Thirst

 

This past Sunday my sermon was about the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus offers the woman "Living Water”, water that would quench her thirst like no other.  Through a dialogue with Jesus she becomes so excited that she drops her water jug and runs to tell her people about her experience. She says “Come and see!”

I love preaching that story. There’s so much honesty in it. There’s so much hope and grace in it too.

Jesus spoke of “Living Water” on another occasion as well. Jesus said on the last day of the Festival of Tabernacles (Sukkot) “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”-John 7:37-39

We see a future promise of the Holy Spirit come to light here in John 7. This time of Sukkot celebrated the time that the Jewish people had wandered in the wilderness and lived this kind of nomadic life. Nothing was permanent. They moved and set up these temporary shelters as they sought the Promised Land.

During that wilderness time they cried out for water and God brought them water miraculously from a rock to quench their thirst.

Here in John 7 Jesus tells everyone on this last and greatest day of the celebration, that anyone that is thirsty may come to Him and drink. He says this in a loud voice for all to hear! He tells them loudly and boldly that whoever believes in Him will have rivers of living water flow from within them. 

These thirsty people had been clinging to a promise of a Savior. They weren’t just thirsty they were parched.  Dehydrated.  Dried up.

The promise of this water is so appealing to these people.

Have you ever been thirsty? Really thirsty? The idea of a glass of cold water can seem like the best thing in the world at those moments. In fact, it’s hard to focus on anything else when we have that kind of thirst.

Although these people may have been fixated on this spiritual thirst they had, they would not have missed the connection of Jesus’ words to the Exodus story. The promise in that story was that God provided for His people.

We also can’t miss the second part of what Jesus says. He says that rivers of living water will flow from within those that believe in Him.

That’s more than having your thirst quenched. That’s a promise of also having the abundance to share with others around you.

Jesus doesn’t just come to quench our thirst, but to overflow us with this living water that we then bring to those around us.

Did you catch the word that moves this process? Flowing

This isn’t stagnant water or contained water; this is water on the move! This is water that reaches out. This is water that makes itself available to many.

Are you thirsty? Do you, like these people and the Samaritan woman find the offer of living water something greatly appealing? Jesus says come to him and “Drink!”

But don’t just stop there. Allow this water to flow from within you. When you’ve felt the quenching satisfaction of our Saviors presence in your life…share it with others! Tell them about Him….like the Samaritan woman who ran from the well to tell her people about Jesus.

The river of living water is right in front of you! Drink and then invite others to “Come and see” what you have found.

 

-Pastor Patti