The Promise of Living Water
John 7:37-39
Water is necessary for our existence; our human life depends upon water. If you have ever really been thirsty nothing matters except getting your thirst quenched. You don’t care about anything else when you’re dying of thirst. John chapter 7 is not the first time that Jesus speaks of water as a spiritual metaphor. In John chapter 4, Jesus meets a woman by a well in Samaria. She’s drawing water out of the well and Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again” (John 4:13-14). The celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:37) emphasized how God provided water to Israel in the wilderness on their way to Canaan. Jesus boldly called people to Himself to drink and satisfy their deepest thirst, their spiritual thirst; the promise of Living Water.
The People:
John 7:25-31 – The local citizens of Jerusalem. John 7:32-39 – The Pharisees and the Chief Priests. John 7:40-53 – The Multitude.
Three groups of people and all of them had a different opinion about Jesus. They were confused and their confusion brought division (John 7:43).
The Promise:
“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. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38). There are three words that sum it up: thirst, come, drink.
The confused people of 2000 years ago are no different than the confused souls today. They are standing next to a waterfall dying of thirst. Jesus invites them to come and drink. “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).
Discussion Guide
Think about a time when you were physically parched or incredibly thirsty. How did that feeling consume your focus until it was quenched? In what areas of life do people typically try to “quench their thirst” or find fulfillment, other than in Jesus? Read John 7:37-39 – What are the two requirements Jesus gives in verse 37? What does the phrase “living water” mean according to verse 39? What does the imagery of a river (as opposed to a stagnant pond) suggest about the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives? Has there been a season in your life where you felt “spiritually dehydrated”? What did that feel like, and how did you navigate it? If the Holy Spirit is a river of living water flowing from inside us, what should that look like in our everyday relationships, workplaces, and daily routines? Are there any barriers in your life right now that are blocking or damming up the flow of the Spirit? How may we pray for you?