I THIRST!

Biblical accounts tells us that preceding the crucifixion, Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. Luke 22:44 speaks of His praying in agony and that His sweat were like drops of blood. Medical science also recognises that hematidrosis (excretion of bloody sweat) occurs where a person is undergoing extreme levels of stress for example when facing death such that the blood vessels under the skin ruptures and mixes with sweat to come on the skin surface.

The agony experienced in Gethsemane was soon followed by unspeakable tortures in the hands of evil men. He was scourged, and with a crown of thorns pressed firmly on His head he was made to carry the cross for a long walk to Golgotha. The Son of God collapsed under the weight of the cross. Now put together the scourging, the loss of blood thereby and through the crown of thorns and then the crucifixion that followed. All of these culminated in total dehydration for the Holy One. And so on that fateful day, Jesus on the cross in utter exhaustion whispered the words “I thirst”. 

Now to a brief description of crucifixion. This is a method of execution that provides a slow and painful death. The term excruciating literally came from crucifying. One can describe it as gruesome, humiliating and wicked. Although this method was used by the Romans in centuries past, its horrible nature was described by one of their eminent citizens Cicero, who described crucifixion as "a most cruel and disgusting punishment" and suggested that the very mention of the cross should be far removed not only from a Roman citizen's body, but from his mind, his eyes, and his ears.

I therefore urge you to think again if you still attribute this hate filled, ruthless, cold-blooded and vengeful actions against Jesus of Nazareth to a plan endorsed by His Almighty Father Who already gave us the Commandment: thou shall not kill!

May we have the strength to cast away all false interpretations and thirst only to do the Will of God which Jesus explained to us at such a great and painful price!