Rivers of Living Water

John 7:32-52

Introduction• Jesus is in Jerusalem for the Feast of

Tabernacles– He waited until the middle of the feast to appear

and teach publicly• As a result of His teaching and discussion with

Jewish leaders . . . (Jn 7:30-31)– Many believed in Jesus as the Christ– But the leaders just wanted to get rid of Him

Where will He go?• John 7:32-36

– Jewish leaders attempt to arrest Jesus• Time not directly revealed, but seems to be the

last day of the feast (see Jn 7:37, 45)– Jesus stops them by telling them He would be

leaving soon• He would return to the One who sent Him• Where He was going they could not go

– Leaders ignored the first part, concentrated on the second part• Perhaps He was going to leave Judea and preach

in Gentile lands– Pharisees and chief priests would not go into

Gentile lands lest they be unclean

The Feast of Tabernacles• Each day of the feast,

– The high priest would go to the pool of Siloam and use a golden pitcher to draw water

• The people would follow carrying palm branches

• Levites would blow on trumpets

– The water would be poured out either on the altar or at the base of the altar while the trumpets blew and the people marched around the altar

• Some see in the actions a remembrance of God providing water and the fall of Jericho

• Some see a prayer for rain

• Most see a calling for the fulfillment of prophecy– We’ll discuss the prophecies in a moment

Rivers of living water• Jn 7:37-38

– In the midst of this celebration, Jesus says,• “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.

He who believe in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

– Not directly quoting any one passage• Summarizing several prophetic scriptures

– Scriptures about the Christ and the Prophet– Saying He is the fulfillment of those prophecies– Which prophecies?

The prophecies• “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink”

– Isa 55:1-3 – the Christ’s kingdom• “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said”

– Deut 18:15-19 – the Prophet like Moses• “out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”

– Isa 12:3 – praising God as source of salvation• v3 was often read in connection with the priest

drawing water at Siloam

• Jesus saying He is the source of salvation

– Isa 43:18-21 – provision, sustenance, guidance– Isa 44:3-6 – Christ as source of blessings,

Redeemer, and LORD of Hosts

The prophecies• “out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”

– Isa 58:8-11 – Repentance and obedience needed to become a source of unfailing water• To have their soul blessed and to share that

blessing with others

– Zech 14:6-9 – a passage read in conjunction with the pouring out of the water at the altar• [and a ceremony of lights, which will be

discussed in Jn 8:12]

• Some still expect a literal river to flow out of Jerusalem (Ezk 47:1-12)

• Jesus was saying He was the source of the water to flow out of Jerusalem

The Spirit• John 7:39

– “He spoke concerning the Spirit”• How was He speaking of the Spirit?

– Consider the other time Jesus spoke of living water (Jn 4:10, 13-14)• What do we know?

– The water must be drunk, is delivered by Jesus, and leads to eternal life

• 1 Cor 12:13– We are all baptized into one body and have been

made to drink into one Spirit» Does not say we ‘drink the Spirit’, but we ‘drink

into one Spirit’

The Spirit• Further, 1Cor 12:3 begins, “For by one Spirit...”

– The Spirit supplies what we drink; but what?

• What does the Spirit supply that we drink in and which leads to eternal life?– Jn 16:5-15

• The Spirit supplied the truth, the word of God (Jn 17:17)

• When we read and study the Bible, we are drinking what the Spirit supplied – living water

• Those who believed in Jesus would receive what the Spirit supplied – the living water, the word of God

Response of the crowd• John 7:40-44

– Some thought this proved He was the Prophet, others thought it showed He was Christ• Didn’t understand they were the same

– Others, unaware of the facts surrounding Jesus’ birth, thought He did not fulfill all the prophecies of the Christ

– Some still wanted Him arrested, but no one was willing to try to do that in front of the crowds

Response of the officers• John 7:45-46

– The ones sent to arrest Jesus (Jn 7:32)• Not saying they believed Jesus

• But they could not discount His teaching

• Perhaps they were confused, because of what Jesus said and how He said it

– Something more than mortal was going on, and they knew enough not to get involved

The response of the rulers• John 7:47-49

– The officers have been deceived• Though they went and saw and heard

– The crowd is ignorant and thus cursed• Though the crowd understood both the

prophecies and Jesus teaching

• The rulers were the ones who chose ignorance

– No ruler has believed• Not realizing Nicodemus and others believed

– Jn 3:2, 12:42-43

Response of Nicodemus• John 7:50-52

– Doesn’t the Law require a hearing BEFORE passing judgment?• The Law did so require: Lev 19:15-16; Exo 23:1-

2; Deu 19:15,18 • They had condemned the crowd for being

ignorant of the Law• They ignored Nicodemus’ comment and the Law,

so condemning themselves– They said: No prophet comes from Galilee

• Actually wrong: Jonah (2Kgs 14:25) from Gath Hepher in Zebulun

– Many others did not have their place of origin named and so may have been from Galilee

Conclusion• Jesus used an event in progress to illustrate

His mission– He had come to be a source for living water

• The word of God supplied by the Holy Spirit

– If we believe and drink of that water, it will, in turn, become rivers of living water• Flowing out from each believer to others

• All tracing their origin back to God’s word, but spreading to fill the earth

– As the prophets had foretold

• Have you been to the fountain of living waters yet?