Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”

—John 7:37-38

Yesterday, my pastor preached a sermon about part of John 7. We are starting a series on relationships, and of course, the first relationship we need to get in order is the relationship we have the opportunity to have with Christ Himself. 

The passage takes place during a week-long feast called the Feast of Booths. Jesus had gone to the feast in secret because He knew the Jews were looking for Him. For seven days the people had been feasting and performing rituals as a reminder of God’s goodness and provision. On the last day of this feast, the High Priest drew water and took it back to the temple. He marched around the altar while men looked on, and then poured the water over the altar as a sacrifice. 

I don’t know exactly what this act was meant to symbolize. I’ve heard different interpretations. I’ve heard that it was meant to draw God’s people to remembrance of when He provided water out of the rock in the wilderness. I’ve also heard that it symbolized how God had provided rain for their crops. 

Regardless, the purpose was to remind the people of their need for God in even this most basic way and how He had been faithful to provide for that need. And it’s on this day, known for this ritual, despite the threat of the Pharisees, that Jesus decides to invite the thirsty to come drink of the Living Water.

It wasn’t an invitation issued in the composed monotone of a lecture. The word translated as cried out doesn’t just refer to His volume as He spoke—it also references something spoken with deep emotion. Jesus was moved by the need of His people—their need to be in relationship with God—and so He cried out to His people and invited them to come to Him.

The fact that Jesus cried out with deep emotion stands out to me. It turns on my English-teacher brain and gets me thinking about why that detail was important to record, and the only reason I can think of is that He understood the depth of the need and the breadth of the blessing we would receive in having the need met. What He had to offer was life-changing, and He knew it.

Living in the 21st century, we also have the benefit of the New Testament to help us understand how magnificent Jesus’s offer was, but I don’t think we often stop to reflect on the things God offers us through a relationship with Him, so here are a few for us to reflect on this week.

The Way—After Jesus returned to heaven, His followers were soon given the name, The Followers of the Way. It’s a wonderful name—one I wish we still used today. It reminds us that when we accept Christ and step into a relationship with Him, we now have a Guide. Even when the way seems dark and the path ahead isn’t clear, we have a faithful Guide who won’t leave our side.

The Truth—Jesus is the Truth who has made the sacrifice to set us free. He has not only set us free from sin, but we now have the benefit of knowing the truth so we are less likely to be deceived again.

The Life—God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is life to us. I mean that in both literal and figurative senses…but mostly literal. The closer we draw to Him, the more we become the creation we were always meant to be and the more we experience the abundance that goes along with being near the source of our life. 

Living Water and The Bread of Life—A close relationship with God offers both refreshment that will never end and sustenance. That relationship is the provision we need during difficult seasons, and the closer we get, the more we will experience that refreshment and sustenance.

Light of the World—Light is so many things to us. It brings hope, warmth, and health. It also represents understanding and allows us to see things clearly. All of these are ours when we draw close to Jesus. 

The Good Shepherd—This is one of the clearest pictures of relationship that Jesus gives us, and it shows us that a relationship with Jesus means perfect care and provision. It also means to be known completely without having to live in fear of rejection because of our spots.

Of course, there are more blessings that go along with Jesus’s invitation, and a lot more I could say about the ones I’ve mentioned, but I’m out of room. What other gifts can you think of? This week, let’s be intentional about reminding ourselves about the magnificent gifts we’ve been given through our relationship with Christ. I feel like God could use us in mighty ways if we were to make it a practice to meditate on the truths that led Jesus to cry out for the thirsty to come and drink.