Are You Thirsty? -- 8/03/08

Sunday, August 3, 2008

ARE YOU THIRSTY?
John 7:37-39

During the month of July our Bible passage for memory and meditation has been John 7:37-39. If you know it, say it together with me…
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying: If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive; for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Now let me go back and read it out of the New King James. I am aware that we don’t use the word “belly” as they did in that day. It may also help clarify verse 39…
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. 38. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." 39. 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.

Let me set the stage for you this morning. We learn from verse 2 of chapter 7 that all of this took place at the Feast of Tabernacles. Among the Jews, there were three major feasts which the adult males were required to attend – the Passover, the Feast of Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles (also called Feast of Booths and Feast of Ingathering). And where did these feasts take place? In Jerusalem. Why? Because that is where the temple was. There was only one temple and all these feasts took place at the temple in Jerusalem.

So what was the purpose of the Feast of Tabernacles? It was a time of thanksgiving for the just-completed harvest. It was also a commemoration of how God had taken care of His people during the wandering in the wilderness. It was called the Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast of Booths, because the people of Israel had lived in simple booths while they were traveling through the desert during those 40 years. During the Feast of Tabernacles the people constructed temporary huts from branches and lived in them during the seven days of the feast. This is exactly what the Lord had told them to do.

The Feast of Tabernacles was the best attended of all the feasts. There were more foreigners at this feast, as many Jewish people came from foreign nations to celebrate this special time. More sacrifices were offered at this feast than at any other. It could be argued that this was the greatest of all the feasts. It was the last of the three feasts and marked the climax of the Jewish year.

So we see that this was a great time of celebration and rejoicing, moreso than any of the other feasts. The height of the celebration was when the priest led the people in a great procession from the altar in the temple down to the pool of Siloam. He carried a golden pitcher. When they came to the pool, he would fill that golden pitcher with water. Then the entire procession would begin to make its way back to the altar of the temple. When they reached the altar, the priest was joined by another priest, who held the wine, which was the drink offering for the morning service. Then one priest poured out the wine into a funnel that led to the base of the altar, and the other priest poured the water from the golden pitcher into another funnel, which also led to the base of the altar.

Immediately after the pouring of the water, the great “Hallel” was recited. “Hallel” is the Hebrew word for “praise.” It consisted of Psalms 113-118. They sang and chanted these Psalms, accompanied by a flute or other instrument. The Levites would read a portion, and then all the people would respond. As they lifted their praise to the Lord, they shook branches called “lulabs,” as if to emphasize what they were saying. When they had recited the last verse of Psalm 118, the music suddenly stopped and there was silence.

Jewish historians tell us that this was a very unusual moment of worship. The whole crowd was caught up in the spirit of worship and praise and wonder. It was the high point of the Jewish year. It was the climax. There was nothing greater in all of Jewish life. It was not only the high point of that days’ worship and the Feast of Tabernacles, but also the climax of the entire Jewish religious year.

Now come back to John 7:37, “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying…” We are told that this event occurred on the last day of the feast, which was also the greatest day. Notice that Jesus stood and cried out. That is, He spoke loudly so that everyone could hear. Surely it was at this climactic moment that Jesus spoke. If He had spoken during all the singing and the marching of the procession, no one would have heard Him. But now that the Psalms had been recited, the water and wine had been poured, there was that moment of silence. When all was quiet, Jesus stood and spoke in a way that He could be clearly heard by all who were in attendance.

What would Jesus say at such a moment? John tells us what Jesus said: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” Those words would have great meaning regardless of when Jesus spoke them, but because it was on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, they took on far more meaning. Think with me for a moment.

Many of the people had traveled for days to be at this special feast. While they were there, they spent seven days celebrating God’s provision for them. The water of the ceremony had a very important meaning. The water they poured out at the altar had rich symbolism. It was a powerful reminder of how God had provided water for their forefathers, who were wandering through the desert for 40 years. Many of you remember how the people were griping and grumbling because they were so thirsty. They thought they were going to die. But God produced water from a rock, enough water for a couple million people and their livestock. But that isn’t the end of the story. The people at the Feast of Tabernacles understood that the water symbolized more than the preservation of physical life. They knew well that it spoke of the real spiritual life that God gives. These people were more than familiar with the words of the prophet Isaiah. Let’s take a moment to read Isaiah 12…
And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. 2. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. 3. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. 4. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. 5. Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. 6. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.
They even saw the pouring out of the water as a picture of the coming of the Spirit.

Now in that context Jesus says: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to this altar and pray to God.” No, that isn’t what he said. Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty for real life, let him go to the priest.” No, He didn’t say that either. Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him read an important part of the Bible and think carefully about it.” No, that is not what Jesus said. Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to ME and drink.” Imagine that. All the religious leaders were there. The most respected religious leaders of the land were all there to celebrate this great Feast of the Lord, but Jesus says, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to ME.” In that climactic and reverent moment of the feast, Jesus invited people to come to Him. Right in the middle of the celebration of spiritual life, Jesus had the audacity to say, “If anyone is thirsty, then come to ME and drink. I am offering what you really need. You haven’t found it in all this religious celebration, but you can find it in ME.” Surely they didn’t expect that.

I must ask you a simple question this morning. Are you thirsty? You know that I’m not talking about physical thirst. I’m speaking of a spiritual thirst. Do you long to know what life is really all about? Perhaps you have gone to church, you’ve read the Bible, you’ve tried to pray, but you still have a longing that nothing has satisfied. Perhaps you are here and you are fed up with religion, because you haven’t found any reality. Are you thirsty?

Maybe you’re here and you can say, “I’ve been to church most of my life. I’ve been baptized. I’ve done things in the church.” But that’s not what I am asking you; I ask you, “Are you thirsty?” Do you have deep within you a longing that goes beyond the desire for wealth, fame, attention, comfort, and all those things? Is there within you a desire for more than going through the outward forms of religion? Do you long for more than a respectable life, with a little Bible reading, and getting along okay with others? Are you thristy?

Come back to that Feast of Tabernacles. The priests were experts at celebrating the feast. They did it with precision. No doubt, the Levites led the reciting of the Hallel with great enthusiasm. The people came and did their part. From the outside it all looked great. But in the middle of it all, Jesus said: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to ME and drink.” Jesus knew that in spite of all their celebration, they were empty.

In the back of the crowd, I think I see a woman who is 50 or 60 years old. She is a nice lady, respected by all who know her. Being a woman, she didn’t have to come to this feast, but she came willingly with her husband. She is knowledgeable about God and what He has done for His people. No one would ever know it, but inside she feels lonely and empty. Most of the time she is able to crowd out these doubts and misgivings. But now she has come to the climax of the feast. This should be the height of her year, but it’s only an outward form. She can remember a time when she was seeking the Lord with all her heart, when she was ablaze with desire for the living God, when she was described by the words of David: “One thing have I desired; that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple” (Ps. 27:4). How she would like to go back to those days, but it seems hopeless. She’s too tired. She doesn’t feel like she can make a new start. She has resigned herself to just drift along and hope everything will be okay. Is there a woman (or a man) who can identify with her. Hear what she heard: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to ME and drink.”

What was a woman like that supposed to do? She had more knowledge than most Jewish women she knew. She was already a vital part of the religious system of her day. She could try to go to one of the religious leaders for counsel, but she sensed that most of them were more interested in making a name for themselves than anything else. She might be willing to try harder, but try to do what? But there He was, speaking with such passion and clarity: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to ME and drink.”

Who is that man in the middle of the crowd? He loves the Lord. At least, he thinks he does. On the other hand, he has to admit that life has just kind of become routine. He is not aware of any great sins in his life, but neither is he conscious of a burning desire to know and love God. But after all, he came to this feast in obedience to the law of God. And he loves it. It is one of the highlights of his year. But he wonders when it is all over, if his life will be changed at all. Is it just a game? In the midst of his thoughts, he watches a man rise and speak these simple words: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to ME and drink.”

Are you thirsty this morning? The words of Jesus are just as real today as they were 2,000 years ago. Those words are just as true and applicable now as then. He is still saying this morning, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to ME and drink.” Jesus is not offering you more religion. He is not promising to make you a better person. He is not asking you if you are willing to shape up your life. Jesus is inviting you to come to Him and drink.

But perhaps you say, “I did that. I came to Jesus years ago. I believed in Jesus and got saved.” I want you to notice that Jesus isn’t interested in what you did years ago. Notice that He isn’t talking about the past; His invitation is for the present. Many of us come out of a religious background that is big on believing in Jesus in the past, but that is not the focus of the New Testament. As Jesus speaks here, He doesn’t promise anything to the person who believed in the past. Listen to Him: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to ME and drink. He who believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” It’s not “he who believed on me,” but he who is believing on me.” It is a present tense and it speaks of continuing action. You could read it literally, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him keep on coming to me and keep on drinking from me. The one who keeps on believing on me, as the scripture has said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.” Jesus is speaking in the present tense. Are you thirsty today? Are you drinking from Jesus now? Are you trusting Him in the present?

Isn’t the simplicity of Jesus amazing? He speaks so that even a child can understand. If you’re thirsty, then come over here and get a drink. He doesn’t say that you need to go buy a special cup. No, you don’t need to borrow the golden pitcher from the priest. There is only one requirement, and that requirement is thirst. Nothing else.

In our society, most of us don’t know much about thirst. Even in dry New Mexico we can get a drink any time we want to. But it hasn’t always been that way. We could give lots of examples, but come with me again out into the desert where approximately two million Israelites were traveling together. If they don’t have an adequate water supply, thousands and probably hundreds of thousands of people are going to die. Water was not plentiful in that desert. Where water was available, that’s where they camped. You can understand how the people might get just a bit anxious about finding water, and they certainly did. There were times when they were in a panic. On one occasion, there was no water to be found anywhere. The people turned to their leader and gave him a piece of their mind. “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?” Moses cried out to God, “Lord, what am I going to do with these people? They’re ready to stone me.” This happened not just once, but twice. Years later there was a repeat of the same situation. These people were thirsty. It was a life-and-death matter. Moses couldn’t do anything for them. Was God able to direct them to water? No, He brought the water to them. He told Moses to take his rod and hit a certain rock. When he did, out came the water, literally a river of water – enough to satisfy all the people and their animals (see Ex. 17 and Num. 20).

When Jesus spoke of thirst, He was speaking of this deep kind of thirsting. Think of a couple that has been married for ten years. They desperately want to have a child, but they haven’t been so blessed. They have a great thirst to be parents. That desire dominates them. Not a day goes by that they don’t think about having a child. That’s the kind of thirst Jesus is speaking of. It’s the thirst we read about in Ps. 42:1-2, "As the hart [deer] panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?" It is the spiritual thirst we see in David, as he wrote Ps. 63:1, "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is." In that same Psalm, he went on to speak of waking up and meditating on God in the middle of the night. Finally, he said, “My soul followeth hard after thee; thy right hand upholdeth me.”

Jesus isn’t talking about this scene: “Would you like a drink of water?” “No, I don’t think so. Yea, on second thought, maybe I will have a drink.” The Lord is talking about a deep thirst that leads a person to a certain desperation. The Psalmist cried out, “With my whole hearth have I sought thee…” (Ps. 119:10). We encounter this same attitude when we read that familiar promise in Jer. 29:13, “And ye shall seek me and find me, when ye search for me with all your heart.” The key is in the words “with all your heart.” This is the spiritual thirst that Jesus has in mind. Friend, if you are experiencing that thirst, I have good news for you. Jesus says, “Keep on coming to me and keep on drinking from me. Keep on trusting me, and rivers of living water will flow out of your innermost being.” If you aren’t thirsty like that, then cry out to God, “Lord, you made the heavens and the earth; surely you can give me this thirst.”

Here in John 7:38 we see that Jesus speaks of believing on Him. Please hear me. There are many people who speak about believing in Jesus, but what they have is not the belief that Jesus speaks about here. How do we know? Because Jesus defines this belief. Notice that the believing of verse 38 is another way of saying what He has just said in verse 37. To believe in Jesus is to keep on coming to Him and keep on drinking from Him. to put it in negative terms, if you aren’t thirsting for Jesus, continually coming to Him and drinking from Him, then you don’t believe in Jesus. And that continual drinking comes from a deep thirst. This is life in Jesus. It isn’t some stale religious system to which a person submits. It isn’t a bunch of laws that we follow. This is life that invades us and works from the inside out.

But sooner or later we have to come to the crucial question: “How is it that Jesus can give this life?” John, the man who wrote this book, tells us in verse 39. Jesus’ words end after verse 38, but John, who was inspired by the Spirit of God, gives us the explanation. “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” (NKJV). Yes, I understand I need to come to Jesus and drink from Him, but how is that going to produce rivers of living water coming out of me? John makes it clear that this is not something we can do; this is the work of the Holy Spirit. And who is the Holy Spirit? He is the one that Jesus will send to the person who believes on Him, who keeps on coming to Him and drinking from Him. Jesus would later say to His disciples concerning this same Spirit… (Jn. 14:16-17)
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Jesus promised to live in them through His Spirit!

But why does Jesus speak in the future tense about the coming of the Spirit (both here and in John 14)? Again, John tells us. The Holy Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. The coming of the Spirit and the flowing of these rivers of living water were waiting for Jesus to be glorified. But what does that mean?

Now we have come to the great story of the ages, to the gospel of truth, to the good news for all who will listen and heed. When Jesus spoke these words at the Feast of Tabernacles, His being glorified was only about six months away. This is the first reference in the book of John to Jesus being glorified, but it isn’t the last. When we think of being glorified, we think of a person being given great honor and praise and respect, and that is exactly right. That is what would happen to Jesus, but it would come through great pain and agony, even death itself.

Listen to what Jesus has to say about six months later, only days before His crucifixion. “The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified” (Jn. 12:23). Surely this is it. Surely God the Father is about to send His angels down to gather the people for a great worship service in honor of the Son. No, that’s not the way it would happen. Jesus immediately followed up this reference to being glorified with these words: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain” (vs. 24). Jesus didn’t talk about a time of great praise and honor. Instead, He begins to talk about death. But what does that have to do with anything? We find out, as we read further in verses 27-28a (NKJV), “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.” Jesus is talking about His own death.

But how can dying mean glory for Jesus? There are two answers to that question. A few days later, the very night He would be arrested, Jesus was gathered with His eleven apostles. In their presence, He poured out His heart to God His Father. He began with these words: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You” (Jn. 17:1 NKJV). Jesus knew that He was about to die. There can be no question that He is saying He will glorify the Father by dying on the cross. But how will that bring glory? Verse 4, “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given me to do.” Jesus brought glory to God by doing what God sent Him to do. That is where Jesus found His greatest glory. How it pleased Him to do the will of His Father. Earlier He had said, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work” (Jn. 4:34).

But what was it that the Father sent Him to do? We could answer that by simply listing everything Jesus did while He was in the world, because Jesus always did the will of the Father. However, all of the things He did served a greater purpose. Remember His words from chapter 12: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” Jesus didn’t come simply to share great truth and dazzle us with great miracles. Jesus said, “The Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk. 19:10). The “much grain” that Jesus spoke of was a multiplication of His own life. Jesus also said, “…I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (Jn. 10:10). But that life could not come, unless Jesus died on the cross.

Again, we ask the question, “Why?” Why should the Son of God have to die in order to bring life to us? Because we were dead, as were those people to whom Jesus spoke at the Feast of Tabernacles. We all come into this world spiritually dead. When our forefather Adam disobeyed God and ate the fruit of the tree in the garden, he died in his relationship to God, and we participate in his sin and his death. According to Eph. 2:1, we come into this world dead in our trespasses and sins. That seems harsh, but isn’t it fitting that we who rebelled against God should experience this death? To put it another way, man is under the wrath of God. That is, we deserve the fullest punishment of God because we have hated Him who created us. We are corrupt through and through. The Lord looked down from heaven to see if there were any that did understand and seek God, but He didn’t find any. They have all turned aside and become corrupt. There was none that did good (see Ps. 14:2-3; quoted in Rom. 3:10-12). Man deserves the full punishment due him for breaking God’s law.

Now hear and hear well. 1 John 4:9-10 (NKJV), "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." “Propitiation” simply means that Jesus took our place in order to turn away God’s wrath from us. We deserved God’s wrath, but Jesus took that wrath when He died on the cross. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Is. 53:6). Yes, God Himself sent His own Son to the cross as our substitute. He took the punishment that we earned. In order for God to be just, sin had to be punished, and Jesus took that punishment.

When we asked how dying could mean glory for Jesus, I said there were two answers. The first is that He glorified the Father and was glorified by the Father in His death, because He had done what the Father sent Him to do. Yes, God the Father sent His Son into this world to die. But that isn’t the end of the story. Come back to John 17, where we have the record of Jesus’ prayer that last night. Let’s read 17:4-5 (NKJV), “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which you have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” There was glory in dying according to the will of God, but death itself was the entrance into even greater glory, for after Jesus had died according to the will of His Father, He would then be restored to His former position with the Father. Paul gives us a beautiful account of the whole story in Phil. 2:5-11 (NKJV)…
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Conclusion

Now I come back to my question: “Are you thirsty?” Are you thirsty for that Jesus, for the Jesus who came into this world to lay down His life for all those who would believe in Him? Are you thirsty for the Jesus who humbled Himself even to the point of death but who has now been raised to the right hand of the Father for all eternity? Would you like to drink continually from Him?

Good news! You can drink from Him. Don’t wait until you think you are good enough to come to Him and drink. You will never be good enough. Admit that you are unworthy, that you are full of nothing but dirty water. The Bible says that even your best deeds are like filthy rags. Confess your own corruption and desire to be done with it. Jesus Christ will do the rest.