John 7:37-39 -- Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 But this He said in reference to the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
There has already been quite a stir with Jesus showing up in the middle of the Feast of Booths and teaching. Even the religious leaders could not stop Him and that caused the people to ask questions. Could He be the Messiah? Maybe He is? Wait, don't we know this guy? But the religious rulers aren't stopping Him so…
In the verses today we see Jesus show up on the final day of the feast and He doesn't step up and start teaching or gather a group around and talk. Nope. It says He stood up and cried out. They word for cried out in the Greek is krazo and means to cry out aloud, speak with loud voice, it's also associated with the cry of a raven, loud and attention catching. We usually see Jesus as quiet, gentle, meek, so to find Him standing up and crying out loudly here really adds a weight to thing.
Another thing that adds to what Jesus is doing here is to know what the Feast of Booths or Sukkot in Hebrew. It is one of three major pilgrimage festivals in Israel, so there were tons of people here at the temple. It was a feast to celebrate their deliverance from Egypt and reminder of God's protection, provision, and faithfulness. During the feast, each day the priests would draw water from the pool of Siloam and carry it to the temple, where they would pour it into basins beside the altar. This was a reminder of God's provision of water while they were in the wilderness.
So, here is Jesus, standing up, in the midst of all these people, who had been celebrating God's deliverance, His provision, His faithfulness, after all the waters had been poured by the priests, and he cries out an invitation to ANYONE who THIRSTS.
Anyone: Any person at all. Any race. Any nationality. Any sex. Any class. Any education level. Any history. Any upbringing. Any person at all.
Thirsts: Sensation of dryness in the mouth/throat associated with a desire for liquids. A desire or need to drink. An ardent desire, craving, longing.
As I'd read somewhere Jesus' invitation is so broad as to encompass ANYONE, however it's as narrow as to those who THIRST, which means recognizing you have a need.
Christian, if you try to preach the Gospel and only tell of the benefits and blessings of Jesus, without discussing sin, how will someone know they have a need? If someone is a millionaire, with a fancy house, expensive car, high paying job, why do they need Jesus?
Remember back in John Chapter Four, Jesus told the Samaritan woman about being the living water. She asked Him to give her this water and the first thing He did was ask her to go get her husband. He directed her to the sin in her life, which had to be dealt with.
Jesus' invitation is open to ANYONE and EVERYONE, so make sure Christian when you share the Gospel of Jesus you do not present a false, easy to swallow Jesus that will do nothing but cause hurt, disappointment, and ultimately destruction in the end.
Just some tough things to think about this Sunday morning. Please don't take my word on it. Be the Berean, dive into God's Word yourself. Take your own journey with Him and see what He shows you!
You are loved. You are prayed over. You are not alone.
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