water would often contain bacteria that a person from a foreign land could not stomach...literally. I know for example when I had spent time in Mexico....the bacteria in the water supply was something I needed to avoid...or I would get sick.
 Well, for the Roman soldiers, it was a similar deal. The bacteria in the local water supply could make a Roman soldier sick. To compensate for that, the soldiers would mix sour wine into the water, which then furmented into more of a vinegar, and would hopefully kill of the bacteria in the local water.

 So, the water they offered to Jesus, the soldiers had brought it to drink themselves. Instead of seeing this as a brutal act, I have come to realize it really was really a small act of kindness.
 After all, crucifixions could last for days...and it was warm.

 Now, the hyssop that was used to moisten the lips and throat of Christ Jesus...this certainly has a symbolic meaning to it. It was the hyssop the Israelites used to brush the lamb's blood on the doorposts during the passover...just like in Egypt...to keep Death from destroying the firstborn.