Read John 7:37-43.
The tension was building in Jerusalem. People could not stop talking about Jesus and the teaching he espoused. They’d never heard anything like it, and they didn’t know what to make of it or the man.
Finally, on the last day of the feast, he gave them an offer they couldn’t refuse:
If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.
Drink? Drink what? What was he offering? What was he really saying?
Thankfully, he explained.
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.
That did it for some. They did believe–believed his was the Prophet or even the Christ. They got the message.
But not everyone. Others couldn’t get past the man and his hometown. He was still a Nazarene in their eyes. Could anything good come from Nazareth? They weren’t buying it. They just weren’t thirsty enough.
That’s the point. You have to be thirsty to want to drink. No thirst, no desire. That was the problem with some of the Jews and religious leaders. They were satisfied in their own righteousness, their own good works. They didn’t see the need for a savior.
It’s still the same today. The world has much to offer to quench a person’s thirst for peace, for happiness, for self-satisfaction. The problem is, it’s all short-lived. We drink from one earthly fountain, but find that it just satisfies for today, and tomorrow, we’re looking for another source to meet that need. It’s a never-ending cycle of drinking and getting thirsty, drinking and getting thirsty.
What did Jesus tell the Samaritan woman he met at the well?
Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
That’s the difference Jesus makes. We’re not just drinking water, we’re drinking of the Holy Spirit, who is a never-ending source of his strength, power, comfort, peace, and joy. Only in the Spirit can our thirst be quenched, because he meets the real need of every person–the need for forgiveness of sins and salvation.
The Pharisees weren’t thirsty, because they didn’t recognize their sinful state. There are lots of people in the same boat today. Unfortunately, that boat sinks, and its destination is eternal separation from God.
What about you? Are you thirsty for the water of life? Let Jesus quench that thirst and fill you to overflowing.
It’s so true, “we have to be thirsty”. I’ve watched people around me long for something different but they’re not really thirsty for the living water. My prayers are that they become thirsty for the water that truly statisfies!
Amen, Laura! I pray for that as well.