‘I thirst’: a cry misheard
Fr David Howell• April 13, 2025
In Sunday’s Gospel, St Luke records that the soldiers mocked Jesus shortly after his Crucifixion by giving him sour wine. This was the drink of slaves and soldiers—an insult to one who claimed to be a king.
But the other three Evangelists each describe sour wine, or vinegar, being given to Jesus around three hours later.
St John implies that on this occasion it was an act of mercy rather than mockery. Jesus said, “I thirst,” and someone offered him refreshment (19:28-29).
St Mark, however, adds more details: “Some of the bystanders hearing it said, ‘Behold, he is calling Elijah.’ And one ran and, filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down’” (15:35-36).
The drink was offered not merely in response to Jesus’s thirst, but because the bystanders thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah—they had misunderstood his cry, “Eli, Eli… my God, my God,” interpreting it as a plea for Elijah. It seems their motive was to prolong Jesus’s fading life, hoping to witness the spectacle of Elijah’s return. St Matthew adds that not only the individual who slaked Jesus’s thirst spoke of waiting for Elijah, but other bystanders did too (27:49).
Jesus’s words were, in fact, the opening line of Psalm 22 (“Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?”, meaning “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”), which concludes by praising God. Thus, his profound words of anguish and trust were completely misunderstood. Their misunderstanding prompted the offering of sour wine—not out of genuine concern for Jesus, but from a desire to prolong his life long enough for the crowd to witness a miracle. Right until the end, Jesus was misunderstood and exploited by those seeking signs from heaven rather than seeking God’s will on earth. Yet Jesus made no further attempt at explanation: he drank what was offered to him, accepted their callousness, and fulfilled another psalm: “for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink” (69:21).
When St John heard the mistaken reference to Elijah, he would have recalled witnessing the moment when Elijah really had appeared alongside Jesus during the Transfiguration. John understood that Jesus freely accepted his defencelessness, knowing that he would rise in the glory revealed earlier on Mount Tabor. Perhaps this providential reminder of grace, prompted by the crowd’s misunderstanding, helped John remain steadfast at the foot of the Cross. By contrast, even St Mary Magdalene withdrew to a distant vantage point (Matthew 27:55-56), possibly overwhelmed by what she saw.
May we never misunderstand Jesus or treat him callously as a source of amusement. May we always bear in mind his glory as we contemplate the sorrows he accepted out of love for us.