One of the most beautiful themes in Scripture is the idea of life-giving water. Water was so important to the Ancient Near East that it was often called the wine of God. To refuse someone a drink of water would be to commit a blatant act of evil. It is no wonder that Jesus is compared to living water in the Scriptures.
During the Feast of Tabernacles, the priest would perform a ceremony that commemorated the striking of the rock in the wilderness that Moses hit to provide water for the Hebrews to drink. The rock was a symbol of Jesus who by His death would cause living streams of salvation to flow to all those who thirst for salvation.
Jesus’ words are the water of life. In fact, during the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, there in the presence of all the multitudes, He set Himself apart to be stricken so that the water of life might flow to the world.
At the death of Jesus on the cross, Satan thought he had destroyed the Prince of Life. But from the stricken rock, there flowed living water, and as Jesus spoke to the people, their hearts would be thrilled with strange wonder. And many were ready to exclaim, as the woman at the well of Samaria exclaimed, ‘Give me this water so that I will not thirst again.’
Jesus knows the wants of your soul. Jesus also knows that pride, riches, and honor will never satisfy your heart. If you thirst, come to me, Jesus says. The rich, the poor, the high, and the low are all welcome to come to Jesus. Jesus promises to relieve your burdens. To soothe your mind. To comfort your sorrow. And to give you hope.
Many of the people that heard Jesus at this feast were mourning over disappointed hopes. Many were nourishing a secret grief. Many of those people were seeking to satisfy their restless longing with the things of this world and the praise of human beings.
But when everything in their life that they wanted was gained, they would find that they had toiled only to reach broken water vessels that could never quench their thirst. And in the myths of the glitter of the joyous scenes, they found themselves still dissatisfied and sad.
And then Jesus appears, and He “cries if any human being thirsts.” This startled them from their sorrowful meditations, and when they listened to the words that followed, their minds were kindled with new hopes, and the Holy Spirit presented the symbol before them until they saw it in the offer of the priceless gift of salvation.
The cry of Jesus to the thirsty soul still goes forth today, and it appeals to you and me with even greater power than to those who heard it in the temple on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. The fountain is open for you. If you’re weary and exhausted, you’re offered the refreshing drink of eternal life.
Jesus is still crying out. If you are thirsty, come to Him and drink. Let him that is thirsty come to me, Jesus says. And whosoever will come to Jesus can drink the water of life freely.
If you drink of that water today, Jesus will give you the water that never runs dry. If you drink of the water that Jesus will give you, you’ll never thirst again. But the water that Jesus gives you will also spring up a well in you of living water to everlasting life.
The question is will you drink? Will you accept that life-giving water that Jesus offers you today?
The Scriptures say in John 7:37-38, “On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, ‘Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’’”
All you have to do is come to Him, and He will give you that water that will satisfy your soul like nothing else can.
Pastor Anthony Nix
Anthony serves as the Pastor For Anderson Seventh-day Adventist Church in Anderson, IN. A charismatic communicator with a message that motivates discipleships to Jesus, Anthony teaches on a variety of topics, emphasizing God’s unfailing love and His desire to be in relationship with His creation. He is a graduate of Southern Adventist University. Anthony and his wife Nayeli have three beautiful and loving children.
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