Are You Thirsty?
John 7:37-39
37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
It is good to know the background of the third Jewush festival, which was celebrated in the Fall after the harvest. The feast was 7 days long, and each family would set up booths to celebrate God's blessing with each other. It was called the "feast of booths" or the "feast of tabernacles". In the New Testament the priests each day would go to the pool of Siloam, and fill up large ceremonial jugs with water. This would be a reminder of how the Israelites were delivered from the water, and how Moses struck the rock and the water came out, as part of. God's provision for them. This was also a foreshadowing of the Messiah, and how one day God would pour out water from heaven.
So now we can see how significant it is when Jesus says, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scriptures has said, rivers of living watsr will flow from within them." Then the passage says this is related to how the disciples would receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. If you didn't know tomorrow is the day of Pentecost, where we celebrate when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples. They spoke in tongues by the Spirit's power, so that all who were gathered for this feast heard the Good News in their own language. So we can see the many connections for this day, and when Jesus says the living water will flow through him to everyone who believes.
Sometimes we shy away from talking about the Holy Spirit. As I will say tomorrow in the sermon, sometimes the Holy Spirit is the "worst kept secret in the church". But today we see it is a celebration of the Spirit of Jesus, who flows in and through us with living water. Of course water evokes the idea of being thirsty. We all know how good a tall, cool glass of water tastes on a hot day. Jesus uses this analogy to talk about his relationship with those who are thirsty and come to him to quench their spiritual thirst.
Are you thirsty? Come to the living water, and as Jesus promises, you will never thirst again!
37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
It is good to know the background of the third Jewush festival, which was celebrated in the Fall after the harvest. The feast was 7 days long, and each family would set up booths to celebrate God's blessing with each other. It was called the "feast of booths" or the "feast of tabernacles". In the New Testament the priests each day would go to the pool of Siloam, and fill up large ceremonial jugs with water. This would be a reminder of how the Israelites were delivered from the water, and how Moses struck the rock and the water came out, as part of. God's provision for them. This was also a foreshadowing of the Messiah, and how one day God would pour out water from heaven.
So now we can see how significant it is when Jesus says, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scriptures has said, rivers of living watsr will flow from within them." Then the passage says this is related to how the disciples would receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. If you didn't know tomorrow is the day of Pentecost, where we celebrate when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples. They spoke in tongues by the Spirit's power, so that all who were gathered for this feast heard the Good News in their own language. So we can see the many connections for this day, and when Jesus says the living water will flow through him to everyone who believes.
Sometimes we shy away from talking about the Holy Spirit. As I will say tomorrow in the sermon, sometimes the Holy Spirit is the "worst kept secret in the church". But today we see it is a celebration of the Spirit of Jesus, who flows in and through us with living water. Of course water evokes the idea of being thirsty. We all know how good a tall, cool glass of water tastes on a hot day. Jesus uses this analogy to talk about his relationship with those who are thirsty and come to him to quench their spiritual thirst.
Are you thirsty? Come to the living water, and as Jesus promises, you will never thirst again!
Comments
Post a Comment