Anchor My Faith

Living Water Is the Holy Spirit

Scripture: John 4:12-15

We ended the previous lesson with the woman asking Jesus how he was going to give her living water since he had no bucket in which to draw the water. She had no idea that living water was not physical water but something entirely different. In her frustration the woman challenges the ability of Jesus to accomplish the task of providing living water by comparing him to Jacob, who provided the well. She says: “Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” (John 4:12 ESV).

Jesus makes a claim to his superiority and she challenges him with the question, “Are you greater than our father Jacob?” By referring to “our father Jacob” the woman is indicating that she and her people still think of themselves as true descendants of Jacob. If the woman knew who Jesus was then she would know that he, being the Son of God, the Messiah, was greater than Jacob.

“Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”’ (John 4:13 – 14 ESV).

Whoever drinks of the water from Jacob’s well will again be thirsty. This the woman can understand, but what is this living water that Jesus says he has that he can give? First, we need to determine what thirst can be satisfied by his living water? That thirst is a person’s inner longing to know God personally. In the previous lesson we looked at John 7:38 – 39 and Isaiah 12:3 and learned that living water referred to the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit is given as a gift, he becomes like a spring that continues to produce water and thus satisfies one’s thirst forever. It is eternal life.

“The woman said to [Jesus], “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” The woman clearly does not understand because she thinks that a drink of living water will remove her natural thirst and remove her need of coming to Jacob’s well to draw water to satisfy her thirst. Both she and Nicodemus are unable to see the spiritual dimension of what Jesus is saying. Both are trying to understand in natural terms, which is impossible.

This lesson and the previous were about living water. Let us close this lesson by reviewing some things we covered about living water. First, it is a gift from God (verse 10); Second, it is living water (verse 19); Third, you will never be thirsty again as it is always there to satisfy you when your longing soul is thirsty; Fourth, it is a spring of water that continues to meet your need forever; Fifth, it provides eternal life for the person who drinks it.

Have you received this gift of living water from Jesus that springs up into eternal life?

Prayer

Lord, thank you for the gift of living water you have given me. It is the promise of refreshment for an eternity with you. I think of those who will suffer for an eternity apart from you in hell where this refreshing, life giving water will not be available to quench the horrible thirst that will be experienced there. Lord, you have so much to offer. How can anyone not surrender to you to enjoy all you have to offer? Thank you for you gifts to me.