Living water - John 7:37-53

The Feast of Tabernacles is a 7 day event, and it is estimated that Jesus began teaching in the temple around day 3. To understand Jesus’ next recorded actions, we need some background on the festival. The IM teaches, “Water and light were used as important symbols during the Feast of the Tabernacles, and the Savior used these symbols to call the people to believe in Him as the Messiah. On the temple mount, four large candelabras (also called menorahs or candlesticks) illuminated the temple grounds during dances and other festivities held late into the night and early morning. The golden candelabras, which were 50 cubits tall (approximately 73 feet or 22.25 meters), not only provided light for the celebration, but they symbolized that Israel was to be a light to those who walked in darkness. The most renowned and anticipated ceremony of the feast was the daily procession, during which an appointed priest drew water from the pool of Siloam with a golden pitcher and poured the water into the silver basin at the base of the temple altar, along with the morning wine offering.” Those are huge monuments and very specific and adored rituals that were going on at the time. I have to remember that I really don’t think that Jesus loved all the attention that he was getting, negative or positive. I think that it’s very similar to times when we are asked to either speak up for something or to speak on something, or when we are called to teach. When the burden of leading others to the light of the gospel is put onto our shoulders, we don’t really like it either, we are scared or don’t like public speaking or are afraid to ruin our relationships, etc. But I think that Jesus felt that same way, yet he did what the Father asked him to do, when he was asked to do it. Similarly, we can face our fears and have courage like Jesus did. I’m coming to think that he is much more human than I’ve ever realized. He is the Son of God, yes, he himself is God, but he also had to overcome insecurities, he has to live on faith, he has all the human experiences and emotions, and he has to face them just like we do.

After the water is ritualistically pour onto the ground on the last day “Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” Jesus is teaching the people the connection between the pouring of the water and himself providing the “living water” which is redemption. It’s another part of the law of Moses that Jesus has fulfilled. John adds the note that the living water Jesus was speaking of was “of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was promised unto them who believed, after that Jesus was glorified.” I have always wondered why the Holy Ghost wasn’t given to the people when Jesus was on the earth, why did they have to wait? Was it because Jesus was on the earth, so the Holy Ghost would have created an atmosphere so strong that people would be more like compelled to believe? Was it an endangerment to agency?

It appears that the knowledge and understanding that came to the apostles and disciples after Jesus’ ascension was a game changer for them and for the gospel, so maybe it would have been too strong, and his disciples would have rather died with him, then run away afraid and be able to preach the gospel to others later. Just speculation here, I’m going to have to think about this more. The IM does help by giving some explanation, “For some reason not fully explained in the scriptures, the Holy Ghost did not operate in the fullness among the Jews during the years of Jesus’ mortal sojourn… It has reference only to the gift of the Holy Ghost not being present, since the powerof the Holy Ghost was operative during the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus; otherwise no one would have received a testimony of the truths that these men taught.” The power of the Holy Ghost could testify of Jesus, but the promise of everyday association and teaching was not given yet. The IM further explains, “This phrase suggests that the ‘living water’ will be within the believer. It will not be poured out by a priest on the altar as was done at the Feast of Tabernacles; it will arise and flow miraculously from within the believer. This metaphor aptly describes the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

I don’t know if it was just because of this statement or if it was a combination of healings and teachings but “many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said, that Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” This was a point of division among the people, because some were ready to accept him as the Christ, except for the prophecy that Christ will be come out of Bethlehem. Having 2,000 years hindsight, we can now see that yes, Jesus was born in Bethlehem and stayed there for as much as 2 years as an infant, but after fleeing Israel to Egypt for several years, he came back to settle in Nazareth until his ministry began at age 30. We know that now, but at the time, the people didn’t know that, honestly, if Jesus didn’t tell anyone then the only other person who would know would be Mary, and she doesn’t seem to be much in the game right now anyway. It’s probable that several people knew that he was born there, as many of them grew up together, and some were family but Jesus was not publically declaring himself by the name of the Christ yet, so he didn’t set the record straight.

I have to be honest, looking at this, this would be a huge stumbling block for me too. If I had lived at the time and had been witness to Jesus teaching and healing, I would have been open to him as the Christ, except for that pesky detail about the Christ coming from Bethlehem. I’m grateful, looking back, that I live when I do, and that this wasn’t a problem for me, but if I had any familiarity with the scriptures, I would have had to say, “hold up, this doesn’t jive with the scriptures.” I might have recognized Jesus as a prophet at that point, but I don’t think I could have accepted him as the Christ, because what I knew didn’t fit what I thought was a requirement. There’s a lesson in there for me. Jesus had fulfilled the prophecy of being from Bethlehem, the people just didn’t know it at the time, and their lack of knowledge about a specific detail proved to be insurmountable for many, myself would have been included. I would have been willing to over look everything else, all the other fulfilled prophecies, all the miracles, all the teachings, which really makes up the gospel, not where someone was born. I would have been able to over look basic gospel doctrines to focus on one detail that made no difference in whether or not the gospel was true, if this man really was the Christ. Just imagine how I would have felt after rejecting the gospel, only to learn later that Jesus had in fact been from Bethlehem. I would have been devastated that I had wasted so much time, rejected the absolute truth, just because I hadn’t understood fully at that time. It wasn’t Jesus asking them to accept that he was the Christ but wasn’t from Bethlehem, He was telling them that he was the Christ but they couldn’t see the whole picture, so rejected him. That’s a very powerful lesson for me. How many times do we throw away the gospel because we don’t have a complete understanding of all things now?
Those officers who had been sent to arrest Jesus clearly didn’t because he time was not yet come, and they returned to some angry Pharisees who demanded why they hadn’t brought Jesus with them. The officers told them, “Never man spake like this man.” The Pharisees were not pleased and asked “are ye also deceived?” basically asking them, “do any of us believe him?” Interestingly, the word “deceived” is cross referenced with Jacob 4:13-14 which says, “But behold, the Jews were s stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because the desired it. And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble.” The Pharisees state, “but this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.”  If we look at what Jacob said, he’s saying that the ancient Jews are without the law because they are refusing the simple truths, and the Pharisees are saying that they are the only ones with the law, and the common people are without the law and therefore are cursed to follow false teachings. Ironically, the Pharisees are right, because the common people don’t have personal revelation, but are without the law and are fated to follow the false teachings of the Pharisees.

We remember when Jesus first started teaching in Jerusalem, a member of the Sanhedrin named Nicodemus came to Him to ask about being “born again.” This same Nicodemus is hearing all this talk amongst the Pharisees and asks them, “Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?” He is bringing up the point that the Pharisees haven’t really given Jesus a chance to show himself to be the Messiah, they automatically dismissed him because he threatened their power hold on their society. Again, the Pharisees are not please and ask him, “art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth  no prophet.” Interestingly, JTC notes that several prophets had come from Galilee, saying, “according to many excellent authorities, Jonah, Nahum, and Hosea were all of Galilee; and it is further believed that Elijah also was of Galilean nativity.” So the Pharisees were wrong in that no prophets had come from Galilee, and I’m sure if they thought about it for even a second, they would have realized that. But their answer to Nicodemus was down right rude. As a member of the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus would have attended years of prestigious Hebraic education, probably studied with many of these same Pharisees, no one would have doubted his scriptural knowledge, except for now, when he calls on them to give Jesus a chance. JTC explains their response saying that “Nicodemus was curtly told to study the scriptures, and he would fail to find any prediction of a prophet arising in Galilee.” After that eventual day, everyone goes home and is mad.