The Lamb Quenches Our Thirst

Maundy Thursday

March 24, 2016

Mark 14:24

The Lamb Quenches Our Thirst

In the name of the Father and of the ☩ Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The thirsty “they” in Psalm 107 is us.

They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region;

They did not find a way to an inhabited city.

They were hungry and thirsty;

Their soul fainted within them.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;

He delivered them out of their distresses.

He led them also by a straight way,

To go to an inhabited city.

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His loving-kindness,

And for His wonders to the sons of men!

For He has satisfied the thirsty soul,

And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good. (Psalm 107:4-9 NASB)

Our concept of physical thirst is limited. Since we have plenty of water, it's difficult to grasp what this psalm is saying about us. But anyone who has traveled in a desert knows thirst.

Once there was a soldier named Lawrence who led a band of warriors across a desert to surprise their enemy from a direction they didn't expect. Crossing this desert was thought impossible because there wasn't any water for days and days (which was why their enemy didn't even bother with lookouts in that direction). Crossing this desert was considered a suicide mission.

This is why Lawrence hatched this daring plan. But after days in the desert, his big idea didn't seem so hot. After days of burning sun and little to no water, you start seeing things. You start to become confused and think you see things that aren't real. We call them mirages.

We've never seen a “real” mirage, but we are surrounded by confusing things that seem to be real. Our mirages may sound like “God just wants me to be happy.” This idea that isn't real leads many to be so comfortable in our sins that we refuse to confess them as sins. Instead of God's Word as the authority for our souls, our feelings of happiness lead us around by our noses.

In turn we “happiness vampires” force others to scurry along to another mirage that sounds like “God doesn't want me to judge people.” And so we remain silent when we see sinners sinning away to their hearts' content. And mostly this means being silent about our own sins.

But the reality is that Jesus tells us to judge ourselves, so that we might see Him as our merciful Savior and then help others away from the mirages that they are dying from.

First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:5 NASB)

Lawrence made it to enemy camp in Aqaba, but not before saving a man's life in the desert. The man had fallen behind and had no hope of survival. But Lawrence went back for him and found him and gave him water. Quite a savior, though if we are believe the myth of the movie, Lawrence went a bit mad, a bit crazy, thinking of himself as an actual living messiah.

Dear eternal friends, the true Messiah has found us, dying of thirst in the deserted world. He finds us, He bathes us in water, and He gives us something to drink. And that something is His own Word and His own blood.

Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.” (John 7:37 NASB)

Therefore, thus says the Lord God,

“Behold, My servants will eat . . .

Behold, My servants will drink . . .

Behold, My servants will rejoice . . .

Behold, My servants will shout joyfully with a glad heart” (Isaiah 65:13,14 NASB)

And Jesus said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant which is poured out on behalf of many.” (Mark 14:24 LJB)

God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us,

so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God! Amen!

2 Corinthians 5:21