Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look, and an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.

It's only John's gospel that records that on the cross Jesus said, I thirst.

These words were uttered by Jesus, we're told, not as a guttural physical response, but with deeper intention.

And yet, we ought not think these words are merely manufactured or insincere either.

Knowing, John clarifies, that all was now finished, Jesus said, I thirst, in order to fulfill

the scriptures.

John also records how earlier in his ministry, and on the last great day of the Feast of Tabernacles,

Jesus stood up and cried out, if anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink.

Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living

water. And Jesus had also told the woman at the well that the water I give will become in him

a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

And now here, on the cross, the one who promised to alleviate all thirst as the endless source

of living water, said that he himself was thirsty. Why are we told this? Why is this fact that

Jesus thirsted so important? On All Saints Day in 1755, the world changed.

Ten-minute earthquake in Lisbon, Portugal was followed by a tsunami in fires. An estimated

60,000 people were killed. Many were crushed by collapsing churches, where they had gathered

to celebrate the Christian Holy Day. According to moral philosopher Susan Neiman, this incident of natural evil proved

to many Western intellectuals that God could not be trusted.

For example, the French philosopher Voltaire scathingly wrote these words, quote,

Are you then sure the power which would create, the universe and fix the laws of fate,

could not have found for man a proper place, but earthquakes must destroy the human race?

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