Morning: This morning's message came from John 19:28-29. This saying of Jesus was simply, "I am thirsty." When we seek to understand why? John informs us Jesus spoke it in order to fulfill the Scripture. John tells us in this verse that Jesus knew that everything had been completed. The "everything" here must refer to the fullness of God's wrath. Jesus had suffered the wrath of God completely, and now he could yield up his life.
We see in John's statement about Jesus knowing everything was complete, that Jesus was completely committed to the Father's will even to the point of death. This reminds us that we should be committed to Jesus' will even to the point of death. We should seek to follow in Jesus' footsteps.
John also tells us that Jesus spoke in order to fulfill the Scriptures. We see here Jesus' commitment to the Scriptures. But Jesus' relationship to Scripture is different than ours. Jesus' lived out the Scriptures, we live by them. I mean, the Jesus is the focal point of Scriptures or the lens through which all Scripture must be interpreted. The Old Testament points to Jesus' coming and the New Testament points us to his work and person. The Scriptures teach us about Jesus. We live by the Scriptures; they guide us in understanding God, Jesus, salvation, and the way we should live.
Now returning to the statement, "in order to fulfill the Scriptures." Which one we might ask? There are two basic thoughts, some think it is a reference to Psalm 22 which Jesus refers to elsewhere in the crucifixion narratives. The psalmist describes the crucifixion in graphic detail hundreds of years before the event. He speaks of his tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth because of his thirst. Others conclude, based on the mention of sour wine in John 19:29, that the Scripture being referenced is Psalm 69:21. The exact reference isn't the essential point in this passage. The essential point is that the Scriptures must come to pass. We are reminded here of two important truths: the Scriptures cannot be broken, and Jesus is the key to understanding all of the Scriptures.
Evening: We modeled evangelism tonight. We had a couple of helpful workers laboring to present evangelistic encounters. We also had the opportunity to learn together and also enjoyed a few laughs.
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