A Study of John 7:37-39

“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 ESV

Observation/Summary (short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):

On the last day of the Feast of Booths (Succoth), a day when the people of Israel remembered how their ancestors thirsted for water in the wilderness and Yahweh the one true God provided for them (Exodus 15:22-27, 17:1-7), Jesus stood up and proclaimed with a loud voice that anyone who is thirsty should come to Him and drink. For as the Old Testament Scriptures said,  whoever believes in Him will have rivers of living water flow out of their heart. John the gospel writer then clarifies for us that Jesus said this about God the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the triune Godhead who would come to inhabit all those who believe in Jesus. At the time Jesus said this, the Spirit had not yet been given though, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Implication (what does this mean to us):

In these verses we come to the end of John’s account of Jesus in Jerusalem during the celebration of the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles (aka Succoth). Although the ruling authorities in Judea and Jerusalem were seeking to kill Jesus for miraculously healing a man on the Sabbath in violation of their man-made laws and for threatening their worldly power and influence, Jesus quietly went to Jerusalem without drawing attention to Himself. But, in the middle of the week Jesus went to the temple court and began teaching publicly. Many people heard Him because Jerusalem was especially full during this time as people came from out of town for the festival celebration.

As Jesus taught He divided opinion. Some said He was a deceiver leading the people astray, but others believed in Him as the Messiah. In the previous verses we also learned the ruling authorities sent guards to arrest Jesus, but as yet they had not been able to, likely because of the crowds around Jesus. While the crowd was with Jesus, at least in large part, it would have been difficult and dangerous to arrest Him.

Now, in verses 37-39 we come to the last day of the Feast; the “Great Day.” The Feast of Tabernacles lasted a total of 8 days, and the eighth day was a distinct, grand ending to the feast. For the first seven days, the people lived in booths constructed of the sort of things one would find in the wilderness to remember how their ancestors lived in temporary shelters in the desert on their way to the promised land they now lived in. On each of these seven days, a golden pitcher of water was filled in the pool of Siloam, and carried by a procession, led by the High Priest, through Jerusalem back to the temple.

As this procession neared the “water gate” on the south side of the temple’s inner court, three joyful trumpet blasts would sound and all of the Jewish male pilgrims present would shout, “Give thanks to the LORD (Yahweh)” three times while waving willow and myrtle twigs in one hand and holding a piece of citrus in the other hand. These symbolized the gathered harvest for which they also gave thanks and praise to Yahweh. Once the priestly procession entered the temple, the water from the golden pitcher was poured into a silver bowl alongside the daily drink offering of wine which was poured into its own bowl. Then both were poured out as a sacrifice to Yahweh. This pouring out of water ritual served as both a reminder of Yahweh’s miraculous provision of water for their ancestors in the wilderness and looked ahead to Yahweh’s future promise of pouring out His Spirit during the Messianic age that was yet to come.

Again, this happened for seven days, but then stopped on the eighth day. This means, in verse 37, a few days have passed since Jesus taught in the temple in verses 14-36 of this chapter. Presumably, after His teaching mid-week, Jesus laid low again, but now, during this time of Messianic expectation and longing, He stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink…”. This is significant because Jesus said this in the temple court, in a loud voice, on the last day of the Feast of Booths when the pouring of the water ritual had ceased. As the people celebrated and remembered Yahweh’s provision of water for their ancestors, gave thanks to Him for the rain their crops had received, and looked ahead with Messianic expectation, they sought after an ultimate quenching of their spiritual thirst. Now, Jesus stood up and boldly proclaimed that He is the one they have been waiting for. He is the one everyone can and must come to in order to have their deepest, spiritual thirst satisfied.

This is similar to what Jesus told the woman of Samaria in John 4:13-14 when He said, “…Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Just as He did with the woman of Samaria, Jesus compared physical thirst and water, to point to our deepest need for spiritual satisfaction, and then He boldly proclaimed Himself to be the one and only source of such satisfaction. Importantly, this invitation is broad in that it is given to everyone. No matter a person’s social standing, wealth, race, or otherwise, all have this same deep and desperate need, and all are invited to come to Jesus and drink. This invitation is also narrow though, because with it Jesus makes clear that He is the only one who can fulfill our deepest spiritual need. For this reason He says if anyone thirsts, let him come to “ME” and drink. There is only one way to God, and His name is Jesus Christ.

But how are we to come and drink? Must we climb a tall mountain, or cross a great chasm? No, Jesus tells us in the very next sentence that all who thirst may come to him and drink by believing in Him, “Whoever believes in me…”. So, Jesus is again using the word “drinking” as a metaphor, just as He did in John 6:26-59 when He used the metaphor of eating His flesh and drinking His blood to describe the need to believe in Him and the sufficiency of His finished work on the cross to save us.

The fact is, spiritually speaking we are all eating and drinking something. We are all trying to satisfy an insatiable craving, but no matter how much we consume, our appetite only persists and grows. The more we fill ourselves up, whether it is with money, fame, sex, addictive mind altering substances, or anything else under the sun, the more hollow and empty we become. This is because we were all made with a spiritual appetite that can only be satisfied by the infinite One who created us. As the ancient North African theologian, Augustine of Hippo said of the Lord Jesus, “You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”.

Continuing on though, believing in Jesus not only results in one’s own thirst being quenched, but also in a heart through which rivers of living water flow, just as the Scripture has said. The Greek word translated as “heart” in our English rendering of this passage is actually “stomach” or “belly.” By this Jesus meant that for those who believe in Him, rivers of living water will flow from their innermost being; the very core of who one is. So, here we see in Jesus’ invitation to all who thirst for ultimate spiritual satisfaction, He offers to not only satisfy that craving by what he gives, but also to give so abundantly that those who are thirsty will become fountains of living water themselves. This is not only an offer of blessing to the one who believes, but also a promise that those who believe in Him will become a blessing to others who are also thirsty. This is the pattern for those who believe in Jesus. He saves people, and then equips them to save others by the power of His Spirit in them.

Additionally, it is not clear exactly which OT passage Jesus was referring to here, but the most likely possibility is Zechariah 14:8, which says, “On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter.” There are also passages such as Isaiah 44:3 which says, “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.” Jesus was and is the fulfillment of prophecies such as these. As the people came to the end of the Feast of Booths, and contemplated these passages and others, Jesus boldly proclaimed Himself to be the fulfillment of these prophecies.

Lastly for this passage, in verse 39 John the gospel writer provides some helpful parenthetical explanation to clarify the meaning of Jesus’ words saying, “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 wanted to make sure it was perfectly clear for all who read this, that the Old Testament prophecies, and Jesus’ words here, refer to the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. These words from the prophets and Jesus about water, and the water drawing and pouring ceremony the people had witnessed over the past week, are all a metaphor pointing to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all mankind for those who believe in Jesus the Christ, the Son of God.

From this statement it is clear Jesus is the source of the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Him. This is the age we live in now, but at the time Jesus said these things, the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jeus had not yet been glorified. By this John referred to the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. It was not until after Jesus ascended that the Holy Spirit came and filled all those who believe in Jesus. Prior to Jesus’ glorification the Holy Spirit would descend on certain individuals for a certain amount of time to accomplish specific things, but now, the Holy Spirit is immediately given to all those who believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. This is what Jesus spoke of in John 16:7 where He said, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”

Now, the Helper, God the Holy Spirit has come, and He dwells in the hearts (the innermost being) of all who trust Jesus. We must not miss the significance of this fact that the Spirit of the living God dwells in all believers. All of mankind who are thirsty and desperately searching for ultimate satisfaction are now granted access to the One and only Being who can provide us meaningful and lasting satisfaction; the loving God of creation who made us for Himself.

God Himself now dwells in the hearts of all who believe in Him by faith in Jesus, transforming us from thirsty wanderers doomed to die, into rivers of living water; conduits to others of the very same loving, gracious Holy Spirit who saved us.

Response (How does this change how I think, act and pray?):

This passage should cause us to consider our thirst; our deep spiritual need for lasting satisfaction. What have we been trying to quench this thirst with? We may try to quench this thirst with things we know are bad for us, but we also try to quench this thirst with good things that can never be ultimate things such as family, career, or creative endeavors. When we try to satisfy the need that we were made to only find satisfied in Christ, we make idols of these other good things. When we try to quench our spiritual thirst with anything or anyone besides our Lord who made us for Himself, we are like a person drinking salt water. We only become thirstier with each sip.

We are all drinking something because we are all thirsty, but our eternal, spiritual thirst can only be quenched by the eternally existent, all-creating Word who took on flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Our needs can only be met and exceeded by the Word who John the gospel writer has been telling us about from the very beginning of this eyewitness gospel account. All of us are thirsty, and we must come to the Fountain of life Himself, Jesus Christ to have our thirst satisfied to the point of overflowing. For, as we come to Him, He will give us the fullness of the Spirit, God Himself in us, and we will be empowered to share, tell of and provide the same living water by which Jesus cleansed and satisfied us, to others.

Jesus loves to bless us and make us a blessing to others by the power of His Spirit in us.

Self Reflection:

1. Where have I, or do I go to satisfy the deepest longings of my soul?

2. How can I cultivate a habit of coming to Jesus with my thirst daily? What practical steps can I take to make my relationship with Him my number one priority each day that all other priorities must be subordinate to?

3. As I come to Jesus, and He fills me with His Spirit, how is He leading and equipping me to be a source of “rivers of living water” to all of the thirsty, hurting people around me? How can I show His love and grace in both word and deed?

Definitions of the original language in the context of this passage (Source: Logos Exegetical Guide and Blue Letter Bible Interlinear):

– Great Day: “μεγάλῃ”, “megalē”; adjective, dative, singular, feminine | attributive adjective – of great moment, of great wight, important; equivalent to solemn, sacred, of festival days.

-Jesus: “Ἰησοῦς”, “Iēsous”; noun, nominative, singular, masculine| proper name – Jesus = Yeshua = “Yahweh is salvation”; Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of mankind, God incarnate.

-Cried Out: “ἔκραξεν”, “ekraxen”; verb, aorist, active, indicative, third person, singular | finite verb – to cry out i. e. call out aloud, speak with a loud voice; of those who utter or teach a thing publicly and solemnly.

-Thirsts: “διψᾷ”, “dipsa”; verb, present, active, subjunctive, third person, singular | finite verb – to suffer thirst; suffer from thirst; figuratively, those are said to thirst who painfully feel their want of, and eagerly long for, those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported, strengthened.

-Drink: “πινέτω”, “pinetō”; verb, present, active, imperative, third person, singular | finite verb – to drink; figuratively, to receive into the soul what serves to refresh, strengthen, nourish it unto life eternal.

-Whoever Believes: “πιστεύων”, “pisteuōn”; verb, present, active, participle, singular, nominative, masculine | substantival – a conviction, full of joyful trust, that Jesus is the Messiah — the divinely appointed author of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God, conjoined with obedience to Christ; to have a faith directed unto, believing or in faith to give oneself up to, Jesus.

-Scripture: “γραφή”, “graphē”; noun, nominative, singular, feminine | subject of the dependent clause – a writing, thing written; the holy scripture (of the O. T.), — and used to denote either the book itself, or its contents.

-Heart: “κοιλίας”, “koilias”; noun, genitive, singular, feminine | prepositional object – womb, stomach, belly; in imitation of the Hebrew בֶּטֶן (betēn), tropically, the innermost part of a person, the soul, heart, as the seat of thought, feeling, choice (Job 15:35; Job 32:18 (the Sept. γαστήρ).

-Living: “ζῶντος”, “zōntos”; verb, present, active, participle, singular, genitive, neuter | attributive participle – to live; ὕδωρ ζῶν, living water, i. e. bubbling up, gushing forth, flowing, with the suggested idea of refreshment and salubrity (opposed to the water of cisterns and pools), is figuratively used of the spirit and truth of God as satisfying the needs and desires of the soul.

-Of [living] Water: “ὕδατος”, “hydatos”; noun, genitive, singular, neuter | genitive of content – water; of water in rivers, in fountains, in pools; used figuratively of the Holy Spirit who quenches the deepest spiritual thirst of the soul.

-[The] Spirit: “πνεύματος”, “pneumatos”; noun, genitive, singular, neuter | prepositional object – spirit, soul, i.e. the Holy Spirit, the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son; sometimes referred to in a way which emphasises his personality and character (the “Holy” Spirit), sometimes referred to in a way which emphasises his work and power (the Spirit of “Truth”), never referred to as a depersonalised force.

-Was [not yet] Glorified: “ἐδοξάσθη”, “edoxasthē”; verb, aorist, passive, indicative, third person, singular | finite verb – glorify, praise; to exalt to a glorious rank or condition; used of God the Father exalting, or rather restoring, Christ his Son to a state of glory in heaven.