Streams of Living Water

On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

“I will give you the source of spiritual water that will not run dry and you will not need to have a rite at the Temple from priests in order to symbolize or get that. I am replacing the previous need of the intercessory priest acting on your behalf and I am giving that source directly to those who believe in me.”

Wow! What a promise. In a ritually rich culture, one that has for centuries relied on the layer of priests and their understanding of how to seek God’s blessings, this was not just a promise, it was a threat. The priests should feel like their territory was being encroached on. But the people were being the ability to seek and receive God’s blessings directly from him. The veil had been torn. The Holy of Holies was approachable by the common man. Jesus had brought a way for man to be reconciled to his creator. And the creator through Jesus Christ was providing a source of constant blessing and nourishment for man to draw from and be filled with continually. Never-ending.

Wow! What a promise.

And it’s true. It’s here now. To those who believe he has given the power of the holy spirit. Like water that flows from within that is life itself and that never ends.