Timing
John 7:37-53
Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz
37 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. 40 Some of the people therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, “This certainly is the Prophet.” 41 Others were saying, “This is 1the Christ.” Still others were saying, “Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He? 42 “Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So a division occurred in the crowd because of Him. 44 Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him. 45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?” 46 The officers answered, “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.” 47 The Pharisees then answered them, “You have not also been led astray, have you? 48 “No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he? 49 “But this crowd which does not know the Law is accursed.” 50 Nicodemus (he who came to Him before, being one of them) said to them, 51 “Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” 52 They answered him, “You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.” 53 [Everyone went to his home.]
Biblical scholarship entails a wide array of knowledge to offer the best interpretation of the Bible. A problem in presenting scholarship is that sometimes it is not well received because it goes against the grain of what the church has espoused for centuries. I come from the point that it is essential to share information that does not destroy one’s religious foundation but rather gets people to think about what they are hearing and judging for themselves.
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz said that every person who reads the Bible needs to develop their own Bible. I have often pondered that statement, wondering exactly where he was coming from. Unfortunately, Rabbi Steinsaltz is no longer with us. I have come to believe that studying the holy documents of whatever religion a person follows is vital, striving to find knowledge and understanding. That search must include writings from knowledgeable scholars and people living by the sacred documents. Perhaps making your own Bible means that you understand what you are reading.
Time to become very specific here. There is a special meaning behind the narrative found in John’s Gospel in chapter seven, verses 37-53. Whenever a time of year is mentioned, it gives a background to the narrative. When a family goes to a professional photographer, different backgrounds are explored to see which may be the best for the family photo. The background can sometimes make the difference between a beautiful picture and a common one.
The backdrop for the narrative is that Jesus spoke on the last day of the festival known as Succot. There are three festivals in the Torah, the first five books of Moses, that require Jews to come to Jerusalem and celebrate. Succot is the fall festival. Jesus went to Jerusalem to celebrate the festival. On the last day, he spoke to a crowd.
What did Jesus say? He first noted that people who are thirsty need to drink from him. How can a person drink from another person? “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink” is an Aramaic idiom that means that Jesus was speaking the truth about God. Water was scarce in the Near East, and people would have to ration their water in the dry season. In Jesus’ day, the truth about God was not easy to find. Therefore, it was scarce. The religious leaders had perverted the interpretation of the Scriptures to fit their need to control and tax the people.
Now let’s combine Jesus with the truth about God and with the day he spoke. Jewish theology says that from the day of Rosh Hashannah, the Jewish new year, through Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, and then on the very last day of the Succot festival, God decides who lives and dies in the upcoming year.
On the last day of Succot, Jesus was preaching to the people that if they followed his ways, which was the truth of God, they would receive salvation, and their names would be written in the book of life. Jesus taught them by following the truth of God that they would go to Heaven upon death. Salvation was being offered to the people who followed God’s truth, which was what Jesus was presenting them with. The last day of Succot could be considered a day for the determination of the salvation of the individual.
At this point in John’s Gospel, it was important for the people to follow the ways and actions of Jesus. Actually, it is crucial for us today to follow the practices and actions of Jesus. Why? The simple answer is that Jesus spoke the truth of God. Salvation comes to people who follow the ways and actions of Jesus. The idea of salvation through Jesus’ death is important because Jesus was willing to die rather than abandon the truth of God.
Ask yourself if you are following the ways of Jesus? Salvation and forgiveness of sin are obtained by believing in Jesus, his life, his death, and his resurrection. The word to believe is an action verb. Therefore, you need to do something to prove to Jesus that you believe in him. What do you have to do? Again, the simple answer is to act like Jesus.
Loving God and neighbor is the key. The Bible offers a lot of ways to do both. Jesus shows us how to live by the words in the Bible. All four Gospels concentrate on conveying the message of loving God and neighbor. Loving God and neighbor is called the Great Commandments.
Why did the religious leaders in Jesus’ day have trouble with this? Their interpretation of the Scripture was different than Jesus’. This is clear by how they dealt with the commandment to love God. For religious leaders, strict adherence to the rituals was the key to loving God. The sage Hillel said that following a ritual without having your heart in it means nothing to God. Let me give you today’s equivalent. How many people do you know who come to a Sunday church worship where they say they love God but, when they leave the church, seem to forget God’s word through their words and actions? I pray that you are not one of those persons.
Loving God and neighbor is not a one-hour-a-week deal. It is a way of life. Look to Jesus to instruct you on how to make the Great Commandments an integral part of your life. There are plenty of ways to show your love for Jesus; the same can be said for showing that you love your neighbor. If you need help in this area, find a pious person and talk to that person.
So, now that you heard this message, what will you do? I pray that you will become like Jesus if you are not already. If you are, I hope this message from John’s Gospel strengthens your commitment.
