“On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)”
John 7:37-39 NLT
It was the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. For the previous seven days, water had been poured out at the base of the altar in the Temple, but on this day it wasn’t. So perhaps symbolically, Jesus stood up and offered to the people “living water”, with one proviso – the people had to believe in Him. Once again Jesus was talking about spiritual water, not the physical water so sought after in that dry and dusty land. Helpfully, John explained this for the benefit of the people reading his Gospel; the spiritual “living water” was the Holy Spirit, the giving of whom was a gift from God following a person’s salvation. In Acts 2:38, in the middle of Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost, he said, “ … Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”. There is no other way of receiving the Holy Spirit, although we read about someone called Simon who tried. Acts 8:18-19, “When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power. “Let me have this power, too,” he exclaimed, “so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!”” As we read on in Acts 8 we see how he received correction for his erroneous demands.
There are many references to “water” in a spiritual sense in the Bible. For example, Isaiah wrote, “With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!” (Isaiah 12:3). And there is Isaiah 58:11, “The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring”. Once before, Jesus mentioned living water. To the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well He said, “ … If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water” (John 4:10).
The Holy Spirit is a gift from God, and He brings to our spirits all the benefits that physical water brings to our bodies. So just as our bodies need water to survive, so does our spirits. But the “living water” for our spirits is alive and active, not stagnant and dead. It refreshes us and satisfies our thirst and leads us to eternal life. The “living water” within us refreshes those around us as well, as we make available God’s gift in our families and communities. And every day we can request a fresh infilling of the “living water”, the Holy Spirit, to help us face into the day and its challenges.
Father God, we pray for a fresh supply of this living water, for the refreshment of our spirits in this dry and dusty land. Thank You. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 