Loving God, you come to us with living water, inviting us to drink deeply of your Holy Spirit.  Keep us focused on you and on the things that really matter, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            This week, once again, our gospel begins with an extraordinary statement from Jesus: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink.  As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water’” (Jn. 7:37-38).  Even to our modern ears this sounds pretty good – especially to those of us who have a spiritual thirst and seek the living God.  Yet, at the same time, imagine how it would have sounded to people who had just spent the week living in booths, or tents, or tabernacles, and carrying all of the water they needed from the nearest water source.

         To have living water – spring water – that is safe to drink is a matter of life and death, and God has a history of providing such water.  You might recall when God empowered Moses to bring forth water from a rock in the wilderness (Num. 20).  Many years later, the apostle Paul connects Christ to this rock, for he, too, provides living water (1 Cor. 10:4).  The prophets also promised that living waters would flow out from Jerusalem (Zech. 14:8).  At the same time, the prophets promise the pouring out of God’s spirit along with pouring out water on the thirsty land (Is. 44:3).

         One would think that, upon hearing this invitation from Jesus, most people would at least want to investigate whether what Jesus says is true or not.  Some in the crowd decide that Jesus must be the prophet – meaning the prophet like Moses who is to arise (Dt. 18:15), or the prophet Elijah who will herald the coming “day of the Lord” (Mal. 4:5-6).  Others decide that Jesus must be the promised Messiah.  And then there are the people who decide to focus on something that is totally beside the point.

         Divisions and arguments break out that focus solely on where Jesus is from.  As far as any of the people in the gospel seem to know, he is from Nazareth in Galilee.  However, as some point out, the Messiah will be a descendant of David and will come from Bethlehem.  And then there is the previous chapter where Jesus said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven” (Jn. 6:41).  So, is Jesus from heaven, or from Bethlehem, or from Galilee?  None of the people in the gospel seem inclined to investigate, and they simply assume that Jesus is from Galilee.

         To those in authority, and especially to the Pharisees, this is sufficient reason to dismiss Jesus as a dangerous man who is leading the people astray.  Galilee had a reputation for being somewhat lax when it came to keeping the Torah, or the law.  It is also referred to as “Galilee of the Gentiles” (Mt. 4:15), as Gentile influence seems to be more prevalent there.  And so, many of the religious leaders oppose Jesus, and try to arrest him, and dismiss both Jesus and those who believe in him as being uneducated.

         These days, it seems, Jesus is being dismissed for other reasons.  There are the people who have been insisting that they are doing God’s work by trying to overthrow the government and holding up their own personal freedom as the be all and the end all.  There are the pastors and churches who were not required to pay the legal bills incurred by the province addressing their lawsuit.  And then there is the story about a priest who somehow invalidated hundreds of baptisms by saying the wrong words.  It is no wonder that some people look at these things and assume that all Christians are like this and the church is to be avoided.

         However, in the midst of all of this craziness, look to Jesus.  Look to the one who really is the bread that came down from heaven and the source of living water.  Look to the one who is able to fill our spiritual hunger and thirst, just as he filled the physical hunger and thirst of so many.  Look to the one who sends us his Spirit and who opened the way to resurrection and eternal life for all who put their trust in him.

         There have always been human beings within the church who, by their actions, lead others to dismiss Jesus, and even the Christian faith.  At the same time, there have always been human beings within the church who truly are filled with the Spirit and who reveal Christ to others in all that they say and do.  In fact, if it weren’t for the activity of the Holy Spirit and the presence of Jesus, the church would have disappeared a long time ago!

         However, thanks be to God that the Holy Spirit continues to be poured out – the source of living water for all who put their trust in Jesus.  For he continues to be the way, and the truth, and the life.  Amen.

Epiphany 7 (NL 4)                            John 7:37-52

February 20, 2022

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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