On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. John 7:37-39REFLECTION
I have to limit myself and can only give you some verses from this wonderful Bible chapter, but please read this quote in its context if you want to be challenged, intrigued and inspired by the Word of God!
Jesus didn’t go to the Feast of Tabernacles with his brothers. He told them, “You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, because for me the right time has not yet come. ”
Jesus didn’t want to go to the feast publicly, because he knew his enemies were out to get him. He waited for the right moment and made an impressive surprise appearance. Everybody was puzzled by his teaching and knowledge. Yes, there he was, the promisd Messiah, surrounded by friends and foes, claiming their exclusive attention and confronting them face to face. What a Lord we have!
PRAYER
Dear Jesus, I love you. I just can’t imagine what it was like for you to walk among sinful people. Well, I know what it is to walk among sinners, but I am a sinner myself, so I feel quite at home here. But you came down from heaven and you are perfect, blameless, pure, untarnished, holy! And I guess that’s why your enemies couldn’t stand your company. These self-righteous people hated to hear the truth about themselves but now the Truth was visiting them, exposing them and looking them straight in the face!
Your enemies just couldn’t stand you. They were a pathetic bunch of people who desperately needed to be saved by you, the source of life. But other people did recognize you as the Messiah and they must have been so impressed by your words!
You were stunning the crowd with your surprise appearance and public proclamation on the Feast of Tabernacles, and you picked the perfect moment to make your announcement in a loud voice at the summit of this feast. I love that! Yes, the Word became flesh and 'tabernacled' among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the unique-one from the Father, full of grace and truth. I love you, Jesus. Or did I already say that?
.jpg)
1 comment:
Sukkoth (Festival of Booths) acquired a Mishnaic gloss during the Temple period, under the Pharisees. It went from its original, divinely ordained purpose—to celebrate the provisions God made during the Israelites' time in the desert—to being a water-supplication festival with High Holy Day overtones (in which the book of God's judgment was well and truly sealed for the liturgical year).
In light of this, John 7:14-24 seems much less generic and more of a pointed criticism of Rabbinic Judaism and gnosticism in general.
Jesus' assertion about providing streams of Living Water came during the penultimate day of the festival, when the worshippers included prayers for a swift coming of the Messiah!
Post a Comment