If you have not read yesterday’s blog, please scroll down and read it first. In it I warned that Jesus was about to do something outrageous. Let’s get to that.
As the sacrifices were made Jesus must have had what was almost an out-of-body experience. Word made flesh, God on earth, Messiah and promised one, he stood there in the crowd, clothed in a dun-colored wool robe, surrounded by his disciples, watching, as sacrifice was made to him, songs were sung to him, and thanksgiving was offered to him. He stood to the side, knowing the hearts of those who were there, knowing their hunger, their thirst, and their weariness. Water in golden pitcher, sacrifice on altar, songs by the choir: They, just as profoundly as He, craved the real thing, the presence behind the symbols. For six days he watched, as every morning the drama was repeated.
Finally, he could stand it no longer.
“On the last day, at the climax to the festival, Jesus stood and SHOUTED to the crowds, ‘Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ (When he said ‘living water,’ he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)’”
There he was, the Bread of Life, using the metaphor of water to turn attention from the activity of tradition and habit to confront the people with the claim that what the thirsty soul will find in him simply cannot be found elsewhere.
Notice the character of the gift he offered: It was (and is) offered to those who believed. The promise to them was not just that Jesus was drink to slake their thirst, but that they would receive such an abundant supply of the Holy Spirit that a veritable river of life would flow through them. And just as a river is life to many, so also the Holy Spirit in our lives will bring life to others in our sphere of influence. The gift is divine, and is not given to keep, but to spread.
Is this vast river of life ours to enjoy immediately? In eternal terms, yes: But sometimes the riverbeds of our souls are terribly dry and barren because of pride, hatreds, bitterness, lust, or the sheer stubborn rebellion of God. Those riverbeds must be first repaired, then given a stream, and finally a river.
How did the crowd react? “When the crowd heard him saying this, some of them declared, ‘Surely this man is the Prophet we’ve been expecting.’ Others said, ‘He is the Messiah.’ Still others said, ‘But he can’t be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee? For the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the Royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where King David was born.’”
“When the temple guards returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees demanded, ‘Why didn’t you bring him in?’ ‘We have never heard anyone speak like this!’ the guards responded.”
In this text Jesus again called people to him: To Him. He was (and is) what they had been looking for. His invitation was clear and unambiguous. He stood beside the altar, which burned with empty sacrifice, under the stares of thirsty people who had a history to look back upon, but little to look forward to. And we are no different than they.
To be uncommitted is so contemporary. To be self-absorbed and self-serving has come to be admired, especially after so many years of being told that, after all, we’re number one, and we must be true to ourselves. But the clear truth is that in spite of a whole generation’s driving search for self-esteem and self-actualization, we have produced a culture that is desperately hungry and thirsty for something greater than self.
“Come, thou long expected Jesus; born to set they people free. From our fears and sins release us; let us find our rest in thee. Israel’s strength and consolations, hope of all the earth thou art. Dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.”