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. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”
John 7:37–38 (ESV)
Take a moment to reflect on this passage of Scripture. What do you observe? There is one thing we could easily overlook, but it gives context and a greater understanding of Jesus’ message.
Jesus stood up and asked people who had already been celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles for six days (“On the last day of the feast…”) if they were thirsty. Interesting. Don’t you think the people would be content after feasting for a week? Some of them may even have been drunk. But Jesus asks them if they are thirsty. So what do you think He is after? He seems to be going after something deeper. What is it?
Throughout Scripture, we often observe God going after something deeper than what we see on the outside - our deepest desires. Can you think of other places in Scripture where God goes after our desires? How about Jeremiah 2?
“For my people have done two evil things:
They have abandoned me—
the fountain of living water.
And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns
that can hold no water at all! Jeremiah 2:9–13 (NLT)
What happens when our desires aren’t met? Jeremiah 2 says that often we abandon God and try to satisfy our thirst ourselves without trusting God in the process. That distrust manifests itself in what we could call “heart idols” – control, approval, success, security, pleasures, knowledge, recognition, respect, etc. There isn’t anything wrong with these things, but they can be what we go to when we thirst instead of to the “fountain of living water.” For me, I can turn to something we don’t often think of: cynicism. It can be my self-protection mechanism against disappointment or seeing the futility of life. According to Jeremiah, the problem with trying to satisfy our thirst with these things is that they will never satisfy. We can’t count on them. They don’t give life.
Remember the context of Jesus words in John 7? What were they celebrating? The Feast of Tabernacles. What is this feast about? It is a feast the Jews have to remember that God dwelt with them in booths/tabernacles while they were in the wilderness…the desert. God dwelt with them and provided for them in their thirst. He offered His presence. It’s a reminder, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” “Dine with me.” “Be with me.” “Trust me.”
In the midst of the Jews observing a feast to remember God dwelling with them, Jesus is offering them the same thing. And when they entrust themselves to Jesus daily, it will be life-giving.
God is always after us…everything about us….even our desires. In John 7, Jesus is inviting us to come to Him. To trust Him in our thirst. To trust that He is doing something in me and you that will reveal His power and glory. Trusting is the hard part. Will He satisfy my desires? Is He good? Can I really trust Him with everything?
Our deepest desires cannot be satisfied by anything or anyone but Christ. A good job, kids that behave, a loving wife, a good home, or fulfilled dreams…none of these will ultimately satisfy our thirst. We will always yearn for more at the end of the feast. I think the invitation will always be there…are you thirsty?
Bryan Glanzer
