Tradition vs. Truth

On the last day of the feast, Jesus made a statement that shocked the religious leaders. He stated that if anyone thirsts, they should come to Him for a drink. This offended the leaders. A priest would traditionally bring a golden urn of water from the pool of Siloam and pour it on the altar on the last day of the feast. For the Jews this was symbolic of the miracle supply of water in the Old Testament at the rock of Horeb. Jesus knew the problem was that God had never told the priests to do that, so Jesus turned their false ceremony to the truth of Isaiah 12:3, “Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” This represented the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, not a supply of physical water.

The only way rivers of living water can flow out of a person is by the Spirit of Christ. A river represents an endless supply of water that can satisfy one’s thirst at all times. Good works, discipline, and position in this world can never quench an individual’s spiritual thirst. Only God’s Spirit can do that. The religious leaders were not in tune with the Scriptures.

Isaiah 55:1 states, “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” This idea is again found in Isaiah 58:11: “The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” Even the Psalmist states, “They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures” (Psalm 36:8).

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). To hunger and thirst for righteousness is to have a strong desire for communion and fellowship with Jesus. When your soul thirsts for Christ, the Word of God and His Spirit are the only resources that can quench your thirst. The Holy Spirit causes you to thirst for Jesus. As you surrender to Christ, the Spirit gives you a desire for Him that nothing else can fill. The ultimate filling for the believer is the filling of the Holy Spirit through communion with the Lord Jesus!

We often misunderstand when Jesus said, “For the Holy Spirit was not yet given.” The Holy Spirit has always been in existence. Throughout the Old Testament there is reference to the work of the Spirit of God upon individuals. But what Jesus referred to was the fullness of the Spirit’s work after Pentecost. Jesus said in John 14:16-17, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever–the Spirit of truth.” Jesus told His disciples that He would leave His Spirit with them when He left.

Strength flows as living water when the Holy Spirit lives in you. If you drink of the living water, you become a fountain of that water. This message was so important that Jesus shared it on the last day of the feast.

Some of the crowd who heard the truth rejected the message and others received it. It is important to understand that asking questions does not necessarily mean that someone is rejecting Christ, but many asked questions to place doubt in others because they were envious of Christ. The way to recognize if someone is questioning to receive or questioning to deceive is to discern the spirit of the person. The Lord can help you to recognize when a spirit is not of Him.

The people had a choice to either come to Christ or to cling to the law. The Spirit brings life; the law reveals death. As you truly believe, others will know you are a believer by the love of Christ that flows from your life.

You know a tree by its fruit. The fruit is a result of life in Christ. Fruit does not come from works. He produces the fruit; you simply bear it, show it, and share it through a heart that thirsts for Jesus.

From John: True Belief Brings Faithfulness (Book 2) by Alison Veazey and Kerry Skinner