John 7:37-39 (NIVUK)
37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
What a masterful use of imagery here by Jesus. Remember where he spoke, this was a hot and dry land where water was a precious resource, and feeling thirsty in the dry heat of the day was no doubt a familiar experience. There’s also the context of the occasion. There was a daily ritual of water drawing at the festival, a giving thanks for the rain and, more critically, a looking forward to the pouring out of the Spirit. Jesus is claiming to be the source of the Spirit, the one who will quench our spiritual thirst for God and righteousness. Note the inclusive nature of his invitation, ‘whoever believes in me’ – whilst this may have been understood as any Jew as the audience would have been almost entirely Jewish, the way John continually leaves Jesus’ words as open like this, points towards a wider inclusion that involves the Gentiles as well. Also not the imagery of living water. This is not stagnant water as may be draw from a cistern or well, but living water, flowing and fresh.
Jesus, thank you for the Spirit, may it flow in us today!
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