March 30th - Reflection

John 7:14-31, 37-39 (NRSV)
Drink of Jesus, the Messiah

About the middle of the festival Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. The Jews were astonished at it, saying, "How does this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?" Then Jesus answered them, "My teaching is not mine but his who sent me. Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him.

"Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you looking for an opportunity to kill me?" The crowd answered, "You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?" Jesus answered them, "I performed one work, and all of you are astonished. Moses gave you circumcision (it is, of course, not from Moses, but from the patriarchs), and you circumcise a man on the sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the sabbath in order that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I healed a man's whole body on the sabbath? Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment."

Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, "Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from." Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, "You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me." Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come. Yet many in the crowd believed in him and were saying, "When the Messiah comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?" ...

On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, "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.'" Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Reflection
Sometimes Christ reveals himself to us and we don't want to see him. We don't want to see him or admit that he sees our sin. So we pretend a little. We pretend we don't know that Jesus is the Messiah. We pretend we don't know where he comes from. We pretend that Jesus presence with us is not the same as the presence of God. We pretend that our sin is hidden. We pretend that Jesus can't be God.

But then Jesus looks right past all of our false imaginations and comes to us with the Spirit of God. Jesus shows us rivers of living water. Jesus reveals his grace of forgiveness, only if we stop pretending that we have not sinned and come to him and repent.

When we see Jesus as God, the God that knows us completely, we drop our guards and run to him. Run to Jesus, humbly repenting and asking for deliverance from sin, death, the devil and our sinful self. Jesus responds with an outflow of rivers of living water from the believers heart. Receive the Spirit and live! Thanks be to God!

Prayer
Lord, the source of living waters; I come to you this day and repent. Forgive my sin and fill me with that living water that I may go out in your name and gladly do your will, your way, this day. --- Amen