Page 68 - The Gospel of John - Student textbook

Please note that the invitation is universal in
nature “If anyone is thirsty, he should come
38
to Me and drink! The one who believes in
Me…” and therefore not restrictive to a
certain type of person. The only condition is
that one must be thirsty (7:37). All true
spiritual advances begin with a thirst for God.
Jesus uses a very powerful image here,
especially for a people living in the arid land
of the Middle East. They knew what it was to
be thirsty and they understood how
important water was for daily life. One of the
tragedies of our age is that we twist our
thirst for God into a thirst for other things –
relationships, power, possessions, etc. We
sense that something is lacking but we try to
quench that thirst in 1000 different ways.
Jeremiah put it this way: For my people have Pool of Siloam fed by the Gihon Spring at the exit of
committed two evils: they have forsaken me, Hezekiah’s tunnel
the fountain of living waters, and hewed out
cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water (Jeremiah 2:13). (Timothy Keller does an
excellent job writing about this subject in his book, Counterfeit Gods) Once we come to Christ our thirsty soul is
satisfied, but on the other hand longs for more of Jesus. Again, the rivers of living water flowing from within the
believer is describing the outworking of the Spirit – filled life. Jesus ministers to others through His Spirit – filled
people. We must ask ourselves before we move on to the next passage, are we thirsty? Have we gone to Christ
in faith and found our souls satisfied in Him and is He using us as channels of blessings to others?

All true spiritual advances begin with a thirst for God.

When some from the crowd heard these words, they said, “This really is the Prophet!” Others said, “This
40
41
is the Messiah!” But some said, “Surely the Messiah doesn’t come from Galilee, does He? Doesn’t the
42
Scripture say that the Messiah comes from David’s offspring and from the town of Bethlehem, where David
43
44
once lived?” So a division occurred among the crowd because of Him. Some of them wanted to seize Him,
but no one laid hands on Him. Then the temple police came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked
45
46
47
them, “Why haven’t you brought Him?” The police answered, “No man ever spoke like this!” Then the
Pharisees responded to them: “Are you fooled too? Have any of the rulers believed in Him? Or any of the
48
Pharisees? But this crowd, which doesn’t know the law, is accursed!” Nicodemus—the one who came to
50
49
51
Him previously, being one of them—said to them, “Our law doesn’t judge a man before it hears from him
and knows what he’s doing, does it?” “You aren’t from Galilee too, are you?” they replied. “Investigate and
52
you will see that no prophet arises from Galilee.” So each one went to his house.
53

67