John 7:37-39 | Göttinger Predigten im Internet

Pentecost A | May 29. 2023 | John 7:37-39 | Luther H. Thoresen |

³⁷On 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. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as^[^a^] the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” ³⁹Now 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, ESV]

Note 1: All quotes in the sermon are from the English Standard Version.

Note 2: This initial two paragraphs of this might be used as the basis for a Children’s message. Though I “localized it” with a place from my youth; you could do the same – with a spring or similar source of water you have known at any time in your life. For clarity, I have put that portion in parentheses. If not used that way, one might adapt it as the beginning of the “usual” sermon, or inserted at a later time in the sermon.

(With a glass and/or pitcher of water in hand – Water, it’s good for drinking! I spent my early years in and near the town of Osage in north-central Iowa. Just west of town is a county park called “Spring Park.” It is named that because there is a spring there that flows all day long, every day of the year. As a child we went there often for picnics, and we stopped for a drink from the spring. Many years ago a stone and cement column was built around the spring so that the water would spill over the top, and people could drink. Good the water was. Cold on a hot day the water was. The water that flows from there makes a short stream that empties into the nearby Cedar River.

Rivers. A river may seem calm, yet it can still be powerful. Have you ever heard of the “mighty Mississippi”? Even in a small river, you can feel the current, the movement of the water. That is different from a lake in which the water seems to move very little…except when the wind is strong, or in the Great Lakes with waves caused by the pull of the moon. Anyway, if a river, the power of the water is felt even more in a rapids, because the water is moving faster for one or more of several possible reasons. Any moving water can be powerful. Only a few inches of moving water can sweep us off our feet, or move a car off the road – if the water is moving “across” a road. Remember, water is good for drinking, and flowing water can be powerful. Will you pray with me? Wonderful God, thank you for filling is with your life. Thank you for water that quenches our thirst. Thank you for your power in our lives, like a powerful river. Amen.)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

Anybody thirsty? Hunger and thirst are quite different. When we are hungry, we usually feel it in our gut or stomach, and in our mouth. But, when we are thirsty, we feel like something is “off” in our whole body – head to toe. We drink a variety of things, but many do not quench our thirst.

We drink a variety of things, but many do not quench our thirst.

Coffee – I drink coffee. I like the smell and the taste. But it does not really quench our thirst. It actually makes us thirstier, because of the caffeine.
Soda or Pop – many people drink soda. They enjoy the taste and the carbonation. But again, it does not quench our thirst. This is because of its sweetness, and other chemicals in it one of which is often caffeine. Soda usually makes us thirstier for more.
Beer or wine – Again, these may taste good, but they do not quench our thirst. Because of the alcohol in these, we become thirsty for more.

Things like fruit juice and milk are different. They are better than coffee, soda or beer and wine. But do you know what is best? Water. Yup. Water. Water quenches our thirst.

On a hot summer day on the farm near Osage when I was young,

We might be combining oats or baling hay or straw, and become thirsty.
We might be sorting cattle for market or painting a fence, and become thirsty.
We might be cutting hay or cultivating corn, and become thirsty.

What was the best drink available? The best thing to quench our thirst? Yup, a cup of water from the well. Take a drink, and we were satisfied. Our thirst was quenched, and we were good to go – go back to work, that was.

In today’s Gospel text, Jesus is present at the last day of the feast and says for many to hear, “If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink.” We might initially ask, “What may have inspired words like that? What feast was he attending?” Historically, there were three annual feasts for Jewish people.

The first was Passover in the early springtime. It was a time of first fruits, at the beginning of the barley harvest about early April. The central story from the Older Testament for this festival? The 10 plagues upon Egypt that freed the Hebrew children, followed by their journey through the parted Sea.
The second festival was called Pentecost or the feast of Weeks, held at the end of the wheat harvest, seven weeks after Passover, about “now.” The central Older Testament story for Pentecost was the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. This is the festival we heard about in the first reading today, at which the Holy Spirit was poured out upon followers of Jesus.
The third festival? This one was called “Booths” or “Tabernacles” and was held in the fall at the time of the ingathering of crops like grapes, pomegranates olives and figs. The central Older Testament story was about the people wandering 40 years in the wilderness with mana to eat, the story of water from the rock, and the story of bitter water made pleasant.

The Gospel text today is set at this third festival, which lasted seven days. We hear that Jesus speaks on the last day, the great day. You might know that temple worship included both sacrifices and important for today, drama. What was the drama for the Feast of Booths? If I understand correctly, each of the seven days, people would wave bows from willows or similar trees. People would sing Psalms and process with a priest who carried a pitcher of water from the Pool of Siloam to the temple…about a mile. After walking around the altar, the priest would pour water on the altar. On the seventh day, the priest would walk around the altar seven times. It may have been that even more water was used so that water would flow out of the temple, down the steps and beyond. This may have anticipated a fulfillment of the visions in the books of the prophets Zechariah and Ezekiel in which water would flow from the temple for the life of the world. Amid this drama, Jesus says, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” In addition, he adds, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

You might recall that a few weeks ago, on the third Sunday in Lent, we heard the story in John 4 where Jesus spoke to the woman at the well in Samaria. In that conversation Jesus had said “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” (v. 10) A bit later, he added, “The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (v. 14b) The dynamic he described was that when we drink living water from Jesus, this water gushes up from within. The dynamic is similar today. Drink from Jesus and out of that one’s heart will flow rivers of living water. The gospel writer then interprets that Jesus was speaking about the Holy Spirit that believers were to receive, but not yet since had not yet been glorified. However, Jesus was glorified through his death, resurrection and ascension. So, the Spirit now has been given. Drink it in and the Spirit flows out…and not a trickle, but like a river!

Fredrick Dale Bruner is an author and Bible teacher from California. He has been a teacher for pastors, in the Philippines, Spokane (WA), and now in retirement resides in southern California. He is not Lutheran, but an excellent Reformed student of the scriptures. In his commentary on John’s gospel, he notes the only requirement to receive this living water from Jesus. The requirement? To be thirsty.¹ He suggests that you can Come and Drink

Not because you work for it, or earn it.
Not because you deserve it because of your family, race or whatever.
Not because you use excessive religious language, like “I totally, utterly, completely believe” because that makes God’s gift a trophy.

Nope. You can Come and Drink only because you are thirsty, empty, ache for a drink. The gift of God’s Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is freely given to those who believe, who trust Jesus Christ.

Am I? Are you thirsty, aching for the life of Jesus? Drink. This resonates with today’s Second Reading from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. There we hear, For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” (v.13)

Beyond this, do you know what? Others are thirsty, aching for the life of Jesus. This we can do: pour out your life and at the same time, pour out the life of Jesus. That’s the dynamic – Drink in, and pour out. Or better yet, Drink in and a River flows out! Drink in, quench your thirst for the life that is truly life; and out flows life for others. Drink in – quench your thirst for life that is truly life; out flows life for others.

There is a little Gospel song, with images from today’s gospel text, from Luke’s gospel, and from the prophet Isaiah. It goes like this (it might be sung lightly by the preacher):

“There’s a river of life flowing out of me;

Makes the lame to walk and the blind to see;

Opens prison doors sets the captive free;

There’s a river life flowing out of me.”²

Drink in the life of Jesus, the Spirit of Jesus for you; Flowing out is the River of Life for others. We might say that this is what Paul describes in our second reading from 1 Corinthians 12 when he writes, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit…⁶and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. ⁷To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” The River flows out of you for the sake of others. The Spirit empowers for the common good…for others.

Martin Luther put it this way, speaking for Jesus, “[The person] who come to Me I shall equip, not only to be refreshed and satisfied and to quench his own thirst, but also to become a sturdy, earthen vessel, endowed with the Holy Spirit and with gifts that enable him to give consolation and strength to many other people and to serve them, as he was served by Me.”³

Here is the invitation of today’s Gospel: Are you thirsty? Come to Jesus. Come and drink. This is the life that is true life. This quenches the thirst of body and soul.

Here is the promise of today’s Gospel: “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” The River will benefit others. The River is powerful because it is connected to the life of God in Jesus Christ.

Now, may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Pr. Luther H. Thoresen, ELCA, STS, retired

thoresenluther54@gmail.com

³Luther, LW 23:273