Living Water

John 7:37-39

Have you ever been really, really thirsty?  Maybe while out working outside in the hot sun, or hiking a trail, and your water supply runs out.  All you can think of is that next gulp of cold, refreshing water! Water is essential to life. Go without it for just a little while and your thinking starts getting confused.  A little longer and your organs start to shut down. A person can survive several weeks without food, but only 3-4 days without water.

We’ve all been physically thirsty, but how about spiritually thirsty? Our soul and spirit needs a connection with God, and when that is not there we become spiritually dried and withered like a wasted corn husk on a hot day.  The only way we can find refreshment is by coming to God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

As our Scripture reading today from the Gospel of John begins Jesus was in the capital city of Jerusalem for the Jewish festival of Tabernacles.  This festival was held in the fall, generally in October, so the timing was about 6 or so months prior to the crucifixion. The Feast of Tabernacles commemorated when the Jewish people were wandering in the wilderness for forty years.  One of the ceremonies performed during this festival was to commemorate God providing them with water from out of the rock. The people were so thirsty then they felt like they would die, and were even threatening Moses. Moses prayed to the Lord and He provided them water from a rock (Exodus 17:1-7).  It was probably during these water ceremonies that Jesus stood up in front of the crowds and spoke the words of our passage.

Jesus stood in front of the crowds gathered that day and cried out to the people, saying that whoever was thirsty to come to Him and drink (vs 37). “Thirst” - “Come” - “Drink”. These words summarize the Gospel invitation. First we see and recognize that we have a need. We are lost and spiritually thirsty.  The only one who can satisfy our thirst is Jesus. When we hear God’s call to our soul, we come and approach where we can be satisfied. We need to go to where we hear the Gospel message.  We then receive what can quench our thirst. We accept the Savior. Come to the Savior and drink! Receive the salvation He offers!

Man was made to have a close and personal relationship with God. All of our deepest needs can only be met in God, and through no one else.  Without Him our souls are wilted and will get beyond parched. We try to satisfy this desire with many other false thirst quenchers. Some of these activities aren’t particularly harmful, like hobbies, sports, etc. Others can be harmful, like drugs, alcohol, or false religions.  Salt water will not quench one’s thirst. Instead it only makes it worse. These other activities, both good and bad ones, will not quench our spiritual thirst any more than salt water will.  Jesus, and only Jesus can satisfy our spiritual thirst.

The living water Jesus spoke about here in verse 38 is referring to the Holy Spirit.  Jesus used that term, living water, earlier in His ministry when He was speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well, where He was meaning eternal life (John 4:10).  If we have the Holy Spirit we have eternal life. All who have been saved receive living water eternal life, as promised the Samaritan woman, and receive the Holy Spirit living water, which Jesus promised here.

Even though the religious establishment, and even His own family, opposed Jesus, He never faltered from His mission of bringing the Water of Life to thirsty souls.  Are you thirsty today? Turn to Jesus and quench the thirst of your soul!