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你上一次觉得口渴难耐是什么时候呢？或许是一个大热天，或许是你努力锻炼的时候。又或许当你开车在高速公路上，好长时间都没停下休息了。我们都知道极度口渴的滋味；尽管这看起来是一件小事，却会让人感觉很难受。

约翰告诉我们，耶稣最后在十字架上说出的话其中之一就是：“我渴了”。我们可能不理解，为什么约翰要提到这个细节呢？

这幅画面中蕴含着能力，耶稣曾说自己是“活水”，现在祂竟然说：“我渴了”。这是祂为我们受苦的一个明证。耶稣的渴为的是止住我们的干渴，祂在十字架上脱水，好使我们得着活水。

在我们今天这个世界里，大多数人的主要目标是寻求更简单、更舒适的生活，我们必须牢记耶稣愿意经历的一切。我们都不喜欢干渴，或饥饿，或经历任何形式的痛苦。但跟随十字架的路意味着牺牲自己。这意味着付出直到疼痛的地步——甚至更多。这不意味着忽略我们对界线的需要，但或许这意味着付出自己，直到我们感到“口渴”，就如耶稣所做的一样。

When was the last time you became really thirsty? Perhaps it was a hot day, or maybe you were doing a tough workout. Or maybe you were on the highway in a car for too long without a stop. We all know what it feels like to get really thirsty; and although it may seem a small thing, it can make us feel miserable.

John tells us that one of the last things Jesus said from the cross was “I am thirsty.” And we might wonder why John bothers to include this detail.

There's power in this image of Jesus, who described himself as the “living water,” saying “I am thirsty.” It's a physical proof of his suffering for our sake. Jesus thirsts in order to quench our thirst. He is dehydrated on the cross so that we may have living water.

In our world today, in which the main goal for most people is to seek an easier, more comfortable life, we must remember what Jesus was willing to go through. We don't like to be thirsty. Or hungry. Or to experience pain of any kind. But following the way of the cross means giving sacrificially of ourselves. This means giving till it hurts—and more. It doesn't mean ignoring our need for boundaries, but it may well mean giving of ourselves until we too become “thirsty,” as Jesus did.