Living Water

John 7 (3)

Living Water

- Read John 7:37-39

It was the last day, that great day of the feast. For 6 days, the people of Israel had been staying in booths, remembering how the Lord had brought them out of Egypt, and how He had provided for them during the 40 years they had wandered in the wilderness. They’ve been celebrating and thanking the Lord for the harvest they have just finished collecting. They have been doing this for 6 days.

Each day the people would worship. Each day water was poured out at the base of the altar, remembering how God had given them water in the desert. Every day there were countless sacrifices, so many that all of the divisions of priests would have to be on hand to perform all of the sacrifices.

Each day the people would visit with friends and catch up with family that may have been scattered across the empire. At the end of each day, the people would return to the booths, the huts of branches they had assembled, and sleep under the stars.

It was a great and festive time for the hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the city of Jerusalem.

But this was the last day, the great day of the feast. This was the climax. On this day, the people made their way to the city wearing their most festive clothes. Each worshipper would carry a special configuration of branches. As they began to assemble in the city, the people would separate into 3 groups.

Some would remain at the temple. Another group would go in procession to Maza and gather willow-branches to adorn the altar with a leafy canopy.

The third group would follow a Priest in procession from the temple down the valley to the Pool of Siloam. When the procession reached the Pool of Siloam the Priest would fill a golden pitcher from the waters of the Siloam.

Music would be played along the way.

They then went back—timing their journey so that they reached the Temple just as the morning sacrifice was being laid on the Brazen Altar. A 3-fold trumpet blast welcomed the Priest as he entered through the Watergate.

As the Priest ascended ‘the rise’ of the altar he was joined by another Priest carrying wine for the drink offering.

These two priests come to two silver funnels leading down to the base of the altar.

Into the eastern funnel the wine is poured. At the same time the water is poured into the western funnel. (Both the wine and the water represent the Holy Spirit in scripture.) As the priest pours the water the people are shouting for him to raise his hand.

Immediately after the water is poured the people begin the response chant rooted in Psalms 113 to 118… which focuses on God’s faithfulness… and to remind God of His promises.

The pouring of the water signified the prayer for abundant rain which was necessary for the growth of their crops.

Everything comes to a great moment of joy, and there is silence.

Then from the back of the crowd comes a voice, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink. He that believers on Me, as the scripture that said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

Oh, the impact that statement made.

There are a lot of thirsty people in our world. Steve was thirsty. He was going through what some would call a midlife crisis. He had been working many years in a career that didn’t seem to be going anywhere. As he watched his parents age he realized that time was running out. There are so many things he wanted to do in life and the opportunities to do them seemed to be slipping away. He thirsted for meaning and purpose and fulfillment.

Regina was thirsty. Looking at her, people would say she was a typical teenager. She made decent grades and was into a few outside activities. She had never really been in trouble. But high school would not last forever. The “real world” waited for her. College, jobs, marriage, family: it all seemed so scary. Regina thirsted for acceptance, direction, hope, peace.

Catherine was thirsty. The kids had grown up and moved away. Occasionally she saw the grandkids, but less and less now that they were in school and her daughter in law had gone back to work. One day while she was at the grocery store she suddenly found a 4 year old with his arms around her knees giving her a hug. He looked up and realized he had grabbed the wrong grandmother and ran off to his grandmother, who was further down in the same isle. At that point Catherine realized that was the first time she had been hugged in a month and it was by accident. Catherine was thirsty for assurance, for affection, for hope, for love.