Today’s Reading: 

John 7:37–44 (NLT)

37 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” 39 (When he said, “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.) 40 When the crowds heard him say this, some of them declared, “Surely this man is the Prophet we’ve been expecting.” 41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others said, “But he can’t be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee? 42 For the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where King David was born.” 43 So the crowd was divided about him. 44 Some even wanted him arrested, but no one laid a hand on him.

 

Today’s Big Points

1) The invitation through His witness.

2) The invitation through His works.

3) The Invitation through His Word.

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BIG IDEA:

Right before this, Jesus was teaching at the Feast of Booths. On the last day of that feast, Jesus gave an amazing invitation to everyone who was there. When Jesus spoke of being thirsty, He wasn’t talking about literal thirst. Jesus was revealing something about our human nature: We all are driven to find something or someone to satisfy us, to make us happy, to take away our sadness. And that thirst drives people to do all sorts of things. It can make you say hurtful words. It can lead you to lose your joy when you’re having a bad day. The “thirst” can cause people to break promises, change who they are, and do things they know are wrong. 

But as we learned in John 4, Jesus is the Living Water. He is the only one who satisfies the soul and brings lasting joy and peace into our hearts and lives. Jesus was the one the Jewish people were waiting for, but they were divided in their opinions about Him. They knew Jesus was from Nazareth in Galilee and the Old Testament prophecies stated that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. They didn’t know that even though He grew up in Nazareth, Jesus WAS born in Bethlehem. Some of them made their decision about Jesus with only some of the information. It’s worth it to study and learn everything we can about Jesus, so that we don’t miss out on all He has to offer. We need to get to know Him, let His Spirit work in us, and avoid misunderstanding who He is.

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Questions to Ponder

For Adults:

• What “thirsts” in your life have too much control over you? In what ways is Jesus better than any of those things?

• How much time do you spend studying and learning about Jesus? What next step could you take to be a better student of the person and work of Jesus?

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For Teens:

• What did Jesus mean by “thirst?”

• What are some harmful ways people satisfy their thirst? Why doesn’t it work?

• Why do you think people are still divided in their opinions about Jesus?

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For Kids:

• In this story, what was the invitation given by Jesus and what do you think it means?

• How did people respond to Jesus’ invitation?

• Why it is important to study and learn everything we can about Jesus?

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BIG PRAYER:

God,
Thank You for inviting us to come and find life in You! Jesus, thank You that You do not leave us thirsty and with nowhere to turn. Thank You that You satisfy our thirsts. Help me to look to You first and always for everything my heart and soul craves. As others around me are divided in their opinions about You, help me to stay steady and committed in my love for You and my trust in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

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