Imagine the scene. It is a festive atmosphere in ancient Jerusalem. Thousands upon thousands of people have flooded into the city in celebration of the Festival of Booths. This festival, which lasted 7 days, commemorated God’s provision for the Israelites during the time that they wandered in the desert living in tents (or booths). All the inhabitants and visitors to Jerusalem would celebrate the festival events in home made “booths” constructed either in the streets or on the roofs of houses and other buildings in Jerusalem. Included in those celebrations was a daily feast and celebration that occurred nightly while all of Jerusalem was lit from above as four great bowls of fire were raised on each of the four corners of the Temple Mount. These bowls of fire celebrated the pillar of fire by night and smoke by day in which Yahweh led the people of Israel through the desert. It also commemorated the light of God in the midst of the darkness of the world – which at that time the Israelites understood to mean the Nation of Israel itself.
As part of the festival ceremonies, the priests would march out of the temple each day, exit the Temple Mount through the Southern Gate – or Water Gate – proceed down the southern slopes of the City of David to the Pool of Siloam, where they would collect water in a golden pitcher to take back up to the temple to pour over the alter in a Water Libation Ceremony. This ceremony was, in part, to commemorate the water that God provided for the Israelites in the desert. This water, often miraculously provided by Yahweh, gave life to the Israelites who might otherwise have died without it. It was, therefore, the water of life or “living water.” The Water Libation Ceremony was also symbolic of and in anticipation of the time foretold in Ezekiel 47 when the Messiah would set up his Kingdom in Jerusalem. At that time, this same living water would flow out of the temple, out the Eastern Gate, down to the Dead Sea, where it would bring life back to that forsaken valley. The Water Libation ceremony was therefore a celebration of the living water – the water that brings life – a water that can only come from God.
The Pool of Siloam, where the Priests got the water for this ceremony, was significant to the Jews and their concept of salvation. The waters of the Pool of Siloam came from the Spring of Gihon, east of Jerusalem, which King Hezekiah redirected into Jerusalem. This spring is presumed to be the waters from which all the Kings, including King David, were anointed – bringing upon them the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. As a result, the pool became associated with the prophecies by Isaiah, Joel, and others who all promised the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all peoples. Additionally, based upon Isaiah 12:3, which says “you shall draw water from the wells of salvation”, the Pool of Siloam became known as the “well of salvation.” Water from the Pool of Siloam was by all accounts considered to be “living water.” As a result, the Pool of Siloam and the Water Libation Ceremony – especially during the Second Temple period of New Testament times – became associated with spiritual purification, the coming of the Messiah, and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on all peoples at his coming.
It is in this context that Jesus had been daily teaching in the temple. This in itself was something of an enigma to those present. Jesus was a wanted man – a religious criminal. He had a price on his head and the religious leaders wanted him dead. He had broken the Sabbath earlier that year by committing the most dastardly of deeds – he healed a crippled man. As he spoke, those around him would whisper among themselves “Is this not the man whom they seek to kill?” Several had approached him to arrest him on these heinous charges. They wanted to kill him then. None, however, could approach him with any other purpose except to be completely astounded at his words. “No one ever spoke like this!” they would say to each other.
Then, on the 7th and greatest day of the ceremony, perhaps at the conclusion of the Water Libation Ceremony, as water poured freely from the alter onto the floor of the temple, Jesus stands up and boldly proclaims these words:
“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 waters.’”
It was not the first time he had made such a statement. The last time he was in Jerusalem, he had returned to his home in Galilee through the land of the unclean Samaritans and spoke similar words to a low-life loser of a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. That encounter resulted in an entire town coming to repentance and faith in his teaching. He had also said similar words recently in Galilee. After feeding 5000 men plus women and children with nothing more than a “Lunchable,” he then shocked the crowd with some pretty scary words about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. What kind of madman was this? But he had promised that those who did this would never hunger or thirst.
This time, however, he was interrupting a very important religious ceremony and speaking to the most righteous of the righteous. Imagine if you were right in the middle of your Easter cantata and a known criminal stood up in the congregation and started preaching. I’m thinking the ushers might have something to say about that.
The implications of Jesus’ words were not lost on those who heard. They were familiar with the messianic words of Isaiah 55:1 which said “Come, come to the waters, everyone who thirsts…” The most learned among them were probably also familiar with the Proverb (Proverb 18:4) that said “The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; and the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.” And living water? Everyone present knew that living water meant salvation – and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all men just as promised by the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28) – and to make matters worse, the prophet John, who had only recently been beheaded by Herod, had already told the masses that Jesus would be the one to baptize them with the Holy Spirit – and with fire!
Furthermore, they knew he was not speaking of physical thirst. They knew he was talking about righteousness and spiritual cleansing. Most of them probably had heard about – if not actually heard themselves – the sermon he preached where he said “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied!” This must have infuriated the priests. How dare this criminal, this man who ate with sinners, who spoke with low life Samaritan women, who regularly blasphemed (or so they thought) by claiming equality with God, speak to them about being righteous. They were righteous. They kept the law. On what authority was he making such bold claims?
There was no question what this madman was saying. The Water Libation Ceremony, Isaiah’s well of salvation, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit – this rabble-rouser was offering the fulfillment of these promises. Jesus was claiming nothing less than the title of Messiah – the Holy one of God!
As is always the case when Jesus reveals his true identity to people, those who heard were divided. Some acknowledged that he was, indeed, the Messiah and placed their faith in him. Those who did so received eternal life – for as Jesus told the Pharisee Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Others rejected him outright. Some were even hostile to his words. After all, scripture was clear that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem, not Galilee (or Nazareth his hometown). Had they stopped to ask, they might come to realize that Jesus was, in fact, from Bethlehem – of the House and lineage of King David, no less. Unfortunately for them, they were too incensed to look into such detail. This Jesus\ had to be stopped – at all costs! A confrontation was coming and this faker would come to his demise – or so they determined – and so they plotted. Little did they know that they were playing right into his hands, so that all scripture might be fulfilled and his words of eternal life could be accomplished.
What about you? Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? Said differently – do you desire to be clean? Do you desire to be right before a Holy God? Are you ready to stop trying to BE good and let the blood of Jesus Christ make you good? Only Jesus can quench the thirst. Only Jesus can wash away the filth of who we are in our sinfulness. Believe in him, for “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21, and Romans 10:13).
No comments:
Post a Comment