Pentecost Power

June 1, 2022
Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
John 7:37-39

‘On the last and greatest day of the Feast [of Tabernacles/A Fall festival for God], Jesus stood and said in a loud voice ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’

By this he meant the Spirit [Holy Spirit], whom those who believed in him were about to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given since Jesus had not yet been glorified” John 7:37-39 NIV.

This coming Sunday many churches will celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost so I thought it would be good to prepare you a little bit. According to Dr. Henry Halley, Jesus had not been in Jerusalem for nearly a year and a half and it would be a mere 6 months before he would be crucified. It’s important for us to see a bit of the context for this verse in order to hear the passion Jesus has for his people. He knows many of the people gathered to celebrate a holy festival to honor God would be the very ones who would shout “Crucify him”! Jesus also knows that the people are thirsty, not just for liquid refreshment, but for spiritual refreshment. There is a thirst for healing of relationships that have dried up. There is a thirst for hope and joy that has long since become a dry and weary land. There is a deep thirst for comfort when life throws another curveball.

Jesus tells everyone who would listen, and remember, it’s a festival and quite noisy, so he stands up on something and shouts in a very loud voice our text you have read today. The “Living water” is a reference to the Holy Spirit that would fall on all who gathered as Jesus had instructed on the day of Pentecost. The living water would bring reconciliation, hope, joy and comfort beyond anything anyone on earth could provide. It would be with a powerful witness as the believers began to speak in languages that everyone gathered for the feast of Pentecost would understand.

Oh, how much our God loves us! To give us this witness that He would become flesh again and indwell those who believe manifested in the presence of the Holy Spirit. During these very hot summer days it is easy to relate to being thirsty. So, the next time you get a drink of cool, clear water, try looking up to heaven and thank God that He wants to flow through you.

AMEN