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

 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 out 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 our current reading, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles (or Sukkot), an eight-day autumn harvest festival, commemorating the time Israel dwelt in temporary shelters (tents or "tabernacles"), following Moses in search of the Promised Land.  Yesterday we read that at about the middle of the feast Jesus went up to the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.   Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of your keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"  The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"

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.   The last day, that great day of the feast is the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles.  On this day there was a ceremony of the drawing of water from the pool of Siloam, a remembrance of the water that flowed from the rock struck by Moses (Exodus 17:1-7).  This gives the context reflected in Jesus' words here:  "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink."  My study bible comments that the living water Jesus speaks of is the gift of the Holy Spirit and the new life that accompanies this gift. 

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.  The Prophet refers to the expected Messiah.  That is, the Savior whom Moses foretold would come (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).   Bethlehem, birthplace of King David, is the town from which the Christ was prophesied to come (Micah 5:2).  Once again, John gives us the backdrop to the life of Jesus, and the controversy that surrounds Him among the people and the leaders.

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."   In yesterday's reading, we learned that the chief priests had sent officers of the temple to arrest Jesus in the middle of the feast (verse 32).  On this day, the last day of the feast, no arrest has yet been made, because the officers had been converted by Christ's teaching.  My study bible comments quoting St. John Chrysostom:  the Pharisees and scribes who had "witnessed the miracles and read the Scriptures derived no benefit" from either one.  These officers, however, although they could claim none of this learning, were "captivated by a single sermon."  When the mind is open, "there is no need for long speeches.  Truth is like that."

Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does out 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 remember from chapter 3, had spoken to Christ, and had increased in faith.  But, my study bible points out, his defense of Christ is still based on our law.  This is not yet a public profession of faith, which will come later (see 19:38-39).   In accordance with the law, Jesus must be given a hearing before He can be judged (Exodus 23:1; Deuteronomy 1:15-17).  My study bible also comments here on the statement that no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.  It notes that this shows blind hatred and also ignorance of the Scriptures by the Pharisees, as the prophet Jonah came from Galilee, from the town of Gath Hepher, only three miles from Nazareth (2 Kings 14:25).  Significantly, elsewhere Jesus refers to His death and Resurrection -- when a sign or proof of identity as Christ is demanded of Him -- as the sign of the prophet Jonah (Matthew 12:39, 16:4; Luke 11:29-30).

Jesus is in the middle of controversy.  He has come into the world to reveal something, to reveal Himself as Truth (14:16), and to offer a gift of salvation through faith in this truth and in His teachings.  He will offer Himself also as sacrifice, even as nourishment in the Eucharist.  But such a great undertaking is not met with universal appreciation, nor understanding!   Instead, His life during His public ministry is one of challenges and dangers, misunderstandings and hostility.  In this, we should all take heart as we come to know and understand that the truth will not get us universal approval, and that ridicule in the public eye does not amount to a "hill of beans" as the expression goes.  What is important is the integrity of faith, the solid ground on which we stand in an internal sense when we put our trust in Christ, and the love expressed and experienced through faith.  But His is not a careless proclamation for all to believe, nor does He expect universal approval.  His "hour" has not yet come; it is not time for Him to go to Jerusalem for the final confrontation in an open manner as will happen on the day we celebrate as Palm Sunday.  His mission is deliberate, not careless, as He will teach His own apostles also to be deliberate and careful in their missionary work as well.  "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16).    This is not the dramatic fanfare of films nor the heroism of fairy tales and war stories or modern superheroes.  This is the grit and toughness of every day life, the things in our hearts that keep us from finding our Lord, and the challenges and hostilities we nurture in this world that remain ever with us.  Jesus' heroism is about faith, a fidelity to the Father's cause and will, the One who sent Him, as He has said.  He will follow in that faith and loyalty to the end, ready to sacrifice for the salvation of all.  Does a modern superhero make that kind of sacrifice?  Can we understand the challenge of undergoing this kind of struggle for something much greater than ourselves, even for love?  What we serve is Truth, but this Truth is a Person -- a Person who loves us and loves the world.  John's Gospel presents us with all the difficulties of a struggle for faith:  the doubt, even torment, in the midst of the world with its hostilities, selfishness, misunderstanding, envy, turmoil, and all the rest of the things that go into a life of struggle.  It doesn't shrink from telling us the whole story, all of the truth of what it is to tell the kind of truth that Christ tells.  It invites us in to the light that He brings, so that we may share in it, but it does not teach us fairy tales; it gives us a microcosm in the life of Christ of the things that plague our world and with which we struggle as human beings, even if it is an inner struggle.  Let us observe the crowds, as they respond to Christ, and the people who grow more apart in response to Him:  some to more faith, some to outright hostility and violence.  Where does this story find you in the choices you need to make, in the sacrifices you might give up for this truth in your own life?  Let us remember His teaching of endurance and prudence, and make our own choices to follow Him.  Our depth and abundance of life is in the rivers of living water that He promises.