He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” So there was a division among the people because of Him. Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him. Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?” The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, “Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?” They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.”

- John 7:37-52

In yesterday’s reading, we read that Jesus has gone to the great autumn festival of the Feast of Tabernacles. It is a harvest festival, which also commemorates the wandering in the desert – and the dwelling in tents (or tabernacles) of the ancient Israelites. Jesus went to the festival without public acclaim, but when there He began to teach in the temple, although He knows that by now the religious authorities seek to lay their hands on Him. He taught about Himself and His origins from the Father, the One who sent Him – and to whom He will return. He speaks about healing on the Sabbath – and compares it to their circumcision they will perform on the Sabbath; which is God’s work? The crowds are divided about Him, and the temple officials send the temple police to arrest Him.

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. My study bible says that “the last day” of the feast is probably the seventh or eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles. On this day there is included a procession from the pool of Siloam, carrying water to the temple for a libation; this commemorates the water flowing from the rock Moses struck in the wilderness. In the context of Jesus’ words, we see Christ as the fulfillment of the Scripture and the experiences of the ancient Jews in the desert: He was present in the rock, but now He offers true worship in the heart, and the “rivers of living water” are the Spirit which He will give. My study bible says, “Living water is the gift of the Spirit and the new life which springs forth by the power of the Spirit. Christ gives the Holy Spirit, and the believer’s heart consequently flows with new life. Christ does not force us, but is always available if we desire Him.”

Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” So there was a division among the people because of Him. An interesting division among the people. We understand the perspective of the world, and we can relate to it in our own times. Jesus is born in Bethlehem, we know. But the arguments will take place on the basis of limited information, and without a depth of faith when only literal understanding dictates perspective. The Prophet, my study bible says, was an awaited deliverer – not just a Messiah (or Christ), but rather a new Moses who would lead Israel out of bondage. But we see the perspective of the people, which reflects today perhaps our own social arguments and perspective about spiritual reality, and the different ways in which we might try to prove or disprove what are matters of faith.

Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him. Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?” The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” Even the police officers of the temple cannot arrest Him – they are stunned by His words. The Gospel teaches us also about the nature of this divine mission: His hour has not yet come, they cannot lay their hands on Him yet. The temple leadership refer back to themselves as authorities; it is clearly their authority which is so challenged in the presence of Jesus. In so doing, they condemn the crowds among which He will find faith, with great contempt for their “flock.” It clearly shows their desperation to hold onto their power and authority, and to assert it for themselves.

Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, “Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?” They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.” Nicodemus we recall from the third chapter of our Gospel of John. He has asked Jesus about baptism, and Jesus taught him about being reborn in spirit. Nicodemus raises the question of the law; clearly the authorities are even violating the law they say they uphold. My study bible adds that their sarcastic response to Nicodemus shows their own blindness: the prophet Jonah came from Gath Hepher, a town in Galilee only three miles from Nazareth (3 Kings 14:25). They are desperate and showing their desperation; their one goal is to eliminate that which threatens their place, their authority, and “the honor that comes from men.” They are in a great haste to put Jesus behind them and out of the picture.

We have a divided crowd, confused and in dispute – and also afraid of the authorities. And the authorities are desperate to get rid of Jesus in whatever way they can, so much so that they brush off Nicodemus, also a Pharisee, with a trite justification that exposes an ignorance of the Scriptures they say they defend. I think we can make much of the similarity to situations we may find in our world today. What is truth? How do we know the truth of a person? How do we discern, and make a good judgment? When the forces of “the world,” which uphold so highly the “honor that comes from men” desire to cut corners, to belie the safety measures for standards of truth and justice that we have learned to establish in our world, then we know we are in trouble and in the presence of something that does not work for the good. Over and over again, one will read of persecution of martyrs in which all existing standards of justice are trampled and circumvented. What does truth mean to you? What does it have to do with justice? And we shall remember above all things that God is our source for the good, for what we understand to be fair and just, and Christ Himself is our teacher of the powerful need for the respect for truth in all forms in our lives. And the depth of truth Christ teaches leads us to love and to compassion and mercy. How is that missing from this scene, and its depth of understanding? Do we see it missing in the scenes around us as well?