Come, drink, and live
John 7:37-39(TLB) details: On the last day, the climax of the holidays, Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water shall flow from the inmost being of anyone who believes in me.” (He was speaking of the Holy Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him; but the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet returned to his glory in heaven.)
Samaritans were seen as perpetually unclean. However, from Jesus’s encounter with the Samaritan woman, we learn that He approached her without any prejudice against her or her sins. He says: Give me a drink – John 4:7(TLB). Surprised, the woman responds in John 4:9(TLB) The woman was surprised that a Jew would ask a “despised Samaritan” for anything—usually they wouldn’t even speak to them! and she remarked about this to Jesus. Jesus’s answer, according to John 4:10(TLB) was profound: He replied, “If you only knew what a wonderful gift God has for you, and who I am, you would ask me for some living water.” Intrigued, she inquires further in John 4:11(TLB), to which Jesus replies with a spiritual truth in John 4:13-15(TLB). Her yearning response is captured in John 4:15a(TLB) “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me some of that water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again
So, what is Jesus referring to with living water? In John 7:37b(NASB) He elaborates: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
Three things become clear:
- Jesus Himself is the source we must drink from. Come to me and drink.
- It’s the soul that imbibes this water, not the body. This act is spiritual.
- Believing in Jesus is akin to coming and drinking. As described in verses 37–38, coming and drinking from Jesus is the essence of belief. It defines what it means to believe.
This concept is reiterated in John 6:35(ESV) Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
To put it in the words of John Piper: “Jesus is the water we need, the soul does the drinking, and that’s what believing means – coming to Jesus to quench the thirst of our souls.”
Furthermore, Isaiah 58:11(ESV) promises continuous guidance and spiritual satisfaction for those who turn to the Lord.
Today, I urge you all: Come, drink, and truly live.