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Writer's pictureNathaniel Vanderploeg

Maundy Thursday: Vulnerable




"I thirst."


Simple Prayer: Give me a deeper awareness of the reality of your humanity.


Read for Context (What does it say? Read 3x): John 19:28-29


Read for Insight (What does it mean?):


His Relentless Love: Jesus was not Superman. Jesus' body was 100% human dogged by hunger, fatigue, injury, aches and pains. And thirst. Simply said, on the cross Jesus became dehydrated. He asked for a drink. His torturers stuffed a sponge full of bitterness into his mouth and snickered at their (cruel) joke.


Jesus said, "I thirst," not to demonstrate that he was human. He was thirty because he was human. There is a vulnerability to Jesus that is present only because he was a regular human. He was mortal. He was dying a real death.


This chosen vulnerability underlines the depth of Jesus' humanity. It emphasizes the reality that being in very nature God, he made himself nothing, taking on the image of a common, everyday human. He then lived out his days in humility as an obedient servant.


The essence of humility is the willingness of a regular person to pour oneself until empty for the sake of others. This vulnerability is scary. It is also an undeniable characteristic of relentless love.


Our Response: Jesus showed us the way of humility. He invites regular people like you, like me to follow him. Paul captures this idea in Philippians 1:1-11. He implores God's people to embrace vulnerability for the sake of the Church and for the cause of the Kingdom. For Jesus it led to eternal glory. For us it leads to humble, unmitigated worship.


Read for Application (How should I respond?)


Say/write a short prayer of commitment.  In a journal or in the comments below.

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