Let Him Come to Me & Drink
John 7:1-39
Is it hard for you to let God be in control? Probably, it’s part of being human. We assume that we are fine on our own and are not in need of help from the God of the Universe. In this chapter, Jesus shows us that He alone can sustain us, and He alone is the way to have a relationship with God forever.
This chapter begins with a Jewish festival called the Festival of Booths. The Festival of Booths was an annual celebration in remembrance of God’s faithfulness while Israel was in the wilderness after they were led out of Egypt by Moses. The wilderness was a trying time in Israel’s history, and during this festival, people would live in makeshift tents (booths) to remind them of how faithful God was. Now, all of the disciples were heading to Jerusalem to celebrate, and they wanted Him to go with them and enter Jerusalem in a very public way, but Jesus said, “My time has not yet come,” and went to Jerusalem quietly by himself.
Finally, on the last day of the festival, Jesus starts to preach again. Remember that the setting of this message is the Festival of Booths, which is the time of remembrance for God’s faithfulness in the wilderness during the Exodus. For context, the Sinai wilderness is a desert, and there is very little water, food, or shade there. No water in the desert meant death, and Jesus knew this when He said, “if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink”. He invited the thirsty and dying to come to Him for water and life. Jesus invites the dying to come to Him because he alone can provide a “river of water” in our hearts, which means eternal life in Him.
We are all dying and in need of the living water of Jesus, and He made a way through his death and resurrection for our sins to be justified. Just like we would be thirsty without water in the desert, we would be lost and deserving of death without Jesus. Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sin and rose again so that we could be in a relationship with Him forever.
Reflect on your need for Jesus today. Do you need Him like you need water? Do you crave time with Him, and do you let His truth change your heart and your life?
