John 7:37-39 (NIV)
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.
One of the traditions of the final day of the Feast of Tabernacles was drawing a jar of water from the pool of Siloam, bringing it into the temple court, and pouring it out at the base of the great altar in front of the temple. This ritual had a loose association with the Holy Spirit, but Jesus was about to make that association much more concrete.
In the midst of the ceremony, a loud voice boomed from the Court of Israel, just north of the altar: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” It was Jesus, of course, using the opportunity to help all the people gathered there to see the real significance of the symbols that had been incorporated into the ceremony.
At the inception of Jesus’ ministry, John had identified Him as the one who would baptize the people of God with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33-34), drawing the symbol of cleansing water alongside the symbol of purifying fire, and applying them both to the Holy Spirit. To the Samaritan woman (John 4:13-14), Jesus had promised “living water” that would quench spiritual thirst forever.
But now Jesus informed the symbol of water even further. For those who trusted in Him, the Holy Spirit would not merely fill their lives, but would actually flow through their lives like a perpetual stream. This was a far different paradigm of the Holy Spirit than had ever been seen or taught. Up to that time, the Holy Spirit, or “Spirit of the Lord” was a mysterious force that would fall without warning on someone, causing them to prophecy, or temporarily empowering them to do some amazing deed that would deliver God’s people. But when Jesus taught about the Holy Spirit, He did so from the perspective of the promises in Ezekiel 36:25-27 and 37:1-14, Isaiah 11:1-5 and 61:1-3, and Joel 2:28-32, all of which pointed to a more permanent dwelling of God’s Spirit in His people.
John explains to us that the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out on God’s people because Jesus had not yet been glorified. Jesus taught His closest disciples at the Last Supper that the Holy Spirit would not come until He had ascended to heaven (John 16:7). And on the day of Pentecost, when all these promises and prophesies were finally fulfilled, Jesus pointed back to that very promise and condition (Acts 2:33) and argued that the fulfillment was convincing proof that Jesus was in fact the Messiah and had been exalted to the status of Lord of the world (Acts 2:36).
The fulfillment was still a couple of years in the future. But in His teachings, Jesus was holding out with fresh passion and clearer outlines than had ever been seen before the promises that God had made over the centuries. The reality behind the promises was on the way!
Father, sometimes we lose heart, grow impatient, and start to doubt Your promises when they are a long time in being fulfilled. But Your word will ALWAYS be fulfilled at the perfect time. Help us wait, not just patiently, but expectantly for any promises we have received from Your word, in the clear understanding that You have NEVER failed to deliver what You have promised. Amen.