Sunday, March 8, 2015

Living Water

What does the phrase "living water" signify?

Now we might think of living water in connection with Jesus conversation with the Samaritan woman; living water than is the gift of the Holy Spirit, perhaps, leading to eternal life as was described in his conversation with Nicodemus.

In this study that I am working through there was this as the first question for chapter 4: "4:10. What two levels of meaning does the expression "living water" have?  Look up Is 12:3, Ezek 47:1-12, and Zech 14:8.  How do those passages use the idea of living water?"
Well, another meaning of living water could be flowing water; think of the woman's first response to Jesus (basically "where's your bucket? and where is that water you're going to get?")  but I went on to read the scriptures and the passage from Ezekiel really took my attention.  It is beautiful.
Ezekiel is being lead around the temple, but there is water coming out "from under the threshold of the house eastward: ..., and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar."
and similarly the water is coming out of the north side.  They start measuring the width of this water, and the water goes up to his ankles at first.  As they keep measuring, though, the water gets deeper and deeper.
 "and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen,"
They "return to the brink of the river."

Every thing that lives, which moves, wherever the rivers shall come, shall live:
I got to thinking about those trees and the work of the Holy Spirit and how WE are called to bear good fruit, and WE are called to live in the Holy Spirit.
back to Jesus--"but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water I shall give him will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
Let us echo, but with understanding and confidence, "Sir, give me this water."

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