Section 78 continued...

Section 78 continued...
IN THE TEMPLE AT THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES
(October, A. D. 29.)
JOHN 7:32-52

"On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “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 water.’” John 7:37-38

Jon Courson's comments here shine:

"To commemorate the miraculous provision of water, a procession of priests would draw water from the pool of Siloam and pour it out on the floor of the temple courtyard during each day of the feast. On the eighth day, the last day, the great day of the feast, however, the priests would return from the pool of Siloam with empty vessels, signifying that when the Israelites entered the Promised Land, water from the rock was no longer needed. The Feast of Tabernacles not only commemorated the past—it anticipated the future. As the priests symbolically poured out their empty vessels on the last day, the high priest would read Isa_44:3 : "For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring.""

Jesus makes this most extraordinary claim and offer on the final day, the "great day" of the feast. One of the most striking aspects of personality is that he is alternatively super reserved or incredibly bold.  He was not put together like an average person. Instead, Christ was laser focused on His mission, God's will, and completely disregarded any approval of men.  Sometimes he chose to interrogate and debate, but other times he kept his thoughts to himself and quietly went on his way.

Alexander MacLaren points out that his proclamation about quenching thirst is just one more instance of Christ connecting Old Testament promises to his New Testament fulfillment of them:


"So here is one more instance to add to those to which I have directed your attention on former occasions, in which, in this Gospel, we find Christ claiming to be the fulfilment of incidents and events in that ancient covenant, Jacob’s ladder, the brazen serpent, the manna, and now the rock that yielded the water. He says of them all that they are the shadow, and the substance is in Him." -Alexander MacLaren

Here's another example of his boldness:

  So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. John 7:28

"....Cried out introduced a solemn announcement" BKC

This is the same "cried out" of John the Baptist in the wilderness.  It's bold, not meek, and must have been offense-provoking to the prideful Pharisees.

We also see this "difference" in Jesus through the comments of his contemporaries.  These officers, who were tasked with securing Christ and bringing him to the Pharisees, end up not fulfilling their duty because they were overcome by the impact of his words:

"The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?”
The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!”  John 7:45-46