John 7 - Jesus Gives Re-Fills of Living Water!


Click Here to Read John 7

 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.

 Today we finish week 15 of our year trek through the New Testament. So far we have read 75 chapters or a little less than 30% of the New Testament.  Its great to be in God's work each day, but remember it is not just about reading the bible but more importantly asking question, "God want to you want me to do with this truth you have revealed to me today?"

 Like yesterday, Jesus uses another metaphor to describe who he is.  Remember John's overarching purpose is to reveal who Jesus is as the Son of God, wholly God, wholly man.  Today he uses the analogy of "living water".  Like bread had precedence in the Old Testament with God providing manna in the wilderness to the disciples, so living water had meaning for the Jews as well. 

 Here is a little history which helps us to understand the meaning of the water during this feast of the tabernacles, 

 "The Feast of Tabernacles lasted eight days. All through the first seven days water from the Pool of Siloam was carried in a golden pitcher and poured out at the altar to remind everyone of the water God miraculously provided for a thirsty Israel in the wilderness. It seems that on the eighth day there was no pouring of water – only prayers for water – to remind them that they came into the Promised Land."

 So Jesus is saying that he was the living water that the God had prepared on the 8th day that they had been praying and waiting for.  And Jesus then points to the living water as the Spirit who later the disciples would receive on the Day of Pentecost.  The prophets had predicted that when the Messiah came God would pour out His Spirit on all people, young and old, men and women.

 By using bread and water to illustrate who he is, Jesus invited people to a personal and intimate relationship with God through him.  Just as bread and water sustain us each day, Jesus wants us to rely on him equally so.  Many if not all of the people were still not able to understand these analogies and were looking for something else or offended by his words.  

What does your relationship with Jesus look like?  Is it sterile, at arms length, and something you only go to when you are in trouble?  Or, each day are you nourished by God's Word, and having your deepest thirst quenched by the living water of the Spirit.  When you have eaten of the bread of life and tasted the living water you will never be hungry or thirsty again.  There are free refills.   

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