All Who Thirst, Believe! (John 7:37-52)
A wonderful picture is painted here for us at the end of the Feast of Booths. We are uncertain of what is meant by the last day of the Feast because it was a seven-day feast in Leviticus 23:33-36.
“And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the LORD. On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. For seven days you shall present food offerings to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work.”” (Leviticus 23:33-36 ESV)
“”On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. You shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”” (Leviticus 23:39-43 ESV)
Officially, the Festival was 7 days. But they were also supposed to present a food offering on the eighth day before leaving.
It seems that this took place
The Ceremony
As time went by ceremonies were added to the keeping of this feast. So, not only were offerings made as Leviticus directed, but there were water and light ceremonies that took place during the festival. Today we will talk about the water ceremony because that is the background of Jesus’s words today.
In the morning, while the daily sacrifices were being prepared, there was a water pouring ceremony. This happened before sunrise. The High Priest led a large procession of worshippers that would walk from the temple to the pool of Siloam. This was almost 2/10 of a mile.
On the first day of the feast, the branches prescribed above were gathered and placed around the altar to make a sort of canopy over the altar. These were palm branches, leafy trees, and willows.
When the procession made it to the pool, the priest filled a golden vessel with water and carry it back to the inner court through the “Water Gate”, which was a southern facing entrance. The priest walked up a ramp to access the altar.
The High Priest would then turn and look at two basins, one is for receiving offerings of wine (Leviticus 23:13, 23:37). The other is for the offering of water. And both of these basins would drain into the base of the altar. It is said that the crowd would cry out to the priest in excitement “Raise your hand!” and the priest would raise the vessel up high for the crowd to see and empty it into the basin. Here water and wine mixed together as an offering to the Lord.
And at this point, the people of Israel sang what is known as the Hallel Psalms, which are Psalms 113-118.
And part of Psalm 118 you will remember quite well, because it is discussed every year during Palm Sunday. “Hosanna” is a word that personifies “Save us, we pray, O Lord!”, which is Psalm 118:25.
“Save us, we pray, O LORD! O LORD, we pray, give us success!” (Psalm 118:25 ESV)
This ceremony was added to the Feast of Booths because it was freighted with expectations. There was coming a day when God would draw up water from wells of salvation.
“You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” (Isaiah 12:1-3 ESV)
And there was an understanding that this was about the promised Holy Spirit. It looked forward to the day when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon God’s people.
“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They shall spring up among the grass like willows by flowing streams.” (Isaiah 44:3-4 ESV)
And here we have the Lord standing up at some point, either during or after this ceremony and crying out,
“”If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'””
He pronounced to the people in attendance that the very ceremony that they just witnessed is fulfilled in Him. The person that believes in Him will find these wells of salvation and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Believe in Jesus and find salvation for your soul and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Believe in Jesus (John 7:37-38)
Those who thirst are invited to believe in Jesus Christ. But what is this thirsting?
This is similar to what Jesus said a few chapters earlier to the Woman at the Well. And the meaning is the same here. Those who long for more, who understand their selves to be sinners who have earned God’s justice, who understand they are not right with God are invited to come.
Are you longing for more?
Are you longing for eternal life?
Are you discontented with the pleasures of this world?
Are you despairing of the things of this world?
The vast majority of mankind does not thirst and reject this invitation. But the question here is, do you thirst?
To all those that thirst, Jesus says, “Come to Me and drink.”
Much like the conversation concerning the blood and body of Jesus from John 6, Jesus invites people to come to Him and find satisfaction for their souls. He doesn’t invite people to work. He invites people to believe in Him. That is what is meant by drinking. It is faith in Him.
Are you here today and understand that you are a sinner who has rebelled against God?
Jesus is at this point, preaching to people that are rejecting Him. He has come to His own and His own have not received Him, but He is telling them the way of salvation.
Are you here today and have so far rejected salvation in Christ? He offers Himself to you today.
Come to Him!
Jesus poured out His precious blood on that hill over 2,000 years ago so that you could be forgiven. He rose from the grave so that you could be declared right before God. And if you see that you are a sinner in need of a Savior, then come to Him.
His grace is sufficient.
Forgiveness is found for the worst of sinners. Come to Him today!
Do you look around and see that there must be more to life than this? Does the dry and barren wasteland of this life cause you to thirst for Christ? Do you long for eternal life?
Come to Him and find that fountain of eternal life!
Believe in Jesus and find salvation. When we consider the meaning of the water being poured out, salvation was a big part of it.
“You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” (Isaiah 12:1-3 ESV)
When Jesus stood before the crowd and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink” after the water ceremony, this was obviously the meaning.
Would they draw water from the wells of salvation? Then they will believe in Jesus.
Would you draw water from the wells of salvation? Then you will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. Drink from Him and find the salvation of your soul.
Jesus announces here that the promised blessings for the people of Israel find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
“For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” (2 Corinthians 1:20 ESV)
For many years the people of Israel had performed this water ritual. And for many years they longed for the salvation that God would deliver and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit among the people. And here Jesus proclaims that this is only found in Him.
It is only in Him that these blessings are given. It is only in Him that they would find eternal life. It is only in Him that they would receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
And the same is true for us today. The promise of eternal life is ours in Christ. And it is not found anywhere else.
The abundant blessings will flow to us, but only through faith in Jesus Christ. It’s not through keeping of the Law or our own works righteousness. The abundant blessings flow to us only through Jesus Christ.
“For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” (2 Corinthians 1:20 ESV)
The promise of eternal life is found in Jesus Christ. It is fulfilled through the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And it is found in Him and Him alone.
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”” (Acts 4:12 ESV)
Come to Him and find life everlasting!
If you have a thirst for eternal life, then it will only be quenched by Him. Come! Drink! Be saved today!
Believe in Jesus and Find the Gift of the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39)
Those who come and drink find salvation for their souls and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is specifically about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that occurred at Pentecost and the beginning of the Book of Acts. This “Living Water” was poured out upon His disciples in a magnificent way. And it led to the spread of the Church across the globe.
And I want you to see here today that it is not just that we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. He says that living waters flow out of us. Jesus very specifically states here that those who receive the gift of the Holy Spirit become those through whom the rivers of living water flow out of. Notice that He says, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38 ESV)
The person that comes to Christ receives the gift of the Holy Spirit and that one drink from the well of Christ gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit that overflows to the spread of eternal life to many people. And just in case we missed the point, John spells it out for us.
“Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:39 ESV)
Every year they performed this ceremony in hopeful expectation of that day when the Spirit would be poured out upon people.
“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They shall spring up among the grass like willows by flowing streams.” (Isaiah 44:3-4 ESV)
And then Jesus stood up and said,
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'”” (John 7:37-38 ESV)
Again, the promises of God are given to us through Jesus Christ.
There was a promise of salvation to God’s people, and it is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
And now we see that there was a promise of the Holy Spirit, and again it is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. We saw this as we worked through the Book of Acts on the Day of Pentecost. From that point onward, the abundance of the Holy Spirit pictured in that water ceremony has been given to those that believe in Jesus Christ.
And this abundance is astounding. We drink of Christ by faith and the waters flow out of us as well.
Have you considered that your salvation is not just for you but for others as well? You don’t just receive the Holy Spirit so that you will walk in righteousness. That is true, but that is incomplete. The abundant gift of the Holy Spirit is given so that you will be a witness to Christ and others will find eternal life in Him. These waters, in a sense, flow from you as well.
The Church has a role in the salvation of sinners. That role is for them to go out and be witnesses for Jesus Christ.
God has a plan for the salvation of sinners. Their salvation was accomplished through the finished work of Jesus Christ. And the spread of this message is done through the declaration of the gospel by the Church.
How does the message of Christ spread? It is the Church.
You are transformed by the gospel. You are transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit. And you go forth as witnesses to the world, and people come to the waters through you. Out of your heart flow rivers of living water.
Parents, when you preach and teach the truth to your children, when you share the gospel with them, understand that this is what is happening. God has transformed you to be faithful to Him and you are working to bring your children to faith in Christ. Rivers of life are flowing out of you to them.
Students, when you interact with friends that don’t know Christ, what is happening? You have been transformed by the gospel. And He has given you the Holy Spirit. Now you are transformed into a channel of blessing through which your friends can come to the waters and be saved. Live faithfully before the Lord and your friends. Tell them about Jesus. And embrace the fact that you are the means by which they will hear about Jesus and possibly be saved.
In your neighborhood, don’t cloister away and hide from everyone. That’s easy to do. But you have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit so that you can bring people to faith in Christ. Out of you flows this living water. You didn’t create it. You don’t control it. But you are to go and declare the message of Christ’s grace and mercy.
We have a tendency to think little of what we can do or think little of what we are supposed to do. But out of you flows rivers of living water. You don’t save people, but you are a witness to a lost and dying world. You have the message of eternal life.
In football, if a player from the other team touches a punted football the other team can pick it up. There are times when the ball is uncatchable, often it’s because it’s kicked high in the air and doesn’t travel far. Everyone that sees this is supposed to yell “Peter, Peter, Peter”, so that everyone gets away and they don’t give the other team the ball back.
One day Coach Tice was all over us. He was just hopping mad because we so unenthusiastically yelled “Peter” in a game. Our laziness in this area was dangerous because it could hand the other team the ball at some point.
He said, “We’re not playing “I’ve got a secret.”, yell that as loud as you can.”
I often think about that with regards to sharing the gospel with people. We’re not playing “I’ve got a secret” with the message of eternal life. Rivers of life flow out of you to others. Tell others about Jesus.
As Christians, we should sit here and consider this for a moment. How are we doing in this regard? Are we being what we already are? You’ve been given the Holy Spirit. Rivers of life are flowing out of you. What are you doing with that? Who are you telling about Jesus? Are you living as salt and light out in the world?
Are you trying to play “I’ve got a secret” while rivers of life flow out of you?
Do You Believe? (John 7:40-52)
John here draws our attention to the many responses of the people to this invitation. And boy, was it a mixture. Some people believed Jesus was “the Prophet” (John 7:40). This would be a reference to Jesus being the Prophet like Moses that has been discussed much over the last two weeks. Others believed that Jesus was “the Christ” (John 7:40), or the promised Messiah. Others rejected Jesus altogether, questioning His heritage (John 7:40-42).
The people were very divided about Jesus. And notice, how many thirsted?
Some people wanted to kill Jesus, “but no one laid hands on Him” (John 7:44). As was discussed last week, this was supernatural. And these are the people that were supposed to arrest Jesus, but they would not do it because “no one ever spoke like this man!” (John 7:46 ESV) The Pharisees found themselves further hardened and asked if they’d been deceived. And for the most part, none of the religious authorities believed in Him and mocked the common folk that did (John 7:48-49).
But here, amid the clamour, there was one religious leader that came to Jesus’s aid. As they talked of arresting Him, Nicodemus arose. He spoke to Jesus about 18 months ago in John 3 and he spoke up now. He didn’t openly profess faith in Christ yet, but he did call to question their actions based on procedure. They weren’t doing things according to their own laws. This led to ridicule of Nicodemus as well.
The Pharisees wanted Jesus dead. They were angry at Nicodemus’s defense. And they completely lost their heads. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but He was from Galilee. They thought they knew everything about Him. And they said that no prophet comes from Galilee, even though Jonah and possibly a few others did come from Galilee. They had completely lost it.
Here we have a variety of responses. But it is the same when people are confronted with Christ today.
Some people believe Jesus was a good teacher.
Some believe He was a prophet.
Nicodemus was slowly moving toward faith in Christ.
Some believe He was the Christ.
And some people are so completely angry at Jesus that they lose all good sense.
We believe He is God the Son who came for our redemption. He brought us eternal life and gives to us the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion
Before the crowd that day Jesus called upon all who were thirsty to come and drink of the waters of life. That same call is made today. All who desire eternal life, trust in Christ. And rivers of life will flow out of you.
If you’re here today and don’t know Christ, repent and believe. Entrust yourself to Christ and find salvation today.
If you’re here today and are a Christian, you have been given the Holy Spirit and rivers of life flow out of you. Are you embracing that? Or are you playing, “I’ve got a secret” with the message of eternal life.
This message is being delivered at a time of year that more people think about Jesus. Out of you flow rivers of life. Will you take that message to your lost friends and family?
A lot of studies have been done concerning whether a person would go to church if asked by a friend to go. And the numbers are usually staggering. Depending on the study, respondents say that if they were asked by a friend to go to church anywhere from 60-85% of them say they would go. But sadly only 2% of Christians ask someone to go to church with them in any given year.
You have been redeemed. You have been given the Holy Spirit. Don’t play “I’ve got a secret” with the message of the gospel. Go and tell people about Jesus.