“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” John 7:37-39

We think little of the importance and need for water. We just turn on the faucet, and water flows. It wasn’t so in Bible times, especially in the arid regions of the Middle East. Water was a precious commodity, and obtaining all the water needed was a continual task and concern.

Think of the Israelites in the wilderness (Exodus 17). They had no water to drink and thirsted. They complained against Moses, accusing him of bringing them out into the wilderness to die of thirst. God commanded Moses to strike the rock with his rod and water gushed forth, meeting the needs of God’s people. And the Bible tells us that God provided water for the people from the rock on more than one occasion (cf. Num. 20:8ff.; Deut. 8:15).

Now, it was the Feast of Tabernacles, the last day of that great feast in which the people dwelt in tabernacles to remind them of their living in tents in the wilderness for 40 years. On each day of the feast, the priests drew out a vessel of water from the Pool of Siloam, and the people sang psalms as they returned to the temple to pour out the water into a basin there on the side of the altar — a reminder that God had given them water from the rock in the wilderness.

Then, on the last day of the feast, Jesus cried out in the temple, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

That rock in the wilderness pointed to Jesus Christ. As God satisfied the thirst of His people in the wilderness with water from the rock, so Christ offers to meet the spiritual thirst of God’s people with living water, water which continues to flow and meet all our needs and to quench the thirst of those around us as we point them to Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world by means of his sacrifice upon the cross (John 1:29).

As Jesus offered living water to the woman at the well in Samaria (John 4:10,13-14), so here He offers it to all who had come to the temple in search of God’s mercy and blessing. And, He offers it to you and to me, as well!

How does Jesus quench our thirst? He offers and gives us pardon and forgiveness for all our sins when we come to Him in faith, trusting that He indeed is God’s Son and our Savior and that He has satisfied the demands of God’s law for us and suffered the full and just punishment for all our sins and is risen again (cf. Eph. 1:6-9; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Rom. 3:21-26).

And, as John explained, when we trust in Jesus, He gives to us His Holy Spirit, who continually works through God’s Word and the comfort of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper to keep us in the true and saving faith. He convicts us of our sinfulness with God’s Law and comforts us with God’s pardon and forgiveness through the message of the Gospel, the good news of His mercy and forgiveness in Christ Jesus (cf. Isa. 55:1ff.; 12:1ff.; Matt. 11:28ff.; Acts 2:36-39; Phil. 1:6).

We are living in a spiritual wilderness. True spiritual water is scarce — we can’t find it on our own. But God has provided it for us in His Son — the Rock which follows us in this wilderness of sin and death (cf. 1 Cor. 10:4; Psalm 36:9). And in Jesus, our thirst is quenched. Our greatest need — forgiveness of sins and fellowship with God our Maker — is met. And when we come to Jesus in faith, which is in itself of the gracious working of God (cf. Eph. 2:8-9; Col. 1:12ff.; 2:12; John 6:44,63), the Holy Spirit is given to us and our spiritual thirst is continually quenched as He sanctifies and keeps us in the true faith in Christ Jesus, our Savior (Rev. 22:17)!

We come to You, O Jesus, to quench our thirsting souls.
Forgive our sins and keep us within Your flock and fold.
And grant to us Your Spirit, and may the rivers flow,
That others, too, may hear us, their Savior come to know. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.” 1 John 2:7-11

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Where this love of God for lost sinners accomplishes its end and goal, sinners repent, trust in Christ Jesus for forgiveness and life and, as a fruit of their faith, love God and their fellow man.

Though “love is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom. 13:8-10; Deut. 6:4-5; Lev. 19:18), John reminds his readers of Jesus’ command to love one another. Jesus said: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34-35).

Those who walk in Jesus’ love, knowing and believing that God loves them and accepts them as His own dear children for the sake of Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross, will love God and also love their fellow human beings because of God’s love for them. They will love others as Christ loved them and gave Himself for them (Rom. 5:5-8; Eph. 5:1-2).

Since the darkness brought about by sin is passing away and the true light of God’s love and mercy is shining on us whenever we hear the Gospel of God’s love and forgiveness toward us in Jesus, we have every reason to share God’s love for mankind. God loved us, and Christ died for us, so we also love others and extend to them God’s love and mercy in Christ Jesus.

Therefore, the one who says he is in the light — that He knows and trusts in Jesus who loved us and gave Himself for us — if he hates his brother, remains in darkness. He does not know or receive in faith God’s love for lost sinners. The darkness of sin has blinded his eyes so that He does not see and walk in God’s love.

On the other hand, the one who partakes of God’s love through faith in Christ and also loves others and shows mercy and forgiveness toward them walks in the light of God’s love.

God grant that we receive in faith God’s love and mercy toward us in Christ Jesus and that Christ’s love for us move us to share in His love for others.

In love, O God, You sent Your Son to suffer and die on the cross to bear our sin and punishment that we might be pardoned and given life in communion with You forevermore. Move us to grasp Your love for us in faith and extend Your love to others. We ask this for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” Psalm 86:5

How comforting this passage is for sinners like you and me! Though we have sinned and stand condemned by God’s holy law, we can turn to the Lord God for mercy and forgiveness.

Like the father of the prodigal son (cf. Luke 15:20), our God stands ready and awaits our return to Him that He might shower upon us His grace and mercy in Jesus Christ. He stands ready with open arms for us to return to Him in repentance and faith that He might pardon our iniquity and give to us a place in this everlasting kingdom.

How can a holy and just God forgive us sinners and receive us back as His beloved children? It is because “Jesus Christ the righteous … is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2). It is because Jesus, God’s Son and our Savior, fulfilled the righteous demands of God’s law for us and then suffered on the cross the full and just punishment for all our sins — even for the sins of the whole world — and rose again in victory on the third day!

And note that the Bible does not teach that all are already justified and forgiven because of Christ’s death and resurrection. It teaches that God, for Jesus’ sake, stands ready to forgive and to show His abundant mercy unto all who call upon Him with faith in Jesus and His atoning sacrifice.

Because of Jesus and His blood shed on the cross for the sins of the world, the Lord is good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Him.

How comforting this is for lost sinners! Let’s repent and return to our God and Maker through faith in Christ Jesus and His cross!

Thank you, O God, for the sacrifice of Your Son in our stead and for Your readiness to forgive our sins and show to us plenteous mercy for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

What would Jesus cleanse from your church, your life?

“And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; and said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.” John 2:13-22

All the males in Israel were required to appear before the LORD God at the temple in Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover. In addition to other sacrifices, an unblemished lamb was to be sacrificed and eaten, and temple taxes were to be paid. As a result, the outer courts of the temple became a place where merchants, for a profit, sold animals for sacrifice and exchanged money for the coins needed for the temple tax.

Jesus, when He saw it, made a whip of cords and drove them out of the temple, saying, “Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.”

When asked for a sign to prove His Messianic claims and his authority to do this, Jesus told the Jews, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Jesus wasn’t referring to the temple building in Jerusalem but to His own body. The sign He gave to verify that He is the Messiah and has the authority to drive out those who abuse His Father’s house was His own resurrection from the dead; for, as He said would happen, the Jews destroyed the temple of His body, but He raised it up again on the third day.

The Jews misunderstood His words, thinking of the new Jewish temple, which had been under construction already for 46 years and was not yet finished. But Jesus’ disciples came to understand His words after He had risen from the dead.

What would Jesus do should He walk into our church buildings today? Would He be pleased with our activities and programs, or would He drive them out? Each church should be a “house of prayer,” not a “den of thieves” (Matt. 21:13; cf. 21:12ff. where Jesus again cleansed the temple during the week of His crucifixion).

Would Jesus be pleased with those who use the churches to sell their goods or advance their careers? Would He say it is okay for groups to sell insurance and retirement plans in connection with the church? Would it be alright to hold all manner of sales and raffles to raise money? What about the many fundraisers and campaigns to support the work of the church? These are tough questions that churches must prayerfully consider and answer with the guidance of God’s Word.

But what about the temples of our bodies? The Scriptures tell all who believe: “Ye are the temple of the living God” (2 Cor. 6:16); and, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Cor. 3:16-17).

Jesus is zealous for God’s house, as the Scriptures say, “For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up” (Psalm 69:9). Not only is Jesus concerned for the earthly temples built with our hands, but He is also concerned with the temples of our bodies which He has created and redeemed. What would He cast out and cleanse away in your body or in your life?

Are our bodies a “house of prayer” devoted to the LORD God and seeking His glory? Does “the word of Christ dwell in [us] richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in [our] hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16)? Or, are our bodies and lives filled with our own selfishness and greed? Are we living for ourselves rather than for Christ Jesus, who both created us and then also redeemed us with His own precious blood? Do we use our bodies to fulfill our selfish and sinful desires or to bring praise and glory to God?

Is Jesus even welcome in the temples of our bodies, or do we question His authority to come into our lives and cast out what is offensive to Him? Indeed, many do challenge Jesus’ authority to reveal and cleanse what offends Him!

We, by our sins, destroyed the temple of Jesus’ body. He was crucified and suffered on the cross to pay the just penalty for our sins and the sins of the world. He was condemned by God and died in our stead, on account of our sins. But Jesus, God’s Son and our Savior, did rise again from the dead in victory on the third day, as He said! He redeemed us and made full atonement for our sins and the sins of the whole world! His resurrection is proof! It is the sign of which Jesus spoke! Through faith in Him, we are forgiven and promised eternal life with Him in heaven!

Jesus has the authority to cast out what is evil from the lives of those who trust in Him. He has the right to cleanse us, and He is zealous for us and our holiness. He comes to us as believers and dwells in us by His Holy Spirit, and He desires that we be wholly devoted to the will and service of God our Father.

God grant that we do not challenge His authority to purify and cleanse us but welcome His coming and rejoice in the mercy and forgiveness He gives to us for the sake of His innocent sufferings, death, and victorious resurrection!

Jesus paid the full price for our sins, and He forgives and accepts us when we look to Him in faith. At the same time, He also works in us to cleanse us so that we might live our lives for Him. May He continue to cleanse our hearts and souls!

O dearest Jesus, come into my heart and cast out whate’er offends. Forgive me for the sake of Your precious blood shed for my sins, and cleanse my heart and soul that I might live for You. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” John 7:16-17 (Read John 7:10-18)

The Jews were divided over who Jesus was and whether His teaching was of God. John 7:12 tells us, “Some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.” Though many were curious about Jesus, most were afraid to speak of Him openly because they were afraid of the Jewish rulers.

When Jesus came to the feast and began teaching in the temple, the people wondered how Jesus had such knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures since He had not studied under the religious leaders and received formal training as a rabbi and teacher of God’s Word. Jesus pointed out that His doctrine, His teaching, was not His own but His who sent Him.

So, today, many would preclude anyone from teaching God’s Word unless he is first formally trained in a seminary and certified by a church body. The important thing here is not formal training or certification by schools and church bodies but faithfulness to the Word of God.

Jesus responded, “My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.” The teaching, the doctrine, of Jesus was not His own but that of God the Father, who sent Him into the world to proclaim the truth and to accomplish the redemption of fallen mankind. In other words, what Jesus taught was not some new doctrine; it was and is the same doctrine taught and revealed throughout the Holy Scriptures. Jesus pointed out man’s sin and guilt before God and man’s need to repent and look to Him as Messiah and Savior.

It was and is only through repentance and faith in Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross that anyone can be pardoned and spared in God’s judgment upon this world! Jesus told Nicodemus when he came to visit Jesus at night (John 3:14-16,18): “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. … He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

It is as Jesus said to some of the most legalistic among the Jewish leaders: “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24). To His own disciples, He later said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

How could Jesus’ hearers know His doctrine was true? Jesus said, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7:17). In other words, if anyone listens to God’s Word and seeks to do what God wills and directs him to do, he will see and know that Jesus’ doctrine is that of God the Father and the truth.

The Old Testament Scriptures — the writings of Moses and the Prophets, as well as the other Writings of Scripture — all pointed ahead to the coming of Jesus, the Messiah and Savior of the world. They taught that God’s own Son would be born into this world as a man, that He would teach the truth, and that He would suffer and die as a perfect and holy sacrifice to make atonement for the sins of the world and rise again to establish an everlasting kingdom.

Those who do the will of God and repent of their evil ways, looking in faith to Jesus, the promised Messiah and Savior, for pardon, forgiveness, and life eternal, will know that Jesus’ teaching is true, for it is the same teaching God gave in the Holy Scriptures. And Jesus’ promises are true. He offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who look to Him and His cross in faith.

O Jesus, my Savior, grant that I hear and believe Your Word as the true and life-giving Word of God, that I repent of my sins and trust in You and Your holy sacrifice on the cross for pardon, forgiveness, and life eternal. Amen.

[Scipture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]