John 7:25-39, Jesus Promises Living Water

It may be that the Jews were questioning Jesus’ claim to be “from God” (7:16-18).  That is how Jesus responded in v28-29.  This came from “some of them from Jerusalem” (v25).  They had seen Him and had exchanges with Him (including the disagreement surrounding the healing of the man by the pool of Bethesda) that Jews from the dispersion didn’t have.  Jesus challenged them, that they had heard His claims and knew exactly what He was saying, that He was the Christ, the Son of God, the One God promised to send in Gen. 3:15 and throughout the OT.  That would explain why, finally, there was an attempt to arrest Him(v30).  For whatever reason the authorities were hindered, the bottom line was that it was not “His hour” to die for sin. That would not happen at Tabernacles but at Passover in the Spring.

·       7:31-32: question #4, “When Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”  Many people were beginning to have a positive attitude toward Jesus, even to believe in Him.  So, the Pharisees and chief priests sent officers to arrest Jesus. 

Jesus’ response was to say something that showed He knew where this story was going.   He would die for the sins of the world, and then return to God, the One who sent Him.  Jesus would repeat these same words to the Twelve in the Upper Room on the night of His betrayal and arrest (Jn. 13:33). 

·       7:35: question #5, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?” 

Again, there was confusion among the people.  They thought maybe He was going to go to the Dispersion, to the Jews scattered around the Roman Empire.  But that is not what Jesus was saying.  He was going to return to the Father who sent Him.  This leads to Jesus’ amazing words in 7:37-39.

It was the last day of the week-long Feast of Tabernacles.  The first and last days were special holy days (Lev. 23:35-36).  The Jews had a ritual on each day of the feast.  One of the priests would take a golden pitcher and descend from the temple mount to the Pool of Siloam, a pool noted for its refreshing water, because it was filled from the great Gihon Spring, the primary water source for Jerusalem.  The priest would fill the pitcher and bring the water to the Temple where it would be poured into a bowl.  This was accompanied by the blowing of the shofar (trumpet).  It was a joyful celebration, tied to Isa. 12:3: Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Jesus used this event to make His own promise of salvation.  He called anyone who “thirsts” to believe in Him.  They would receive the Holy Spirit who would be like a river of refreshing water to those who would come to Him.  The offer of salvation is available to this day, to all who will come to Christ, believing in Him.