We are all thirsty for life. If you’ve been with us for any period of time at Hope Fellowship, you’ve likely heard this assertion. When I say we are thirsty for life, I don’t mean that we are  thirsty for a nominal existence, the wash-rinse-repeat cycle of waking, eating, breathing, going to work, paying taxes, and so forth. When I say thirsty for life, I mean a joyful, purpose-laden life that fills the cavernous longings of the soul and overflows into all we do, our relationships, our family, our work. 

Would you believe that the God of the universe desires that you be filled with this kind of life, an abounding, joy-flowing life in Him?

Today, we turn back to the book of John. The series is called: the Book of John: Bearing Witness. John wrote the gospel accounts of Jesus in order to bear witness to what he saw, and proclaimed to his readers that Jesus is the risen Son of God. His aim was that we, too, may have fellowship with God the Father and Jesus, the Son of God, by the indwelling Holy Spirit.

It has been some time since we were in John, so I want to remind you, briefly, where we are in the narrative: John introduced Jesus as the Word of God become flesh, who was with God in the beginning, made all things, and came to earth and dwelt among us. He testified, “We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John the Baptist bore witness to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John recorded 7 signs in his gospel account, though there were many more, and these signs point to and teach us about Jesus. He turned water into wine, pointing to the great wedding feast at the end of the age where he brings the greatest joy. He pointed to the new temple, our bodies, which will house and be filled with the Spirit of God. He spoke with Nicodemus, and how we must be born again even to see the kingdom of God. He met an adulterous Samaritan woman at the well, told her all she had done, and offered her living water that would wash her, and satisfy her for eternal life. He healed an officials son from 20 miles away. He healed a lame man in the temple, and taught of the kingdom and of his Father. He fed 5,000, pointing back to Moses and the people of Israel in the wilderness, and declared, “I am the bread of life.” He walked on water, showing he is master over the elements of His creation. Yet, he was rejected by the people of Israel, the religious leaders, even his family. Only a few remained faithful, because they knew only Jesus had the words of life.That catches us up to chapter 7, where we left off 6 weeks ago. John records that Jesus went to the Feast of Booths in secret, though his brothers were urging him to go do public miracles and prove himself, for they didn’t yet believe in him. We see that tension had risen, and the pharisees and religious leaders were plotting to kill Jesus. The crowd, fickle as it was, would swing behind or against Jesus, depending on whether or not he did a miracle they approved of. Jesus exhorted them to judge not by appearances, but according to his word, judge with right judgement. The crowd knew that the religious leaders were opposed to Jesus, but were asking the question: “Is this the Christ?” And “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

That is verse 31. Which leads us to our passage today. Would you stand in honor of the word of God as we read.

John 7:32–52

[32] The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. [33] Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. [34] You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” [35] The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? [36] What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”

[37] 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. [38] Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” [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.

[pray]

The End of the Beginning (32-34)

Oh, the Irony! (35-36)

The Thirsty Soul (37)

Living Water (38-39)

The End of the Beginning (32-34)

That’s an ominous beginning to a sermon, isn’t it? Why is this the heading? 

Jesus was aware from the beginning of his earthly ministry that he was on a collision course with the cross. He now indicates that time was drawing near for his death. He knew the time. Look at verses 32-34.

[32] The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. [33] Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. [34] You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.”

We read earlier in John that Jesus knew the heart, the intentions, the thoughts of men. He would respond to those around him, but directly to their hidden thoughts. John painted the picture that the Pharisees heard the muttering of the crowd, — verse 31, yet many people believed in him. They were asking themselves of Jesus, “Would the Messiah do more signs than [Jesus] had done?” 

The answer is— surely not! The world had never seen, nor has it since, someone who spoke like this man, did miracles, and healed like this man. Yet, it was not miracles that glorified the Son of God. It was not his turning water into wine - he told his mother his hour had not yet come. Jesus referred to the hour of his glorification as his death on the cross. Jesus stated “His hour had not yet come in verse 30, but now is indicating that his hour was approaching: 

v33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. [34] You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.”

Who was Jesus speaking to? Can you imagine the confusion of crowds? The pharisees and religious leaders? How about the disciples? The men and women who have devoted the last 2 and a half years to following Jesus, learning of him, knowing him, being loved by him. Can you imagine how disconcerting it was for them? Here, their beloved Messiah, and friend, whom they understood to be the savior of Israel, was telling them he was leaving, and they couldn’t come with him. Isn’t that what we read? How were they to understand this?

We find the answer in John 13:31-35. Just as we had said, Jesus’ hour of glorification was his death by which he saved for himself a people. John 13:31:

[31] When he [Judas] had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. [32] If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. [33] Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ 

So, we understand from later reading that Jesus was talking to the Jews, the religious leaders, in John 7. However, the saying was true also for his disciples. Where is Jesus going? To the Father, to be crowned with the glory he had before the world was (John 17:5). 

However, Jesus spoke to their disconcerted hearts. He would not leave his disciples, but was going to prepare a place for them. Ch 14: 1

[1] “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. [2] In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? [3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. [4] And you know the way to where I am going.” [5] Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” [6] Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. [7] If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (ESV)

This encounter was foreshadowing the end of the beginning, the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry and the beginning of His heavenly reign. 

Jesus explained to his disciples the answer to the inevitable question of the Jews: Where does He intend to go? And the answer of their indignant reasoning was one of great irony. 

Oh, the Irony! (35-36)

[35] The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? [36] What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”

It should be evident from the writing of scripture that there was great disdain from the Jews upon any other race or nationality of people. To be a gentile was to be a sinner. The greeks, though celebrated in western culture, were disdained by the Jews. 

Recall that the chief priests had sent officers from the temple to arrest Jesus. They had the authority to arrest, try, and judge people by their Law. After being sent to arrest Jesus, he states that he is going where they cannot find them. This could be a relief to the religious leaders, for what do they care of gentiles, of Greeks? And as far as they could reason, that was where he was headed. In their mind, “Good riddance!” Those were not God’s people!  Or, it could be that they understood Jesus was heading to the Dispersion, greek speaking Jews who were less respected, and some half-breeds of the people of Israel! Second class citizens  at best of the people of God.

The irony is, as John wrote his gospel some years later, the church was composed of both Jews and Greeks, gentiles and people of Israel. Jesus was not just the savior of Israel, but the savior of the world. He would bring for himself a people into the Promised Land, a people made from every tribe, tongue, people and language. And those who rejected Jesus on earth would be the people who would not find him; those who rejected his Kingship would not come into His Kingdom. There was one way to the Father, and only those who understood their need, only those who recognized their thirst would come.The Thirsty Soul (37)

[37] 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.

We must remind ourselves of the context. Jesus is in Jerusalem during the Feast of Booths, or Sukkoth. It is a feast commanded by God to the people of Israel— one that was to be marked with joy, in which they build tents and remember that God led them out of Egypt and provided for them in the wilderness for 40 years before bringing them to the Jordan river and into the land of Cana. In essence, it was a week long camping trip! Or for those living in Jerusalem, it was like building a fort in your backyard and living in it for a week! The festival aligned with the harvest for grapes and olives. It was a joyous celebration. The worship of Israel was highly symbolic. Every day during the celebration priests would march in solemn procession from the Pool of Siloam to the temple and pour out water and wine at the base of the altar. They’d pour water and wine, but the water was seen as superior to wine in this ceremony. Water had the elevated place in this festival, for, to a thirsty man, water is more fulfilling than wine. 

That might be what was indicated on the seventh day of the festival, the last day proper (Lev. 23:34, 41–42), for it was marked by a special water-pouring rite and lights ceremony (m. Sukkah 4:1, 9–10). Specifically, what the people of Israel were called to remember was the water that God provided in the desert when the people were dying of thirst, the water that proceeded from the rock after being struck. It was this water that saved and it had a multitude of biblical references:  Isaiah 12:3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. (ESV)

So, on the last day of the festival, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink…

What was he saying? Are you thirsty? Do you hunger and thirst for life? For joy? For salvation? Come and drink from me. This festival— it points to me. This water you seek to drink - it’s me. Salvation is in a person… it’s in me… Come and drink. And this water will change you. It will become in you living water.

Look at verses 38-39Living Water (38-39)

[38] Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” [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.

First, Jesus pointed not to one  scripture regarding living water, but the summation of scriptural references that encompassed the Spirit of God in the heart of His people. One example is:

Ezekiel 36:26–27

[26] And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. [27] And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. (ESV)

Note the difference, also, in the two sources of water. The pool of Siloam. It’s a pool. It has water that is diverted and that flows into it. Jesus gives the Spirit. The Spirit becomes a river of living, flowing, moving water. 

Living water, friends, was symbolic of the removal of sin from the body. That’s why baptism happened in living water. It had ceremonial significance for the people of Israel. And here, Jesus says you will have living water, like a river, flow out of your heart, your inner being. 

John wrote to a people whom understood that Jesus was crucified, had risen, and ascended to the Father. Upon Pentecost, He sent the Spirit of God to his people. 

We read at the beginning of our passage that Jesus had said, “where I am going, you cannot come.” We also read in John 14 that he goes to prepare a place for us, and then send us the Spirit of God: 

John 14:16–19 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, [17] even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. [18] “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. [19] Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

Are you a thirsty soul? 

We all are. We seek to quench our thirst in lesser things that never fill. Your soul will not be quenched by material success. By a large retirement. By romantic relationship. By music. By sports. By video games. By sex. By alcohol. All of those things will be poured out onto the ground and absorbed by the dust. None of them become a wellspring of life. 

Do you want life— true life, in your inner being? One that bubbles to the surface and becomes a flowing river from your heart? Jesus proclaimed that this life only comes through Him. This life is only available by him and is given through the Spirit.