“On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.’ He said this about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit, for the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified.” (John 7:37-39, CSB).

God is passionate about your salvation….

In John 7 Jesus went down to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. About halfway through the week-long celebration He went up to the Temple and began to teach.

The Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Booths and Sukkot, is the seventh and last feast that the Lord commanded Israel to observe. It is one of the three feasts each year that Jews were to observe by appearing before the Lord (see Deuteronomy 16:16). As one of the pilgrim feasts when Jewish males were commanded to go to Jerusalem, the Feast of Tabernacles was also the time when they brought their tithes and offerings to the Temple.

With the influx of people coming to Jerusalem at this time, we can only imagine what the scene must have been like. Thousands of people coming together to remember and celebrate God’s deliverance and His provision, all living in temporary shelters or booths as part of the requirements of the feast.

The Water Pouring Ceremony was an event on the last day of Sukkot. The priests would pour water over the altar that had been drawn from the Pool of Siloam while the worshipers would pray for salvation and sing psalms of praise and thanksgiving. On this particular occasion and over the clamor of the crowd Jesus pronounced the Great Salvation of God, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit!

John 7 describes how the religious leaders in Jerusalem wanted to arrest Jesus and quite possibly have Him executed (vs. 25, 32, 45-46). Furthermore, a hostile crowd tried to seize Him while He was teaching in the Temple (vs. 30, 44). And, though many in Jerusalem believed in Him, He had many detractors who shouted threats, insults and insinuations at Him (vs. 12, 20, 32, 43, 44).

In spite of hostile crowds, threats on His life, and the possibility of arrest and imprisonment, on the last and most important day of the Festival–the occasion when the most people were gathered — Jesus stood up in the crowd and cried out for the salvation of lost souls!

IF ANYONE IS THIRSTY, LET HIM COME TO ME AND DRINK. THE ONE WHO BELIEVES IN ME WILL HAVE STREAMS OF LIVING WATER FLOW FROM DEEP WITHIN HIM!

Living water refers to water in the form of rain or flowing from a natural spring, which has come directly from God. Living water was associated with the presence of God in the Old Testament: “Lord, the hope of Israel, all who abandon you will be put to shame. All who turn away from me will be written in the dirt, for they have abandoned the Lord, the fountain of living water” (Jeremiah 17:13, CSB).

“Streams of living water” represent the Holy Spirit’s presence poured into the hearts of Jesus’ followers. The Holy Spirit’s presence points to his cleansing and sanctifying work in the lives of believers.

The saving grace of God is manifested through the giving of the Spirit to the believer.

Jesus is just as passionate about your salvation today as He was in John 7 at the Feast of Tabernacles. He still cries out for your salvation and He still sends His eternal life-giving Spirit into the heart of those who believe in Him.

Won’t you drink from the Living Water today?

See, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation! (2 Corinthians 6:2, CSB)