Rivers of Living Water

Lesson #131

In this lesson we will cover John 7:37 – 39. We learn from other sources that Jesus was not arrested at this time and in this lesson we find him before the people on the last day of the feast, “. . . the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”” (John 7:37 ESV). John 7:14 makes reference to the middle of the feast while here we are at the last day of the feast, called the great day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus stands up and cries out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” Probably Jesus is referring to Psalm 55:1, where in the first part of the verse we read, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters . . . “. In chapter 4, Jesus refers to the water as “living water” (v 10) and whoever drinks of that water will never thirst again (v13). But to drink, to remove one’s thirst, that person must first come to Jesus in belief.

Jesus continues to describe the meaning of drinking to remove thirst by saying, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:38 ESV). Jesus is the source of living water that he gives to those who come to him in belief, but as a believer that living water can flow through us to touch the lives of others. To understand how this works we need to continue on the verse 39.

“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). This living water, that believers were to receive, refers to the Holy Spirit. To understand this, consider the sap that flows within a living tree. That sap is the life of the tree; without it the tree would no longer have life. This living water in us is like the sap in the tree, but there is a great difference. The sap is physical and provides life for a physical tree. Without water our body would die, but unlike the tree we are also spiritual. Without the Spirit flowing within us we would not have spiritual life. Our bodies require water to remove thirst and provide life. Jesus then builds a bridge between the physical and the spiritual using the term “living water”. In the spiritual realm Jesus calls this living water the Spirit. Without the Spirit living in us we do not have spiritual life.

Jesus then informs us the Spirit has not yet been given, because he has not yet been glorified. This living water, this Spirit will come to fill us with life after Jesus goes to the Father. This giving of the Spirit occurs at Pentecost. From that time forward, the Spirit dwells within each believer and remains there for an eternity. This does not mean the Holy Spirit has not been at work in the world prior to Jesus’ resurrection. The Holy Spirit was present in the world as early as Genesis 1:2, where we find “the Spirit of God hovering over the face of the waters.” Probably what Jesus means here is the full and powerful presence would not occur until the church age, which we now live in.

Prayer

Father, what an exciting time to be alive, to be able to enjoy the indwelling presence of the Spirit, providing us with eternal life. What joy it is to have the living hope of our resurrection when Jesus returns and life with you as your child forever.