In John 19:28, prior to Jesus speaking his fifth word from the Cross: "I am thirsty," John adds the phrase "in order to fulfill the scriptures."
I wonder if John was thinking he should add that phrase so as to make it seem that Jesus wasn't complaining but just fulfilling the scriptures when he said "I am thirsty."
Whatever John may have been thinking, we know that because our Lord was fully human he would have had to by this point in his struggle with the Cross reached a point of true physical exhaustion and dehydration. He had expressed his emotional pain with the words: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" and now these words clearly express the reality of the physical pain he was enduring because of his love for you, for me and for all of humanity.
Considering the absence of any one up to this point who had been willing to consider the physical and spiritual pain that our Lord was enduring, one would have thought that this prayer would have been ignored. But then, in a totally unexpected way, we read about an unnamed hero who steps forward to minister to the needs of Jesus.
Was it this random act of kindness that gave Jesus the renewal of his spirit that enabled him to fulfill his mission on the cross? On that possibility, we can only speculate, but clearly, we can say that as we consider the fact that in his moment of greatest need, this stranger was able to minister to our Lord, this person was the luckiest person in human history.
Is that to bold a speculation? Perhaps it is but let us reflect upon this moment of grace in the life of our Lord and consider what meaning it has for us in terms of our own faith journey.
To begin our reflection, let us affirm the fact that this unknown stranger's act of compassion reminds us of the power we share to be an instrument of God's grace in the lives of our loved ones and others.
Think about it for a moment. Jesus was experiencing the greatest challenge is his life. His faith was great, but his physical and spiritual pain were great also. As he cries out "I am thirsty," he is desperate for some act of kindness to sustain him and it happens.
We have shared in those type of experiences also. We have been both on the receiving and giving side of grace. We have faced the challenge of living in a Good Friday World and the love and support of others has helped us to persevere in our struggle.
An example of this that is relevant to our Church family is the struggle that our good friend Russ C. is experiencing now. Yesterday, when I visited him with Anthony B. one of the things that Russ said to us was that he couldn't go through this time without the love and support of his family and his Church family.
But this love comes with a price. Think about this unknown stranger who ministered to the need of Jesus. Jesus was surrounded by people who were against him. Peter seeing those odds had denied that he even knew the Lord. But this hero throws caution to the wind, and steps forward to minister to Jesus. Whatever the price, he was willing to run the risk because of his concern and compassion.
In our life and ministry, we also need to be willing to pay a price, run a risk, or make a sacrifice in order to accomplish some good.
I think about how that truth is being lived out in many ways within the life of our Church's ministry. Our financial and health kit gifts for the victims of the Tsunami. Our response to the needs of the hungry both local and globally through our One Great Hour of Sharing, and our Good Friday and Crop Walk. These are just a few examples of how we are all giving of our time, talents and treasures in a sacrificial way to make the ministry of our Church possible.
Finally, let us remember the blessing that comes to us when we are a blessing to others. John did not think it was necessary to mention this stranger's name. But because of his heroic deed of compassion, he lives on today as a role model for all who seek to be an instrument of God's grace in the lives of their loved ones and others.
Is there a better feeling than making a positive difference in the lives of those who we minister to? I think not, for as we share the gift of God's grace in our daily lives, we grow in our experience of that piece that truly passes all human understanding.
Pastor Stephen Giordano — March 13, 2005