November 19, 2010
SEARCHING FOR LIVING WATER
John 7:32-39
Brian Buchek
Central Truth
Jesus alone offers daily nourishment for our souls.
Key Verse | John 7:37–38
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37b-38)
John 7:32-39
Officers Sent to Arrest Jesus
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34 You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”
Rivers of Living Water
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 1 7:38 Or let him come to me, and let him who believes in me drink. As the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 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.
Dive Deeper | John 7:32-39
I love the imagery Jesus uses in this passage because we all know what it’s like to be thirsty. We typically care more, however, about our physical thirst than spiritual thirst. Here, Jesus is referring to our spiritual thirst and gives us a simple way to quench it. It’s three little words in verse 37—“come to Me.”
I find it ironic that people regularly meet at bars after work during “happy hour” to remedy their unhappiness. They want to ease their stress and heartache by drinking. Happy hour comes and goes, but the unquenchable thirst for true life remains. Scripture repeatedly reminds us where to find sustainable nourishment. God refers to Himself as “the fountain of living waters” (Jeremiah 2:13) and affirms that He alone “has satisfied the thirsty, and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good” (Psalm 107:9).
In John 4, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman at the well, who had had five husbands, that “everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst” (John 4:13-14a). Jesus expounds on this in John 7:39 by saying the Holy Spirit is the living water that flows within us. When we are consumed with Jesus and live to please the Spirit rather than ourselves, we bear the Spirit’s fruit (Galatians 5:22-23) and experience true life.
Like the Samaritan woman, we all try to find life somewhere besides Jesus at times. For me, I struggle with looking for life in areas our culture promotes like possessions, business achievements, and athletic talent. I’m constantly tempted to go to these things for life and purpose instead of going to Jesus.
To help resist this on a daily basis, we have to remove ourselves from the busyness of life and simply come to Jesus. Challenge yourself with a renewed commitment to spend ample time at His feet worshiping, reading, and praying. I hope that you and I will long for Jesus like the Psalmist, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God” (Psalm 42:1).
Discussion Questions
1. Where are you mistakenly looking for life?
2. If you say Jesus is important to you, does your time spent with Him reflect that priority?
3. Who else are you leading to living water right now?
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What does it feel like when you are thirsty or hungry?
2. What do you usually do to satisfy your thirst or hunger?
3. What do you think it means to thirst for God’s Word (need His truth)?
4. What should you do to grow in your hunger (desire) for God’s Word? (Note: Back in John 6:35, Jesus tells us what happens if we come to Him with our thirst and hunger.)