What Are You Thirsting For?

We are continuing in our sermon series from the book of John and today we have come to the passage in John 7:37-41. Jesus was at the Feast of Booths - a joyful annual celebration where God’s people came together to thank Him for providing them with the current harvest and also to commemorate God’s presence, provision and protection during their ancestor’s 40-year journey through the wilderness. For these seven days of the feast of booths, thousands upon thousands of people would come from far and wide and build temporary structures around the Temple or tabernacle like their ancestors did in the wilderness.

On each of the seven days of the feast a priest would draw water from the pool of Siloam in a golden vessel and bring it in a joyful procession while trumpeters played in the Temple. This water, along with a flask of wine, was poured into a bowl beside the altar from which a tube took it to the base of the altar and it poured out on the ground.” This was done each day of the feast and on the 7th day the water and wine was poured out 7 times. This ceremony reminded everyone how God powerfully delivered Israel from Egypt, supplied their need for water and food and how His Spirit (symbolized by the wine) led them miraculously through a dry, desert land.

The feast of booths speaks about a present hope that God would continue to meet their needs for their current harvest. It foreshadowed the future hope of when the Messiah would gather all those who had been scattered back to their homeland. At that time, God will dwell in the midst of His people and living waters will flow from beneath His throne, bringing life and healing to the whole world. Please open your Bibles to:

John 7:37-41

37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (SL3) 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. On hearing these words, some of the people said, “This is truly the Prophet.”Others declared, “This is the Christ.”

During the Feasts of booths, Jesus:

Makes a universal declaration!

Gives an open invitation

Shows an outward manifestation of where Life can be found

A Universal Declaration

John was recording the last day of the final feast of the Jewish calendar year, and as the priest is carrying the water to the temple probably for the last time, Jesus stands up and yells out, (SL6) “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.”

This must have been a shocking declaration for everyone who heard it. Everyone was looking to and trusting God to meet their natural need for water - to refill their empty reservoirs after the end of the harvest season but Jesus used this occasion to appeal to their deeper thirst, making a universal declaration. In reality He was asking:

Is there anyone here in this place who is not satisfied with their life, anyone here disappointed in the way things have turned out, anyone here still yearning for more?

What are you thirsting for?

Everyone was so focused on the commemoration and festivities but not on the One it pointed to as the Source of living water who was dwelling among them. They were hoping for rain to quench their natural thirst, the thirst of the ground, but Jesus was talking about the true significance of this feast of booths. It pointed to Him as the only One who could quench the deep need of the soul.

Just like at that feast 2,000 years ago, Jesus is asking, what are you really thirsting for right now? What drives you? We can be driven by our thirst for justice, peace, a secure future, significance, honor, affirmation, acceptance, or love. And these thirsts manifest themselves in many forms - they can drive us to be greedy, lustful and envious or else generous, loving and selfless. Some seek to satisfy their thirst through asceticism, others through pleasure, and yet others through philanthropy.

When Elon Musk was asked about what his incentive was to build the Tesla car and Space X he said: “The thing that drives me is that I want to be able to think about the future and feel good.” In other words, he is driven by the desire to build a secure future for humankind.(There are many noble pursuits and we are thankful for those who want to benefit humankind). Whatever your thirst may be, it will drive you in many directions just to be satisfied - just as water quenches our thirst.