Come to me and drink
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:37-39).
Dori and I were at a conference near Phoenix one April, and we thought we would make the most of a free afternoon by going for a hike. We grabbed a couple of water bottles and started up the mountain. It turns out that an April afternoon in the desert of Arizona hits a bit differently than an April in North Carolina. It was hot. It was dry. There were no trees for shade. Those two water bottles were almost empty by the time we reached the halfway mark. We were exhausted, hot, and thirsty by the time we made it back to the trailhead.
Jesus uses the metaphor of thirst to speak of our unmet needs and desires. We have expectations and longings. We want more. We have the sense that we’re made for more. We look around, and there’s so much that offers to satisfy. Yet, we find ourselves like the sailor in Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner:”
Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.
We’re surrounded by oceans of saltwater that looks as though they should quench our thirst, but in the end, they only leave us thirstier. No matter how much we drink, we’re still longing for more. And if we drink too much, it will kills us.
Jesus offers true and living water. He offers water that will satisfy. He offers water that will give life. He invites us to come to him and drink. To find true, satisfying life in him. It’s not just a sip of water he gives, but he promises that all who believe in him by faith will have springs of living water flowing from their hearts. When we trust in Jesus, he sends his Holy Spirit to dwell in us so that the satisfying life of Jesus continues to well up inside of us.
Recently, I heard a sermon where the pastor connected this passage with Romans 5:5 where Paul encourages us with the truth that “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” This spring of living water that is welling up in our hearts is nothing short of our getting to enjoy the life and love of God. As we come to be satisfied with the living water of God’s life and love, it will overflow from our hearts into the lives of those around us. Then, by God’s grace, they too will come and be satisfied with Christ Jesus, our living water.
