20200216 Streams of Living Water

Good morning, I hope you had a great week. thank you for joining us today. Today we continue in our series “Jesus in His own Words.” Over the past few weeks we’ve been looking at a conversation Jesus had with the people in Jerusalem at the Festival of Shelters, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles, one of the three big national feasts that the Jews celebrated each year.

We’ve seen how people in Jerusalem reacted to Jesus and the things He was teaching about Himself. Jesus had been developing this revelation of who He was one step at a time. Each time He revealed something new about Himself, there were different kinds of reactions from the people who were listening. Some put heir faith in Him, others remained on the fence, not sure whether Jesus was a righteous person or a troublemaker, and others opposed Him and what He taught. But no matter what the different reactions to Jesus were, one thing was consistent, Jesus didn’t change who He was and what He taught in order to appeal to more people. His allegiance was to God the Father, and everything He did was in obedience to what God was directing Him to do. People were left with the choice to either accept Him for who He claimed to be, or reject Him. There was no negotiating, no compromising, no adapting to try to please any group of people. Jesus had made it clear that His teaching was from God. He also had stated that He had come directly from God and that He knew God, and so He was claiming to be God, in an indirect sort of way. Even though He had not come out and said those words, “I AM GOD” the message was clear that He was claiming He came from God and that He was God’s Son, and in the Jewish understanding of how things worked, they understood that He was claiming to be God too.

As the people heard Jesus make these claims, they kept waiting to see what the authorities would do. When there wasn’t an immediate response from the religious leaders, some of the people started to wonder, “Maybe Jesus really is the Messiah. He is saying all these things, doing all these miracles, and the religious leaders aren’t doing anything about it...” Finally the Jewish leaders decided to send some of their servants to arrest Jesus. This is where our passage begins today. If you have your Bibles, please turn to starting in verse 37. Otherwise, you can follow on the screen above.

As we saw before, the Festival of Shelters was celebrated every year around October after the grape and olive harvests were over, and it was a kind of celebration of the end of the harvest season. By this time in the harvest cycle, the rains had ceased a while back, and the ground was often dry and parched after having endured several months of drought. Water reserves in towns and villages were running low too. But soon, the “early rains” would start to fall, preparing the land for the hard work of breaking up and loosening the soil ahead of the time of planting, and beginning the harvest cycle all over again.

The way they celebrated this festival was to set up temporary shelters or tents, in which they would live for a week. Even people who were from Jerusalem would set up a tent outside their home or on the flat roof of the home. This reminded them of the forty years they spent wandering in the desert before entering the Promised Land. It reminded them of God’s provision for them during those years. Those were ways the festival reminded them of God’s faithfulness and blessing in the past. But the festival also had an element of declaring to God that they needed His provision in the present too, and it also emphasized the people’s dependence on God for the water which they needed for the success of a new harvest cycle.

Not only that, but every seventh the people would gather and listen to the Law being read aloud during the feast to remind them to fear God and follow all the words of His law. This became a reminder of both their obligations as God’s people, and also of the blessings that came from being God’s people.

This feast had a historical reference to the Exodus from Egypt and reminded the Jews of their wandering and dwelling in booths in the wilderness (Lv. 23:43). However, this is not evidence of the conversion of the agricultural festival to a historical one. Rather it points to the truth that Israel’s life rested upon redemption which in its ultimate meaning is the forgiveness of sin.

This fact separates this feast from the harvest festivals of the neighbouring nations whose roots lay in the mythological activity of the gods.

Freeman, D. (1996). Tabernacles, Feast Of. In D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, & D. J. Wiseman (Eds.), New Bible dictionary (3rd ed., p. 1148). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible OT Festivals

Every 7th year the observances were marked by a public recital of the covenant provisions to which the Israelites under Moses had committed themselves, a procedure designed to keep fresh in their minds the obligations as well as the blessings of the covenant relationship.

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible OT Festivals

Every 7th year the observances were marked by a public recital of the covenant provisions to which the Israelites under Moses had committed themselves, a procedure designed to keep fresh in their minds the obligations as well as the blessings of the covenant relationship.

Jesus promises the Holy Spirit

John 7:37–52 CSB

37 On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38 The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.” 39 He said this about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit, for the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified. 40 When some from the crowd heard these words, they said, “This truly is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But some said, “Surely the Messiah doesn’t come from Galilee, does he? 42 Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Messiah comes from David’s offspring and from the town of Bethlehem, where David lived?” 43 So the crowd was divided because of him. 44 Some of them wanted to seize him, but no one laid hands on him. 45 Then the servants came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him?” 46 The servants answered, “No man ever spoke like this!” 47 Then the Pharisees responded to them: “Are you fooled too? 48 Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd, which doesn’t know the law, is accursed.” 50 Nicodemus—the one who came to him previously and who was one of them—said to them, 51 “Our law doesn’t judge a man before it hears from him and knows what he’s doing, does it?” 52 “You aren’t from Galilee too, are you?” they replied. “Investigate and you will see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

John 7:

John 7:37–52 CSB

37 On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38 The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.” 39 He said this about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit, for the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified. 40 When some from the crowd heard these words, they said, “This truly is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But some said, “Surely the Messiah doesn’t come from Galilee, does he? 42 Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Messiah comes from David’s offspring and from the town of Bethlehem, where David lived?” 43 So the crowd was divided because of him. 44 Some of them wanted to seize him, but no one laid hands on him. 45 Then the servants came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him?” 46 The servants answered, “No man ever spoke like this!” 47 Then the Pharisees responded to them: “Are you fooled too? 48 Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd, which doesn’t know the law, is accursed.” 50 Nicodemus—the one who came to him previously and who was one of them—said to them, 51 “Our law doesn’t judge a man before it hears from him and knows what he’s doing, does it?” 52 “You aren’t from Galilee too, are you?” they replied. “Investigate and you will see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

John 7:37-52

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Let’s Pray.

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This is an illustration

this is a blockquote

As we dig into today’s passage, I’d like us to go back and review what we learned a couple of weeks ago about the Festival of Shelters, or Feast of Tabernacles.

and still in blockquote mode.

This is a prompt

Festival of Shelters (Feast of Tabernacles)

As we saw before, the Festival of Shelters was celebrated every year around late September or October after the grape and olive harvests were over, and it was a kind of celebration of the end of the harvest season. By this time in the harvest cycle, the rains had ceased a while back, and the ground was often dry and parched after having endured several months of drought. Water reserves in towns and villages were running low too. But soon, the “early rains” would start to fall, preparing the land for the hard work of breaking up and loosening the soil ahead of the time of planting, and beginning the harvest cycle all over again.

The way the Jews celebrated this festival was to set up temporary shelters or tents made out of different kinds of branches, in which they would live for a week. Even people who were from Jerusalem would set up a shelter outside their home or on the flat roof of the home. This reminded them of the forty years they spent wandering in the desert before entering the Promised Land. It reminded them of God’s provision and blessing for them during those years. But the festival also had an element of declaring to God that they needed His provision in the present too, and it emphasized the people’s dependence on God for the water which they needed for the success of a new harvest cycle.

Even though the festival had been established in the days of Moses, over the years several things had been added to the traditions of the festival. One of the symbols that had developed was the symbol of water in this festival. Each day the priests would take water from the Pool of Siloam and carried a golden pitcher full of the water to the temple then then around the altar with the high priests leading the way. They would then pour it over the altar, remembering how God had provided water for them from a stone in the days of wandering through the desert. Many years after Moses established the feast in the Law the prophets Zechariah and Ezekiel both spoke about a day when “living water” would come from the temple. These were prophecies of redemption of God’s people from those who oppressed them and enslaved them. They were promises of life and restoration. They were prophecies of blessing and of God establishing His eternal kingdom. And these prophecies were directly linked to the Feast of Tabernacles.

Not only that, but every seventh the people would gather and listen to the Law being read aloud during the feast to remind them to fear God and follow all the words of His law. This became a reminder of both their obligations as God’s people, and also of the blessings that came from being God’s people.

So when Jesus began to teach on the last and greatest day of the Feast, this was all part of the context that the people of Israel were hearing His words in.

Water symbolism in the Feast of Tabernacles:

Water from rain.

As mentioned before, this festival was related to the yearly harvest cycle. It happened right before the early rains needed to prepare the ground for the new harvest. People had no control over the weather and no control over the rain. They were completely dependent on God to send rain to water the ground, fill the rivers, streams and lakes, and fill their cisterns and reservoirs that they would depend on for the rest of the year. By this time, water stores were running low, probably not as crisp and clean as at the beginning of the rainy season. It definitely would not have been thought of as “living water.” The statement, “If anyone is thirsty,” would have immediately caught the attention of those listening. People would have identified with that statement.

Water from the rock.

Part of what the Jews commemorated during the Feast of Tabernacles was how God had provided for them during their days wandering in the desert for forty years. And one of the main ways God had provided for His people at that time was to provide water for them in miraculous ways. On two different occasions God brought forth water from a rock in a miraculous way. His people had been begging God to give them something to drink, and God provided for them.

When Jesus declared, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink,’ He was placing himself directly into a role that God had played in the life of God’s people.

The people would have been aware of the prophesies about water springing forth from the altar of the temple and flowing with streams of living water. These were prophesies that talked about the coming of the promised Messiah, the Savior that God would send to His people.

.

There was no question about who had provided that water. There was no natural spring in that place, there was no river, creek or other body of water. There was just desert and stone.

Water from the Temple.

Water from the Temple.

Water from the Temple.

The people would have been aware of the prophesies about water springing forth from the altar of the temple and flowing with streams of living water. These were prophesies that talked about the coming of the promised Messiah, the Savior that God would send to His people.

These were the different water symbols that people had in mind during the festival. And every day of the seven-day festival, there was a water ceremony.

The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to John c. The Promise of the Spirit (7:37–44)

On the seven days of the Feast, a golden flagon was filled with water from the pool of Siloam and was carried in a procession led by the High Priest back to the temple. As the procession approached the watergate on the south side of the inner court three blasts from the šôp̄ār—a trumpet connected with joyful occasions—were sounded. While the pilgrims watched, the priests processed around the altar with the flagon, the temple choir singing the Hallel (Pss. 113–118; cf. Mishnah Sukkah 4:9). When the choir reached Psalm 118, every male pilgrim shook a lûlāḇ (willow and myrtle twigs tied with palm) in his right hand, while his left raised a piece of citrus fruit (a sign of the ingathered harvest), and all cried ‘Give thanks to the LORD!’ three times.

Here is some of what the temple choir was singing as the procession made its way.

Psalms 113-118

The New International Version Psalm 113

Psalm 113

1 Praise the LORD. n

Praise the LORD, you his servants;

praise the name of the LORD.

2 Let the name of the LORD be praised,

both now and forevermore.

3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,

the name of the LORD is to be praised.

4 The LORD is exalted over all the nations,

his glory above the heavens.

5 Who is like the LORD our God,

the One who sits enthroned on high,

6 who stoops down to look

on the heavens and the earth?

7 He raises the poor from the dust

and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

8 he seats them with princes,

with the princes of his people.

9 He settles the childless woman in her home

as a happy mother of children.

Praise the LORD.

Psalm 114

1 When Israel came out of Egypt,

Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,

2 Judah became God’s sanctuary,

Israel his dominion.

3 The sea looked and fled,

the Jordan turned back;

4 the mountains leaped like rams,

the hills like lambs.

5 Why was it, sea, that you fled?

Why, Jordan, did you turn back?

6 Why, mountains, did you leap like rams,

you hills, like lambs?

7 Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord,

at the presence of the God of Jacob,

8 who turned the rock into a pool,

the hard rock into springs of water.

Psalm 115

115:4–11pp—Ps 135:15–20

1 Not to us, LORD, not to us

but to your name be the glory,

because of your love and faithfulness.

2 Why do the nations say,

“Where is their God?”

3 Our God is in heaven;

he does whatever pleases him.

4 But their idols are silver and gold,

made by human hands.

5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,

eyes, but cannot see.

6 They have ears, but cannot hear,

noses, but cannot smell.

7 They have hands, but cannot feel,

feet, but cannot walk,

nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

8 Those who make them will be like them,

and so will all who trust in them.

9 All you Israelites, trust in the LORD—

he is their help and shield.

10 House of Aaron, trust in the LORD—

he is their help and shield.

11 You who fear him, trust in the LORD—

he is their help and shield.

12 The LORD remembers us and will bless us:

He will bless his people Israel,

he will bless the house of Aaron,

13 he will bless those who fear the LORD—

small and great alike.

14 May the LORD cause you to flourish,

both you and your children.

15 May you be blessed by the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

16 The highest heavens belong to the LORD,

but the earth he has given to mankind.

17 It is not the dead who praise the LORD,

those who go down to the place of silence;

18 it is we who extol the LORD,

both now and forevermore.

Praise the LORD. g

Psalm 116

1 I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;

he heard my cry for mercy.

2 Because he turned his ear to me,

I will call on him as long as I live.

3 The cords of death entangled me,

the anguish of the grave came over me;

I was overcome by distress and sorrow.

4 Then I called on the name of the LORD:

“LORD, save me!”

5 The LORD is gracious and righteous;

our God is full of compassion.

6 The LORD protects the unwary;

when I was brought low, he saved me.

7 Return to your rest, my soul,

for the LORD has been good to you.

8 For you, LORD, have delivered me from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling,

9 that I may walk before the LORD

in the land of the living.

10 I trusted in the LORD when I said,

“I am greatly afflicted”;

11 in my alarm I said,

“Everyone is a liar.”

12 What shall I return to the LORD

for all his goodness to me?

13 I will lift up the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the LORD.

14 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all his people.

15 Precious in the sight of the LORD

is the death of his faithful servants.

16 Truly I am your servant, LORD;

I serve you just as my mother did;

you have freed me from my chains.

17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you

and call on the name of the LORD.

18 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all his people,

19 in the courts of the house of the LORD—

in your midst, Jerusalem.

Praise the LORD.

Psalm 117

1 Praise the LORD, all you nations;

extol him, all you peoples.

2 For great is his love toward us,

and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.

Praise the LORD.

Psalm 118

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

2 Let Israel say:

“His love endures forever.”

3 Let the house of Aaron say:

“His love endures forever.”

4 Let those who fear the LORD say:

“His love endures forever.”

5 When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD;

he brought me into a spacious place.

6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.

What can mere mortals do to me?

7 The LORD is with me; he is my helper.

I look in triumph on my enemies.

8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD

than to trust in humans.

9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD

than to trust in princes.

10 All the nations surrounded me,

but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.

11 They surrounded me on every side,

but in the name of the LORD I cut them down.

12 They swarmed around me like bees,

but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;

in the name of the LORD I cut them down.

13 I was pushed back and about to fall,

but the LORD helped me.

14 The LORD is my strength and my defense;

he has become my salvation.

15 Shouts of joy and victory

resound in the tents of the righteous:

“The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!

16 The LORD’s right hand is lifted high;

the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!”

17 I will not die but live,

and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

18 The LORD has chastened me severely,

but he has not given me over to death.

19 Open for me the gates of the righteous;

I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.

20 This is the gate of the LORD

through which the righteous may enter.

21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;

you have become my salvation.

22 The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

23 the LORD has done this,

and it is marvelous in our eyes.

24 The LORD has done it this very day;

let us rejoice today and be glad.

25 LORD, save us!

LORD, grant us success!

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.

From the house of the LORD we bless you. i

27 The LORD is God,

and he has made his light shine on us.

With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession

up to the horns of the altar.

28 You are my God, and I will praise you;

you are my God, and I will exalt you.

29 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

Christian Standard Bible Psalm 113

Psalm 113

PRAISE TO THE MERCIFUL GOD

1 Hallelujah!

Give praise, servants of the LORD;

praise the name of the LORD.

2 Let the name of the LORD be blessed

both now and forever.

3 From the rising of the sun to its setting,

let the name of the LORD be praised.

4 The LORD is exalted above all the nations,

his glory above the heavens.

5 Who is like the LORD our God—

the one enthroned on high,

6 who stoops down to look

on the heavens and the earth?

7 He raises the poor from the dust

and lifts the needy from the trash heap

8 in order to seat them with nobles—

with the nobles of his people.

9 He gives the childless woman a household,

making her the joyful mother of children.

Hallelujah!

Psalm 114

GOD’S DELIVERANCE OF ISRAEL

1 When Israel came out of Egypt—

the house of Jacob from a people

who spoke a foreign language—

2 Judah became his sanctuary,

Israel, his dominion.

3 The sea looked and fled;

the Jordan turned back.

4 The mountains skipped like rams,

the hills, like lambs.

5 Why was it, sea, that you fled?

Jordan, that you turned back?

6 Mountains, that you skipped like rams?

Hills, like lambs?

7 Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord,

at the presence of the God of Jacob,

8 who turned the rock into a pool,

the flint into a spring.

Psalm 115

GLORY TO GOD ALONE

1 Not to us, LORD, not to us,

but to your name give glory

because of your faithful love, because of your truth.

2 Why should the nations say,

“Where is their God?”

3 Our God is in heaven

and does whatever he pleases.

4 Their idols are silver and gold,

made by human hands.

5 They have mouths but cannot speak,

eyes, but cannot see.

6 They have ears but cannot hear,

noses, but cannot smell.

7 They have hands but cannot feel,

feet, but cannot walk.

They cannot make a sound with their throats.

8 Those who make them are just like them,

as are all who trust in them.

9 Israel, trust in the LORD!

He is their help and shield.

10 House of Aaron, trust in the LORD!

He is their help and shield.

11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD!

He is their help and shield.

12 The LORD remembers us and will bless us.

He will bless the house of Israel;

he will bless the house of Aaron;

13 he will bless those who fear the LORD—

small and great alike.

14 May the LORD add to your numbers,

both yours and your children’s.

15 May you be blessed by the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

16 The heavens are the LORD’s,

but the earth he has given to the human race.

17 It is not the dead who praise the LORD,

nor any of those descending into the silence of death.

18 But we will bless the LORD,

both now and forever.

Hallelujah!

Psalm 116

THANKS TO GOD FOR DELIVERANCE

1 I love the LORD because he has heard

my appeal for mercy.

2 Because he has turned his ear to me,

I will call out to him as long as I live.

3 The ropes of death were wrapped around me,

and the torments of Sheol overcame me;

I encountered trouble and sorrow.

4 Then I called on the name of the LORD:

“LORD, save me!”

5 The LORD is gracious and righteous;

our God is compassionate.

6 The LORD guards the inexperienced;

I was helpless, and he saved me.

7 Return to your rest, my soul,

for the LORD has been good to you.

8 For you, LORD, rescued me from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling.

9 I will walk before the LORD

in the land of the living.

10 I believed, even when I said,

“I am severely oppressed.”

11 In my alarm I said,

“Everyone is a liar.”

12 How can I repay the LORD

for all the good he has done for me?

13 I will take the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the LORD.

14 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all his people.

15 The death of his faithful ones

is valuable in the LORD’s sight.

16 LORD, I am indeed your servant;

I am your servant, the son of your female servant.

You have loosened my bonds.

17 I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving

and call on the name of the LORD.

18 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all his people,

19 in the courts of the LORD’s house—

within you, Jerusalem.

Hallelujah!

Psalm 117

UNIVERSAL CALL TO PRAISE

1 Praise the LORD, all nations!

Glorify him, all peoples!

2 For his faithful love to us is great;

the LORD’s faithfulness endures forever.

Hallelujah!

Psalm 118

THANKSGIVING FOR VICTORY

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his faithful love endures forever.

2 Let Israel say,

“His faithful love endures forever.”

3 Let the house of Aaron say,

“His faithful love endures forever.”

4 Let those who fear the LORD say,

“His faithful love endures forever.”

5 I called to the LORD in distress;

the LORD answered me

and put me in a spacious place.,m

6 The LORD is for me; I will not be afraid.

What can a mere mortal do to me?

7 The LORD is my helper,

Therefore, I will look in triumph on those who hate me.

8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humanity.

9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD

than to trust in nobles.

10 All the nations surrounded me;

in the name of the LORD I destroyed them.

11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;

in the name of the LORD I destroyed them.

12 They surrounded me like bees;

they were extinguished like a fire among thorns;

in the name of the LORD I destroyed them.

13 They pushed me hard to make me fall,

but the LORD helped me.

14 The LORD is my strength and my song;

he has become my salvation.

15 There are shouts of joy and victory

in the tents of the righteous:

“The LORD’s right hand performs valiantly!

16 The LORD’s right hand is raised.

The LORD’s right hand performs valiantly!”

17 I will not die, but I will live

and proclaim what the LORD has done.

18 The LORD disciplined me severely

but did not give me over to death.

19 Open the gates of righteousness for me;

I will enter through them

and give thanks to the LORD.

20 This is the LORD’s gate;

the righteous will enter through it.

21 I will give thanks to you

because you have answered me

and have become my salvation.

22 The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

23 This came from the LORD;

it is wondrous in our sight.

24 This is the day the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25 LORD, save us!

LORD, please grant us success!

26 He who comes in the name

of the LORD is blessed.

From the house of the LORD we bless you.

27 The LORD is God and has given us light.

Bind the festival sacrifice with cords

to the horns of the altar.

28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks.

You are my God; I will exalt you.

29 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his faithful love endures forever.

Imagine you were there among the pilgrims gathered for the feast and each day of the festival you’ve seen the procession, and you’ve been reminded of these Psalms. They are Psalms of praise, of begging God for deliverance, or hope for the future, of worship for something the people of God hope for that hasn’t yet happened. These Psalms contain in them references to God’s Messiah and suddenly at the most important moment of the festival, Jesus stands up and begins to speak too the people.

The people would have been aware of the prophesies about water springing forth from the altar of the temple and flowing with streams of living water. These were prophesies that talked about the coming of the promised Messiah, the Savior that God would send to His people.

As we’ve seen Jesus do on many other occasions, He redefines people’s understanding of reality. The people of Israel had become used to looking to God for physical water to meet their needs. However, Jesus turns the focus onto spiritual matters above physical ones.

John 7:37–38 CSB

37 On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38 The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.”

John 7:37-38

Jesus calls thirsty people to himself to drink, but He is talking about a spiritual reality, not a physical one. Throughout the past few days Jesus had been speaking to the crowds, telling them that He was sent by God, that He had come from God and would be going back to God, and now He tells them that He is the one who can provide true satisfaction to a thirst that is much deeper than the physical thirst felt by their bodies. Anyone who believes in Him will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.

By identifying Himself with this image of living water, Jesus was identifying Himself as the promised Messiah.

John goes on to explain that Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit which would be given to Believers after Jesus was glorified. The crowd immediately got the references that Jesus was making and understood the claims He was making about Himself. Some of them thought maybe He was the Prophet, who was supposed to come to prepare the way for the Messiah, others thought He was the Messiah Himself, and others still doubted.

Do you remember those servants of the Jewish leaders who were supposed to go arrest Jesus? Well, they were there and they heard Jesus’ words. Apparently they got caught up in the whole debate and confusion. They didn’t know what to do about this person who spoke in ways no other person had ever spoken to them. They themselves were wondering if He might be who He claimed to be. They end up going back to their leaders empty handed. When the Jewish leaders ask them where Jesus is, their answer is, “No man ever spoke like this!” Yes, we knew what our orders were, but when we heard him speak, we weren’t sure we were supposed to follow our orders. This guy speaks with authority that’s greater than anything we’ve seen, even from our religious leaders.

The Jewish leaders make fun of the servants, accusing them of being fooled, but even among their ranks, there are people who are starting to believe in Jesus. One of them, Nicodemus, who we saw had a conversation late one night way back in chapter three of John’s Gospel, tries to speak up for Jesus, and gets chewed out too.

So what are some things we can learn from this exchange on the final, and most important day of the Feast?

Anyone who is thirsty can come to Jesus and drink.

There were common people from among the crowds who were putting their faith in Jesus. There were also people from among the servants and even from the religious leaders (like Nicodemus) who believed Jesus’ words, even though at this time they weren’t being very vocal about it.

There were all kinds of people in Jerusalem who were thirsting for God. They had spent seven days remembering God’s faithfulness and being reminded of the promises God had made them to deliver them and bless them. There were people who were in desperate places, and those who were in places of relative comfort, power and influence. Jesus extended His invitation to all of them. “IF ANYONE IS THIRSTY, LET HIM COME TO ME AND DRINK.”

No matter if you are in a place where you are desperate, or in a place of relative stability and comfort, Jesus calls you to Himself to find true and lasting satisfaction.

True satisfaction comes from Jesus. Other things may satisfy us for a moment, or even a short while, but deep and lasting satisfaction comes from Jesus. Our greatest need in life has to do with our spiritual standing with God. All our physical needs and desires are merely a reflection of an eternal need we have for God to provide for us and satisfy us. Jesus offers this to anyone who will come to Him. But even though many people want to find that in their lives...

Only the ones who believe will experience God’s “streams of living water” in their lives.

In Jesus’ day there were all kinds of people who remained on the fence, undecided about whether they were going to believe in Jesus or not. Some wanted more information, others were afraid of what the consequences would be if they openly followed Jesus, so they never really committed to follow Him.

Jesus didn’t tell people “If you understand everything I have said, come to me.” or “If you know everything you need to know about who I am, come to me.” No, he said, “Anyone who is thirsty come to me.” Thirst is a pretty basic human experience. It doesn’t require a lot of knowledge or understanding about how our bodies use water, how dehydration works, or anything like that. Are you thirsty? Do you recognize that there is something you need that you don’t have? It is enough to know that Jesus can give you what you need, that He can satisfy those deep spiritual needs in your life in ways that only He can, because He created us to be in relationship with Him. You don’t have to understand everything about Jesus to believe that He is who He says He is. You don’t have to have all the information and every question answered before placing your faith in Him. The disciples walked with Jesus for years, and they put their faith in Him even as they were learning more and more about who He was. Walking with Jesus is a journey where you trust in Him, even though there are still questions and still mysteries about God. Along that journey questions are answered and others arise. The amazing thing is that even in finding fulfillment and satisfaction with Jesus, there is also a longing for more of Him and for deeper experiences with Him. Through it all, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will be a stream of living water flowing from deep within, moving us forward, satisfying us, and yet leading us deeper into a relationship with Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is given to everyone who truly puts their faith in Jesus (faith that brings about life transformation).

Finally, unfortunately there are those who never decide to believe in Jesus. I’m not talking about those who outright rejected Him and opposed Jesus, it’s clear that they had no interest in following Jesus. I’m talking about those who were on the fence, but for one reason or another, they never decided to take that step of faith.

Some people get hung up on small issues that aren’t important.

Some in the crowd were hung up on things they thought they knew but didn’t really know. “Surely the Messiah doesn’t come from Galilee, does he?” “He’s supposed to be David’s offspring isn’t he, from the town of Bethlehem?” They didn’t know that their information was wrong, and that Jesus indeed fulfilled all the prophesies about the Messiah. Misinformation kept them from recognizing the Savior God sent to us.

Today, many people sit on the fence, thinking, “I really hope Jesus is who he says He is, I just need a little more information. I just need to understand how it all works. I like most of what I know about Jesus, but I still have some questions about things, or there are some things I don’t know I’m comfortable with.” So, they stay on the fence for years, maybe all their lives, because they are never satisfied that they know enough to make a decision about Jesus. How tragic it will be for those who were “almost there” but never really made it there. They kind of believe, at least to the level they’re comfortable with, but not in the way Jesus asks them to believe. Don’t let questions and small issues keep you from truly believing in Jesus and becoming a fully committed follower of His.

The religious leaders got hung up on other issues, “Only those who don’t know the Law like we do are believing in Jesus. We know the Law, so we don’t believe.” They didn’t realize that the important thing wasn’t knowing the law, the important thing was fulfilling the law perfectly. Since no human except Jesus ever lived a perfect life, it didn’t matter how much their balance of good deeds outweighed the bad deeds, everyone stands condemned as unrighteous before God. The leaders of the people couldn’t understand how God would treat them the same as those other people who lived lives that were full of sin.

Today, Jesus calls all of us, — those who measure up pretty well to our culture’s standard of good and evil, as well as those who are sorely lacking — to come to Him and find our satisfaction in Him.

At that Feast of Tabernacles two thousand years ago, there were people who had been looking forward to God’s salvation and who had been reminded of all the promises God had made to bless His people. Imagine the thrill and excitement of realizing that Jesus was the answer to those promises and hopes. Jesus is still the answer to all the promises God has made to bless and save people who recognize their need for Him.

Let’s pray.

This feast had a historical reference to the Exodus from Egypt and reminded the Jews of their wandering and dwelling in booths in the wilderness (). However, this is not evidence of the conversion of the agricultural festival to a historical one. Rather it points to the truth that Israel’s life rested upon redemption which in its ultimate meaning is the forgiveness of sin.

This fact separates this feast from the harvest festivals of the neighbouring nations whose roots lay in the mythological activity of the gods.

Freeman, D. (1996). Tabernacles, Feast Of. In D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, & D. J. Wiseman (Eds.), New Bible dictionary (3rd ed., p. 1148). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.