Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? (3)

Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? (3)
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"(Mark 15:34)

In yesterday’s meditation, we discussed on the seven last words of Christ on the cross. The similar expression of Jesus’ word is found one word each in Matthew and Mark and three words each in Luke and John. Among the seven words, the most similar verse to ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani’ would be ‘I’m thirsty’. These two words are passive while other words are in positive expression. First of all, I would like to elucidate the expression ‘I’m thirsty’. It may guide us to understand ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani’ easier way.

Jesus’ appeal “I’m thirsty’ can be very practical. Blood slowly flows down from the palm of his nailed hand. It takes quite a long time to lose blood till the point of dead. Consciousness of a condemned criminal is dizzy. The entire liquid of the body sneaks away. Thirstiness reaches up to the extreme.

The implication of his thirst is not only related to physical aspect. Jesus was forsaken by all the people who surrounded him. Mocking in trial process and on the cross also would contribute to the aggravation of his thirst. Jesus who sighed in his public life saying, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He could not do anything but feels thirsty.

However, there is a paradoxical scene. Once Jesus said, “…but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”(Jn 4:14) And he also said, “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." (Jn 7:37, 38) ‘Streams of living water’ here signifies the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of life. Jesus the source of quenching our spiritual thirst is God who cries “I’m thirsty.” He is our Christ.