Jesus Gives the Living Water of the Spirit

“Are you searching for more meaning in your life? Are you looking for more purpose in what you do but don’t know where to start? Do you feel stuck in certain areas in your life and feel like spiritual guidance could help? Our spiritual panel is taking your questions. There is Elizabeth Lesser, who as co-founder of Omega Institute, has studied and worked with leading figures in the fields of healing and spiritual development for decades. There is Michael Bernard Beckwith, founder and spiritual director of Agape International Spiritual Center and featured teacher in the film and book The Secret . There is The Rev. Ed Bacon, rector of All Saints Episcopal Church, a well-known liberal and progressive church where the focus is on human rights initiatives.”

And there you have the introduction and panel of experts on Oprah Winfrey’s website: Spirituality 101.

We live in a nation of consumers. That is true of our economic life as a nation and it is true of our spiritual life as a nation.

Church hoppers go from congregation to congregation trying to find that perfect fit and there are thousands of different denominations that are happy to try to please them. All of the non-Christian world religions are represented in our nation with places like Dearborn Michigan becoming largely Muslim. And then there are the countless, odd mish-mash spiritualities that try to combine eastern mysticism, new-age philosophy, and native-American religion with crystals, sweat lodges, and incense into something that can answer mankind’s deepest need for a life with God.

To all of this nonsense that passes for spirituality in our country, Jesus says very simply: If anyone thirsts, let him come to me. In other words, if you are searching spiritually, if you desires a life with God, if you really want to discover the meaning, value, and purpose of your life, then come to Jesus-- for he is the source of true spirituality.

In our Gospel lesson today, John tells us that Jesus spoke these words on the last day of the feast, the great day. The feast that is the setting for the words that our Lord speaks to us today is the Feast of Tabernacles—the Jewish festival where the people of Israel remembered and gave thanks to God for his provision during their years in the desert.

Despite their grumbling and complaining, God was faithful. In the middle of the desert—for decades—for millions of people—God satisfied their thirst.

As part of this festival, priests would descend from the temple mount, fill golden vessels with water from the spring that fed the Pool of Siloam, and walk back up to the temple where they would pour the water near the altar of the Lord and the worshipers would sing these words from Isaiah:

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. With joy I will draw water from the wells of salvation.

It was at this very moment in the sacred liturgy of the temple—when there was a connection in the minds of the Israelites between God’s provision of the past—and the words of Isaiah promising the water of salvation—that Jesus stood up in the midst of the crowd and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”

It was not an accident that Jesus was there that day—it was not an accident that he stood up at that very moment and drew Israel’s attention to himself—it was not an accident that John recorded this scene and Jesus’ words. It all happened the way it did because Jesus has something that he wants to teach you—something that he wants you to know: that he is the source of all spiritual life and spiritual gifts: a life --and gifts-- that he wants to give to you and to all people: if ANYONE thirsts. Anyone!

The gift of the Spirit that Jesus wants to give—the life with God that he bestows—is for all people. ALL people! There is no barrier of age or gender or ethnicity or socio-economic status to receiving the gift of the Spirit from Jesus. The Spirit’s gifts--and a life with God-- are intended for all people—because all people, whether they recognize it or not—have a thirst, a hunger, a yearning which only God can fill.

Now, people try to fill that God-shaped hole in their lives with all kinds of substitutes that can never satisfy: material possessions, various kinds of addictive substances like drugs, alcohol, and pornography, and countless false, deceitful religions and spiritualities. But St. Augustine got it right seventeen hundred years ago when he said that our hearts are never at rest-- until they find rest in God.

Unfulfilled spiritual thirst is what moves people from church to church—from religion to religion—from spirituality to spirituality. They were created to have a life with God—to be more than simply biological creatures at the mercy of their flesh. They were given a desire to have a life with God. But that desire is not properly directed unless it is directed towards Christ—and will not be fulfilled-- unless it is filled by Christ. Jesus says: If anyone thirsts, let him COME TO ME and drink.

The invitation of Jesus to have a life with God and receive the gifts of the Spirit—is for all people—but it is fulfilled in only one person—and that is Jesus--not in Mohammed—not in the Ten Commandments—not in some new age guru—not even on Oprah’s website: Spirituality 101. The deep longing for a spiritual life that Jesus calls a “thirst” can only be quenched by him.

Maybe you think that my criticism of Oprah and her ilk is unfair or unjust. But to direct people away from Jesus—to send them searching hither and yon for spiritual meaning—to tell them that their deepest desire for God can be found in a variety of places—is to deny them the very thing they are searching for: a spiritual life that is found only in Jesus and in the living water of the Spirit that he alone can give. Jesus says: let them come to me and DRINK.

And so what is this “drinking” that satisfies our spiritual thirst? It is nothing else than believing in Jesus. He says: Whoever BELIEVES in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

Long before Jesus went up to the Feast of Tabernacles, Isaiah had prophesied that a true spiritual life that actually connects people to God-- would only come through faith in the Messiah—who is the well of salvation—a never-ending supply of spiritual life.

If you read the rest of the seventh chapter of John’s Gospel account of Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles you will see that the assembled pilgrims there were divided about Jesus. Some regarded him as merely a prophet. Others rejected him out of hand. Still others believed him to be the Messiah. So it still is today.

Another one of Oprah’s favorite guests is a guy by the name of Eckhardt Tolle—a self-proclaimed spiritual guide and author—identified by Times magazine as the most popular “spiritual” author in the United States-- who believes in Jesus exactly the same way he believes in Socrates and Buddha and Lau Tzu and Ralph Waldo Emerson—as merely an enlightened teacher.

But to regard Jesus as merely a prophet or merely a teacher or merely a moral guide is to deny his exclusive claim to be the one and only God-given way to a life in the Spirit.

Those who reject Jesus’ claims to be the source of all spiritual gifts and a life with God-- are subject to a lifetime of spiritual futility: going from one teacher to another—engaging in one esoteric spiritual endeavor after another—never really having a spiritual life at all—just one empty emotional episode after another.

But those who drink of the living water that Jesus gives—those who believe in Jesus—know that the words that he spoke that day are true-- because their own lives are transformed-- and the living water of the Spirit poured into them—flows from their lives.

Those who believe in Jesus and are filled by the Spirit have a deep and abiding sense of peace that is not tied to their external circumstances-- but comes from knowing that they are right with God. They are filled with joy in the moment and hope for the future. They can love those who don’t love them- and forgive those who misuse them- and bear with those whom others find unbearable.

In other words, they are filled with the living water of the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised: He said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive. What did Jesus mean when he said that those who believed in him—were to receive the Spirit—that the spiritual gift he would give was somehow in the future—pointing to Pentecost?

After all, it’s not as if the Holy Spirit had not been present in the life of God’s people before Pentecost.

We know from the first chapter of Genesis that the Holy Spirit was there as the world was being called into existence by God’s Word -and we know that the Spirit was there with Moses and the elders of Israel at Sinai as God spoke to them from the fiery cloud- and we know that the prophets spoke by the Holy Spirit- and everywhere the Word of God was preached, God promised that his Spirit was at work—accomplishing his saving purpose--bringing forth faith in those who heard his Words.

But the gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost- that Jesus was promising in these verses- was an even greater outpouring of the Spirit than had ever been given before- because it would bear witness to the COMPLETION of God’s saving work-- and it would EMPOWER the mission of God to take that salvation to the world-- so that everyone could have a life with the Father in the Spirit through faith in Jesus.

Where before the Spirit had borne witness to a coming One, revealed in bits and pieces of prophecy—now the Spirit would testify to Jesus of Nazareth—conceived in a Virgin’s womb—born in Bethlehem—a refugee from Egypt—humble and merciful and good-- just as the prophets had taught he would be.

Where before the Spirit had shown in Jewish ceremonies and sacrifices how things would be made right between God and man—now the Spirit would bear witness: that Jesus’ death on the cross atoned for the sins of the world—that Jesus’ resurrection was God’s promise of life after death—and that Jesus’ ascension was God’s assurance that all things would work for the good of those who love him.

The living water of the Spirit who was poured out on Pentecost and is still given to believers-- was sent by Jesus to bear witness to Jesus-- and so it is today. The Holy Spirit works through God’s Word as it is preached and read and received in the sacraments for one purpose: that we may believe in Jesus Christ and have a deep and abiding spiritual life in his name.

Let’s return for a moment to Oprah’s website: Spirituality 101—and listen again to her questions. “Are you searching for more meaning in your life? Are you looking for more purpose in what you do but don’t know where to start? Do you feel stuck in certain areas in your life and feel like spiritual guidance could help?” There’s not a problem in the world with those questions—everyone is asking them. The problem is in her answers.

The Good News for us here today is that our spiritual search is over—a life with God --and the gifts of the Spirit-- are found in Jesus. Amen.