Hollow Places And Gushing Rivers

Hollow places and Gushing Rivers

Text: John 7:37-39 / John 17:3-that you might know me

A. Background of this setting:

1. The feast of Tabernacles- was a solemn, yet joyful procession each day from the temple to the Gihon Spring- the spring which fed the reservoir we know as the pool of Siloam.

a. A priest filled a gold pitcher with water while the choir sang Isaiah 12:3.- Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

Then they returned to the altar and poured out the water.

2. This ritual reminded them of the water from the rock during the wilderness wanderings (Num. 20:8-11).

a. It also spoke prophetically of the coming days of Messiah (cf. Zech. 14:8,). “And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem…. Zech. 14:8”

3. The last day was the greatest day and Jesus could contain himself no more.

a. Rabbis sat to teach and Jesus roared to his feet. They spoke quietly and eloquently and Jesus screamed as a raven fighting over food.

Mark 5:5- And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

Same word as devils and the sick and blind calling for him

b. Men doing rituals while the very spirit and living fulfillment of that ritual sat before them

B. Jesus knew that ritual and law could only take one so far.

1. Is anyone thirsty- are you spiritually parched,

Come and drink- literally soak up the life of the father

a. Jesus knew that man was created to dwell in the presence of his father.

C. The reason behind the passion

1. Belly- 2836 κοιλία [koilia /koy•lee•ah/] n f. AV translates as “womb” 12 times, and “belly” 11 times. 1 the whole belly, the entire cavity.

a. Also referred to as the innermost part of a man, the soul, heart as the seat of thought, feeling, choice.

But more than just the innermost part of a man, Comes from another word in the Greek which means hollow

Literal- the hollow place inside a man- from koilos- koy-los

b. Why would this place be known as the place of hollowness-or emptiness? God had left in the garden of Eden Gen. 3:8-11

The place where God used to dwell was now empty.

2. Rivers- 4215 ποταμός [potamos /pot•am•os/] n m. translates as “river” nine times, “flood” four times, “stream” twice, and “water” once. stream, a river. 2 a torrent. 3 floods.

a. This is not just any old river. This word picture is a dry river bed. Dry. Dead. No-life giving waters.

All of a sudden from the rains on the mountains and valleys, this torrent of water pours into this dry river bed and it roars to life. As it swiftly flows south, many finger streams are coming off of it.

D. Truth challenge for the week

1. Come out of the desert and enter the river

"And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb." (Revelation 22:1, KJV)