Read John 7:37-52
Jesus provides this bold proclamation of who he is and what he does towards the end of the Jewish feast of booths or tabernacles. This was a feast that commemorated and celebrated Israel’s deliverance from Egypt through the Red Sea and remembered the way that the LORD provided for them in the desert. As a result, a major part of the celebration was a ceremonial water pouring to remember the water that the LORD provided to Israel from the rock.
For Jesus to stand up and proclaim himself as the source of water that quenches all thirst was a claim to be greater than Moses. The thirst that Moses quenched was temporary because the people were thirsty again. Jesus claims here that he will be an everlasting source of life to all of those who come to him and drink. This claim provokes several different responses from the crowds. One of the responses that we see is that it provoked the pharisees to look for any possible technicality to disqualify Jesus from being who he claimed to be. This was very clearly a messianic claim and the pharisees knew enough to know that the prophecy was that the messiah would come from Bethlehem, not Galilee. Their arrogance in assuming that Jesus couldn’t have possibly “come from” Galilee made them completely overlook the more obvious ways that Jesus was fulfilling messianic prophecy by healing the lame, feeding the poor, and making the blind see.
Another response that this provoked from the crowds was an increased curiosity. Nicodemus again appears on the scene and seems to imply in his conversation with the Pharisees that he wants to more closely examine who Jesus is.
Finally, the intended response that Jesus desires is for all those who are thirsty to come and drink. This is an extension of the metaphorical language that Jesus has been using as he is teaching about who he is and how people should respond to him. Drinking represents a complete dependence for life that Jesus wants from his people. Instead of pretending to not need Jesus, or being curious about what he is saying, Jesus wants us to come to him in dependence.
The result of trusting in Christ is the promise of the Spirit. John tells us in verse 39 that Jesus was alluding to the Spirit indwelling all of those who come to Jesus in this way. We are given a powerful picture of what it looks like to have all of your needs and desires met by Christ, it creates a spring of water welling up out of you. When you have trusted in Christ, you become life-givers to the world. Through the proclamation of the Gospel and the heart of Christ for the world, and the power of the Spirit, Jesus’ people will be bringers of life. This is the natural outflow of trusting Christ for all of your “thirst”.
Questions
How does the context of the feast of booths add to the depth of what Jesus is saying?
What does Jesus mean when he says “come to me and drink”?
How might Spiritual pride have prevented the pharisees from accepting Jesus as the messiah? How does spiritual pride get in the way for us?
How does the Spirit make you a “river of living water”?
What are some ways that you can depend on the Spirit more than you depend on other people?