Read John 7:1-10; 37-39.

Introduction⤒🔗

Al lay awake in his hotel room in Norfolk, VA; he was lying there on his bed, thinking. He recalled the last Good Friday celebration he attended back in his homeland of Nicaragua:

I stood among the many villagers and watched the procession come down the rutty dirt road in the early morning. My church was acting out the events of the crucifixion. I’d either observed or taken part in these festivities since early childhood. In the distance, I heard the jeering and mocking of the mob, which was part of the ceremony. Then I saw barebacked boys covered with sweat and dust, bearing the statues of Mary, Jesus, and Pilate. Another was bearing the cross.

It was my way of paying penance to relieve the boy with the cross and carry it for a mile. I lifted the heavy lumber off his tired and filthy body. He never said a word but staggered into the crowd.

I positioned the heavy oak cross on my back and methodically began trudging. The base of the cross left a trail in the dirt behind me. Soon the morning sun helped my sweat to run freely. Dust stirred up by the procession hung in the air and forced me to look down. I concentrated on the dirt in front of my feet and struggled to take one step at a time. Soon my leg and back muscles grew hard and then painful. The bitter sweat running off my forehead ran into my eyes.

Al testifies: I felt that I had to feel that pain and take that punishment to cleanse my sins.

Then Al thought, “Is this enough to earn salvation? Is this acceptable to God? Is this what God wants?”¹ Indeed, is this the way to spiritual life?

n this passage of John chapter seven, there is described for us another religious celebration: The city of Jerusalem was thronged with worshipers who have come to commemorate the yearly Feast of Tabernacles. At the climax of this great feast Jesus stood up and invited men to come directly to Him for spiritual life:

Now on the last day, the great [day] of the Feast, Jesus stood and cried out, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. ³8Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, From within him shall flow rivers of living water. ³⁹Now he was referring to the [Holy] Spirit, whom they that believed in him were to receive. Jn. 7:37-39a

There is the danger that we may engage in the rituals of religion without partaking of the true spiritual life provided by Christ. Al did that for many years before he met Christ.

If you want true spiritual life, come to Jesus, because He is the Source of that life.

Come to the Lord Jesus for Spiritual Life; Do Not Look to the Rituals of Religion←⤒🔗

As we enter the seventh chapter of John, we find that it is the occasion of the Feast of Tabernacles; the culminating feast of the Jewish year. The Feast of Tabernacles was held in the middle of the seventh month, (the equivalent of our September or October), and it extended for a period of seven days. It was the great feast of harvest, held at the time when the people of Israel had gathered in the fruits of the land;

On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD’s Feast of Tabernacles begins, and it lasts for seven days... ³⁹So, beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; the first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest. Lev. 23:34,39

The unique feature of this feast was the fact that the people were instructed to take leafy branches from the trees, and from these branches they were to construct thatched huts (or, booths) to dwell in during the week of celebration. According to Leviticus 23:42-43, the people were to construct these “booths” so that they might know that the LORD made the Israelites to dwell in booths when He brought them out of Egypt:

You shall live in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, ⁴³so that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

By this means the people were being vividly reminded of the fact that even in the midst of the wilderness the LORD had provided shade and abundant food for His people: He had abundantly provided for them. Consider Psalm 78:14-16,23-25, a passage in which the Psalmist is recounting the abundant provisions the LORD made for Israel during their wilderness journey:

¹⁴He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night. ¹⁵He split open rocks in the wilderness, and gave them water as abundant as the seas. ¹⁶He also brought streams out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers... ²³he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven; ²⁴he rained down manna upon them to eat, and gave them food from heaven. ²⁵Man ate the bread of the angels. He sent them all the food they could eat.

Thus, the purpose of this feast was to graphically remind the people that the LORD is the great Provider for His people. Occurring as it did at the time of the yearly harvest, it was a reminder not only of the LORD’s past provision, but also of His continual provision for the life of His people.

As Leviticus 23:36 indicates, an eighth day, featuring a solemn assembly, was commemorated at the conclusion of the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles:

The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD... ³⁶for seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day, you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it.

This holy convocation was distinct from the Feast of Tabernacles: the requirement to dwell in booths did not extend to it. Thus, it was not intended to be the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles; rather, its purpose was to bring the annual cycle of sacred festivals to a fitting close. Although this holy convocation was distinct from the seven-day observance of the Feast of Tabernacles, later in Israel’s history, because of its close connection to that sacred festival, the Feast of Tabernacles came to be spoken of as continuing for eight days.² This is what the Apostle John is referring to when he writes of “the last day, the great [day] of the Feast” (vs. 37). The significance of Jesus’ action occurring on this day will become evident.

In the course of time, elaborate ceremonies were added to those prescribed in the Old Testament law as found in Leviticus 23. One such ceremony, which took place on a daily basis throughout the seven-day celebration, involved the pouring out of water at the base of the altar:

...at the time of the morning and evening oblation, a priest filled a golden vessel with water at the Pool of Siloam and carried it to the Temple, where it was received with a trumpet blast and the reciting of Isaiah 12:3, “Therefore, with joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation." The water was mixed with the wine of the sacrifices; then, while priests blew trumpets and Levites played on instruments and sang psalms, the water was poured out beside the altar...³

Once again, it is significant that this ritual involving the bringing of water to the Temple and pouring it out at the base of the altar took place throughout the seven-day celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, but not on the eighth day, “the last day, the great [day] of the Feast.”

Jesus now uses this occasion, in particular, “the last day, the great [day] of the Feast,” to issue His great invitation: “Now on the last day, the great [day] of the Feast, Jesus stood and cried out, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink’” (vs. 37). Bear in mind, on this eighth day, there was no water being brought to the Temple, which would have been in striking contrast to the seven previous days.

Making this great invitation in conjunction with the Feast of Tabernacles, (and all that it signified), Jesus is presenting Himself as the LORD’s greatest provision for His people and their spiritual life. Issuing His invitation on the day when the ceremonial presentation of water had ceased, the Lord Jesus is declaring that He alone can provide the spiritual life and sustenance that no religious ceremony can provide. All of religion finds its meaning and fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ; and unless Jesus Christ Himself is the object of our faith, our worship, and our devotion, all of religion will be empty, unfulfilling, powerless, and futile.

Come to Jesus for Spiritual Life; Because He Supplies that Life to All Who Trust in Him←⤒🔗

On the last day, the great [day] of the Feast, “Jesus stood and cried out, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” It was the common practice for rabbis to be seated when they spoke. Jesus’ posture of standing in the temple precinct and calling out in a loud voice was designed to capture the attention of everyone. The Lord Jesus Christ has a passionate desire that we hear what He has to say and respond in faith to His words, for as Peter rightly expressed it, Jesus “has the words of eternal life” (Jn. 6:68).

Jesus cries out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me, and drink!” Jesus’ invitation is extended to whomever is spiritually thirsty—-thirsty for God; the kind of thirst the Psalmist expresses: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for you, O God. ²My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Psl. 42:1-2a).

It is a terrible thing to be thirsty. Consider the testimony of several hostages held captive by guerrilla rebels in Central America: “On the whole, they treated us pretty well. But the worst thing of all was our lack of water. I never realized what a terrible thing it was to be thirsty.” The worst kind of thirst a man can experience is spiritual thirst; thirst for the living God, thirst that only the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, can quench.

Jesus counsels spiritually thirsty people to come directly to Him. We are not counseled to join a church, or perform certain religious rituals, or make a confession to a priest or minister, or look within ourselves, or get in harmony with nature, or seek to make ourselves acceptable to God. We are counseled, invited and urged to come immediately and directly to Jesus, and entrust ourselves to Him. In the words of the hymn writer, Charlotte Elliott:

Just as I am, without one plea
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that You bid me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am! You will receive,
Will welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Indeed, as the hymn writer expresses it, “Thy promise I believe,” so in verse thirty-eight Jesus explains that His metaphor, “Let him come to Me, and drink,” means that we are to trust in Him. We are simply to accept Him as He is: the Son of God and the Savior for the world. We are to simply come to Him as a helpless sinner, bound for hell, and without the hope of heaven, and in this condition entrust our lives to Him.

Buddha, Mohammed, and the many other religious teachers, offer to teach us a way of life, (a way of self-discipline that is intended to result in self-purification and personal atonement for sin), but the Lord Jesus Christ offers us Himself. Jesus Himself is the Way to God: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, except by me"” (Jn. 14:6). Jesus Himself is the righteousness and sanctification we need: “Christ Jesus...was made for us wisdom from God: righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30). Jesus Himself is our atoning sacrifice: “he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isa. 53:5). Jesus Himself is our Intercessor: “he is able to save to the fullest extent those who draw near to God through him, since he ever lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25). Jesus Himself is our Life: “When Christ, [who is] our life, shall be revealed, then you also shall be revealed in glory with him” (Col. 3:4).

It is important to understand that Jesus’ promise is made exclusively to the person who trusts in Him: “Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘From within him shall flow rivers of living water"” (vs. 38). The Greek word, “believe,” or, “trust,” occurs in the present participle form, indicating a present, continuing, ongoing trust in Jesus (“whoever is believing”), following upon the initial act of entrusting ourselves to Him.

Oftentimes when we speak about trusting in Jesus we have in mind that initial act of commitment to Jesus, as expressed in the words of the hymn writer, John Newton, “the hour I first believed.” For some people, this is all “trusting in Jesus” means. They look back to that day when they first believed; perhaps it was in response to a gospel invitation made at an evangelistic rally, or a commitment made at a Bible camp, or an initial act of faith made in response to reading a gospel tract.

But since that time their life has been characterized by spiritual drifting: drifting in and out of sin, drifting in and out of church, drifting in and out of faith, drifting in and out of contact with Christ; resulting in a life with little or no spiritual power, and much spiritual thirst. All this time, in practical terms, following their initial act of faith in Christ, such people have actually been trusting in themselves on a day to day basis: relying on their own wisdom to solve problems and handle the situations of life; relying upon their own strength in a futile effort to resist temptation and abide in Christ and sporadically to cultivate the Christian life. Consequently, such people feel like miserable failures, they fail miserably, and they are spiritually empty and thirsty.

Now, beyond a doubt, it certainly is true that there must be that moment of initial faith and commitment to Christ, that moment when you turn yourself over to Christ, receiving Him as your Savior and entrusting yourself to Him. But, according to the Scriptures, that moment is the beginning of the life of faith, it is not the end and summation of faith. Once you have initially believed in Jesus, you must daily exercise your faith in Him. In Ephesians 1:19 the Apostle Paul prays that we might know “the exceedingly great power made available to us who are believing;” i.e. those who are exercising dynamic faith in the Lord Jesus Christ: practical and daily faith in the Savior, the faith that takes Him at His Word and acts upon it.

You experience the truth of Jesus’ promise, (“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, From within him shall flow rivers of living water”), as you daily and simply exercise faith in Him: trusting, yielding, and resting in Him.

Come to Jesus for Spiritual Life; and He Will Give You the Holy Spirit←⤒🔗

Verse thirty-nine explains that, when He speaks of rivers of living water flowing from within the believer, Jesus is speaking about the Holy Spirit and His presence in the Christian’s life: “Now he was referring to the [Holy] Spirit, whom they that believed in him were to receive.”

When you entrust your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, He enters into your soul and takes up His residence in your heart by the Person of His Holy Spirit:

I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, that he may abide with you forever, ¹⁷[namely], the Spirit of truth...he dwells in you and shall be with you. ¹⁸I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you. Jn. 14:16-18

...if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. ¹¹And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.Rom. 8:10-11

It is the Holy Spirit who communicates to the Christian the spiritual life:

• The Holy Spirit gives the Christian confidence before God: “you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear; but you received the Spirit of sonship, and by him we cry, Abba, Father. ¹⁶The [Holy] Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Rom. 8:15-16)
   
• The Holy Spirit creates within the Christian the character of God: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, ²³gentleness and self-control” (Gal. 5:22­-23a).
   
• The Holy Spirit gives the Christian a divine courage from God: “God did not give us a spirit of fearfulness, but [the Spirit] of power and love and discipline” (2 Tim. 1:7).
   
• The Holy Spirit ministers to the Christian divine counsel from God: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter to be with you forever, ¹⁷the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive; for it neither sees him nor knows him. [But] you know him; for he abides with you and shall be in you.” (Jn. 14:16-17)
   
• The Holy Spirit imparts to the Christian the victory of Christ: “if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live” (Rom. 8:13b).
   
• The Holy Spirit enables the Christian to confess Christ before men: “But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time, you will be given what to say, ²⁰for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” (Matt. 10:19-20)

As we trust in Christ on a daily basis, relying upon Him, yielding ourselves to Him, resting in Him, the Holy Spirit will increasingly cause the spiritual life to flow out of our hearts and through our lives like rivers of living water.

Conclusion←⤒🔗

Jesus says,

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, From within him shall flow rivers of living water. Jn. 7:37

Do you find yourself engaged in the mere rituals of religion without partaking of the true spiritual life offered by Christ? If you want true spiritual life, come to the Lord Jesus Christ, because He is the Source of that life, and He graciously supplies that spiritual life to all who trust in Him.

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. What particular feast was being celebrated at this time, and what was its spiritual significance? See Jn. 7:2; Lev. 23:34, 39. In what month did this feast occur? What is characteristic of the first and last days of this feast? What do these features bring to mind? Note Gen. 2:2. We as Christians look forward to what promise? See Heb. 4:9-10; note, also, Rev. 14:13,

Now the Jewish feast, the Feast of Tabernacles, was about to take place... (Jn. 7:2)

Speak to the children of Israel, saying: The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD... ³⁹Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the LORD for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. Lev. 23:34, 39

The Feast of Tabernacles was the great harvest celebration.

And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had made. Gen. 2:2

There remains, therefore, a rest for the people of God; ¹⁰for he who has entered his rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from his.Heb. 4:9-10

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, 'Write: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on.' 'Indeed,' says the Spirit, 'so that they may rest from their labors; for their works will follow them.' Rev. 14:13

2. What else was a unique feature of this feast (cf. Lev. 23:40, 42), and what was its purpose (cf. Lev. 23:43)? As Christians, what spiritual provision has Christ made for us (cf. Jn. 14:16-17), and what promise has Christ given to us (cf. Jn. 14:2-3)?

And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days... ⁴²You shall dwell in booths seven days; all native Israelites shall dwell in booths: ⁴³that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. Lev. 23:40, 42­-43

Israel was to commemorate the fact that the LORD was faithful to provide shelter and sustenance for His people in the wilderness as he led them to the rest He had prepared for them in the land of Canaan.

I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever, ¹⁷the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive him; because it does not see him, nor does it know him. [But] you know him; because he abides with you and will be in you. Jn. 14:16-17

In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me; so that where I am, you may be also. Jn. 14:2-3

3. What does the Lord Jesus Christ do on the last, great day of this feast? See Jn. 7:37. When people are spiritually thirsty, seeking a relationship with God, where do they tend to look? What does the LORD say to those who look anywhere else than to Him? See Isa. 55:2a; note, also, Jer. 2:13,

Now on the last day, the great [day] of the Feast, Jesus stood and cried out, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Jn. 7:37

Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your wages for that which does not satisfy? Listen to my counsel, and eat what is good, and let your soul enjoy the richest food. Isa. 55:2

My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and have hewn for themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.Jer. 2:13

4. What promise does the Lord Jesus make to those who accept His invitation and put their faith in Him (cf. Jn. 7:38), of whom was He speaking (cf. Jn. 7:39)? What is one ministry, among many, that the Holy Spirit carries out in the Christian’s life? See Rom. 8:15-16,

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, From within him shall flow rivers of living water. ³⁹Now he was referring to the [Holy] Spirit, whom they that believed in him were to receive; for the Spirit had not yet been [given]; because Jesus had not yet been glorified. Jn. 7:38-39

...you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father.' ¹⁶The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God... Rom. 8:15-16

5. What does the Apostle Paul exhort the Christian to do? See Eph. 5:18. What is one way in which we, as Christians, can hinder, or even prevent, the Holy Spirit from “gushing up” and filling our lives with His presence? Note Eph. 4:30-31. Are you allowing this to happen in your life; if so, what do you need to do? Note Eph. 4:32,

...do not become drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit... Eph. 5:18

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹Get rid of all bitterness and rage and anger and clamor and slander, along with all malice. ³²Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other just as God by Christ forgave you. Eph. 4:30-32