Come Thirsty Soul and Drink From The Water of Life

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 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.(John 7:37-39).

Water is life because it plays a crucial role in life. In an article Why Do Humans Need Water?, the necessity of water is explained. The article opens with these words

…a large part of what makes us human is water doing its job quietly in the background. About 60 percent of your body is water. That means more than half of “you” is just H2O. So when people say, “Drink more water,” they’re not simply being annoying; they’re also reminding you to refill the main ingredient of you ¹

The context of John 7:37-39 were words spoken at a Jewish festival or feast. The Jews had a number of festivals they celebrate in memorial of God’s deliverance from Egypt. And the festival in view here is called The Feast of Booths or Tabernacle (John 7:2). It celebrates God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt and his provision during the period of their wandering in the wilderness including the provision of water. So there was a lot of water rituals during the seven days celebrations. What a good opportunity for Jesus. He turned attention to himself using the very thing they celebrate annually. Perhaps annually, the festival is celebrated without meaning. We can safely say that because there must be a reason for Jesus summoning the thirsty soul to drink.

The Thirsty Soul

Because of the importance of water to the human body, everyone of us will have to drink water to hydrate. When there is not enough water in the body, it is said you are dehydrating. And the first sign your body triggers is thirst. What is true in the natural world, is true in the spiritual. When Jesus called out “If anyone thirsts…” he was not speaking of natural water, but of spiritual; a dehydration of the soul. A sense of dissatisfaction; an emptiness. Sadly, many people turn to the wrong places: drugs, alcohol, illicit sex, wanton pursuit of pleasure and materialism. But these only aggravate the problem. Deprive your soul of spiritual water, and your soul will tell you.²

Now at the root of all the issues of life is the problem of sin. Firstly, the problem of original sin; all human beings are born sinners and inherit the consequences of Adam’s sin (Romans 3:23; 5:12). David lamenting over his sin in Psalm 51:5 says in sin he was conceived. Our many problems; worry, dissatisfaction in life, anxiety, is first and foremost a result of our original sin problem. Then secondly follows our own sinful choices and decisions. Many of our problems can be traced to our sinful desires, choices and decisions in life including our disobedience of God’s law. If we will be honest to ourselves, we are our number one enemy but often blame others rather than ourselves. Unfortunately, too, when our soul is thirsty, our first instinct is seeking satisfaction in the wrong places. But Jesus calls the thirsty to himself. He says “Let him come and drink…”

Invitation To The Thirsty Soul

Thirsty soul here is a summon to you. Turn to Jesus for help. He throws an invitation to the thirsty soul: “Let him come to me and drink…” “Let him…” It is personal. It is individual. Jesus in this context is speaking to the crowd, yet he is calling out individuals. If you were in the crowd? What will be your response? It is instructive the mode of the call: He didn’t whisper. It was not casual. He cried! That is a shout! That was a passionate plea! That was an urgent call. It is an invitation for spiritual nourishment. It is the pattern of Scripture that Jesus calls and invites sinners, the weary, the broken hearted constantly to himself: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). He calls sinners to come freely. They don’t have to pay anything (Isaiah 55:1-3). Come and drink Jesus says. To drink is to make Jesus your joy. To drink is to make Jesus your satisfaction. To drink is to set your gaze and pleasures on Christ. To drink is to Look to Jesus and Live

Satisfaction For The Thirsty Soul

Is your soul thirsty? Is your soul famished? Is there dissatisfaction in your life? Are you burdened by the guilt of sin? Bring them all to Jesus. It is only in Jesus you find satisfaction for the thirsty Soul (v.38). This is Joy for sadness. Gladness for mourning. Beauty for Ashes. Dancing for sorrow. Pardon for sins. Acquittal of the guilty. This is eternal life. Speaking to the woman at the well, Jesus said “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again (John 4:14).

Jesus offers himself as the only one to satisfy our longing souls. He is our redeemer and friend. He is the one who died to save us from sin that we may be reconciled to the father. We can expect this satisfaction, because it is a biblical promise. It is God’s word. Jesus offers what Scripture offers. Examine the second part of of v.38: “as the Scripture has said” Here is a reference to a promise God has already made in the Scriptures and Jesus offers it to the audience gathered (See Isaiah 12:3). What Jesus offers is not fleeting. It is not a temporal satisfaction. It’s the gift of God’s promise of His Spirit. It is God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts (v.39)

Note

1. Anoushka Pant, Why Do Humans Need Water, https://www.britannica.com/science/Why-Do-Humans-Need-Water
2. Max Lucado, Come Thirsty: No Heart Too Dry For His Touch (Thomas Nelson, Nashville, 2004), 11