Rivers of Living Water that Flow from Those Who Believe

An Essay on John 7:37-39

 by Hugh O’Donnell                        Revised  March 1, 2008 

Univ. Notre Dame Master’s Level Theology Course

Part 1

The following three verses, John 7:37-39, provide an image of Jesus as the river to eternal life.  Just what is the author of John’s Gospel referring to in these verses?

7:37     On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink.” 

 

7:38     He who believes in me, as scripture has said, “Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.”

 

7:39     Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit has not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

 

 

 Authors[1] have written on literary devices in John’s Gospel such as word symbolism, irony, double meaning, sandwiches/chiasms,[2] representative figures and figurative metaphorical narration themes.  The purpose of this paper will be to identify the literary devices that help amplify the meaning of the above three verses.  In addition to using familiar literary devises of the period, the evangelist assumes his or her readers are familiar with Hebrew Scriptures.

 

A major theme running through the entire Gospel of John is Jesus replacing Passover and the Prophets, particularly the prophet Moses.[3]   A second theme is Jesus replacing Israel’s’ ill-advised kings (1 Samuel 8:6), with a long promised “Bridegroom.” A third theme is Jesus’ Spirit replacing the water of Jewish purification rites.  Passages from Genesis, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Numbers and particularly Exodus help reveal the dramatic import of Jesus’ plea to those thirsty for God.  During the great Exodus from Egypt, Moses provided bread and water for the hungry and thirsty Israelites. In John’s Gospel, Jesus offers drink and nourishment greater than what Moses offered. 

 

  This paper will explore the meaning of  “living water” as metaphor for Jesus’ Spirit, poured out from Jesus’ side on the cross.  The essay will suggest the above 3 verses help form the middle part of a seven-part chiasm that spans the entire Gospel.  The three verses highlight Jesus’ “nourishment” miracle as one miracle narrative among six “miracle” narratives describing “incomplete” works or signs pointing to a seventh, fulfilling, and “completing” work not described until Chapter 19.  The completing work is Jesus’ life giving death on the cross; a work marked by a “miraculous” flow of water from Jesus’ side.   In Chapter 19, Jesus’ Spirit miraculously becomes “living water.”  Ironically, the life giving flow of water is accomplished beneath a sign proclaiming Jesus “King” of the Jews.  In this essay, I will explain the use of the term “living water” in 7:38 and its connection to a water symbolism that pervades the entire Gospel.

 

Living water in verse 7:38 of John’s Gospel is a metaphor for the Holy Spirit which, if received (20:22), carries us to eternal life in the Kingdom of God (3:3) and baptizes us as children of God (1:12).  John 7:37-39, as taken from the NRSV Bible, suggests that rivers of living water will flow out of one’s heart if we believe.  In one biblical commentary, Raymond Brown suggests the text most likely refers to rivers of living water flowing from the heart of Jesus[4].  In another commentary, C. K. Barrett suggests that the believer, being joined to Jesus, in a secondary way, is also a valid inference as the source of living water[5].  I contend a double meaning is intended in that rivers of eternal life flowed from Jesus’ heart after his death on the cross and will flow through believers, into our neighborhoods today, as Jesus’ gift of the Holy Spirit, if we open our hearts as conduits of this living water.

 

The first mention of “living water” comes in John 4:10.  The words appear within the context of a figurative narrative about a woman at a well in Samaria.  The narrative “over flows" with hidden scriptural meaning.  In order to understand the use of the term living water we need to understand its context within the literary sandwich or inclusio that spans Chapter 2 and 4.  These two chapters are a “six and one”  inclusio within another, larger, “six and one” inclusio formed by Chapters 2 and 19.

 

A literary technique used often by the evangelist of John is something called a sandwich or inclusio.  The two sides of a sandwich are called  “bookends” labeled as A and A’ verses in a A, B, A’ verse series.  Bookends can also be the A and A’ verses capping a simple chiastic series of inverted parallel literary verses (A, B, C, B’,  A’).[6]  In a sandwich, the narrative starts with one topic, switches to a new topic(s), and then returns to the original topic as a way of focusing on the “meat” or middle part of the sandwich. 

 

Jesus’ first miracle, identified explicitly as sign one, occurs at a wedding feast in Cana (2:1-10).  The event is “bookended” by Jesus’ second miracle, also performed at Cana, but described in Chapter 4 when Jesus raises a royal official’s son to life (4:46-53).  What is contained between these two “bookend” miracles (also referred to as signs and once called a work) of Jesus helps us understand the symbolic meaning of the term living water and the role of the believer as a “water” conduit of  eternal life.  

 

Within the inclusio or bookend miracles of Chapter 2 and 4 appear two very interesting literary characters highlighted within the sandwich.  For the author of John, literary characters serve as representative figures[7] or “types of persons” used to highlight information the same way John uses sandwiches to add interest and highlight meaning.  In Chapter 3, the highly educated Nicodemus character does not understand that water is metaphor for Jesus’ Spirit.  In contrast, a lowly Samaritan woman character seems better able to understand Jesus’ reference to “living water” as the spiritual gift of eternal life, a gift long promised by her ancestor Jacob.  Jesus’ gift of “living water” in Chapter 4 portents His crowning work, His signature sign or miracle, the Gift of His Spirit poured out on the cross for all ”characters” who would receive it.

 

In Chapter 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus that unless he is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the “kingdom” of heaven (3:3).  Nicodemus did not understand (3:10) and seemed unable to connect Jesus’ words with Ezekiel 36:25-27 -  “I will sprinkle you with clean water …to cleanse you from all impurities…and I will put my spirit within you.”  The references to water and spirit here in Chapter 3 echo back to Chapter 1 where baptism is mentioned by both water and Spirit.  In order to understand the evangelist’s connected use of water and spirit in Chapter 3, we need to understand its use back in Chapter 1.

 

In Chapter 1, John the Baptist was baptizing with water (1:26) but One greater than him is coming, Jesus, the Lamb of God (1:29), who would baptize with the Holy Spirit (1:33).  John the Baptist bore witness to this One, who if He is received, if He is believed in by name, would have the power to make us children of God, born not of blood, but of God (1:12).

 

Further connecting us back to Chapter 1, the evangelist in Chapter 3 goes to dialogue about John the Baptist baptizing at Aenon near Salim where there was “much” water (3:23).  The evangelist follows up this second reference to baptism with a discussion of purification (3:25) with an unnamed Jew.   In first century Jewish culture, baptism, washing with water, and Passover all refer to Jewish purification rites so the conversation about purification rites and their application to Mosaic custom, link for us Passover, baptism, and the terms water and spirit.

 

            In Chapter 2, John mentions the term bridegroom in connection with Jesus’ changing water to wine.  The narrative points to Jesus as the real “bridegroom” of the Cana wedding, the one who provides the good wine.  In Chapter 3, after telling us again about birth with water and spirit (3:5), the evangelist returns to the theme of bridegroom (3:29) and the Chosen One sent by God, who lavishes out his Spirit without measure (3:34).  This seems to echo back to Chapter 2 where water became wine in lavish amounts, provided by the real Cana bridegroom, who turned 6 jars of over-flowing purification water into libation wine for celebrating the feast.  We see the author of John constantly creating narratives that connect back to themes and symbols depicted in previous narratives.

 

The second character to appear between the “Cana” bookend miracles is a Samaritan woman. Water and scripture are very much a part of her story.  Jesus and the Samaritan woman meet at a famous Old Testament well called Jacob’s well.  The well is located next to a field Jacob gave his son Joseph (4:5) before Joseph was sold to slavery in Egypt.  The discussion by Jesus with the Samaritan woman in Chapter 4 is about bridegrooms, water, and true worship just like it was in Chapters 2 and 3.

 

The water well narrative of Chapter 4, where “living water” is first mentioned, echoes three similar encounters at a well in Hebrew Scripture; Isaac’s wife was found at the well of Nahor (Gen. 24:10-16, 42-67), Jacob met his wife Rachel at a well (Gen. 29:1-30) and Moses received Zipporah as wife after saving seven of Reuel’s daughters at a well in Midian (Exod. 2:15-21).[8]  It is not a coincidence that the three bridegrooms, all famous Jewish prophets, are being linked to Jesus who is offering the Samaritan woman living water.  The author of John tells us Jesus is not only greater than the prophet Jacob and Moses, he is the Messiah, the One called Christ (4:26).   Jesus is now connected to the bridegroom of Samaria, the true bridegroom of Cana (2:9), and the new bridegroom of Israel that John the Baptist talked about (3:27-30).  

 

Very importantly, sandwiched between the Cana bookends, in addition to the two contrasting representative “belief” characters, are two references of where one should worship.  These two references help point us to Jesus as the true spirit of worship, the true living water that Moses pointed to in the desert.  Jesus explains that his “living water” will not likely be found where they previously worshiped.  His living water will flow from a new spiritual temple yet to be established.

 

In the first worship reference, Jesus tells the Jews in Jerusalem that his body is a temple (2:21) and unlike the temple they worship in that took forty-six years to build, his body will be raised up in three days if destroyed.  Jesus goes on to tell the Samaritan woman that the mountain (Mt. Gerizim) on which she worships and the Jerusalem Temple in which the Jews worship, are not where one should worship if one is to worship God in spirit (4:20-24).  He tells her an “hour” is coming when one can worship in spirit and truth (4:23).  Again, using figurative narrative, the evangelist is preparing us for the “hour” of Jesus’ Passover purification gift, when Jesus would thirst again, drink sour wine, and pour out His spirit as water and blood (19:30-34), as living purification and life giving death.

 

But we are getting ahead of the story.  We need to first explore the use of the term “water” as used in John’s chapters with a view toward Jewish purification rites.  The first mention of water comes in Chapter 1 where John the Baptist tells the Pharisees he is not a Prophet and that he baptizes with water (1:25).  John the Baptist emphasizes that his ministry points to God’s Chosen One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit  (1:26-34).  Paradoxically, the water that Jesus baptizes with only becomes the true living water when Jesus is gloried, when Jesus dies on the cross. 

 

The next reference to water happens three days (2:1) into Jesus’ public ministry on the first of three Passover celebrations that spanned Jesus’ public ministry.  In John’s Gospel, the evangelist will constantly link his/her narratives to Jewish feasts such Passover, as part of a figurative narrative genre. We get the impression we need to understand the Gospel in the context of Mosaic customs (1:17, 45), Jewish feasts such as Passover, purification terms like “baptize with water” (1:26) and Exodus symbols such as, manna, desert water, and the term “Lamb of God” (1:36).

 

In Chapter 2, we find the word water used in the context of purification medium during the wedding feast at Cana.  C. K. Barrett points out that John’s Gospel deals with water both as a purification term and as a term for satisfaction of thirst.  Barrett goes on to say when the evangelist uses the term blood, as in 1:29 and 6:53, it will be used in a similar way both for cleansing and drink.[9]

 

The Cana wedding occurs near the first Passover (2:13) of Jesus’ public ministry.  Jesus changes water to wine three days into His ministry at request of His mother.  Jesus’ mother will not be mentioned again until Jesus third and final Passover celebration.  All seven of Jesus’ miracles depicted in John occur near a major Jewish feast.  Water is mentioned as present for the wedding in great abundance.  The water is contained in six large stone jars prescribed for Jewish ceremonial washings (2:6). The number six represents incompleteness in Hebrew Scriptures.   Jesus tells the steward to fill the jars to the brim with water.  He then miraculously turns the water to wine, a wine better than that provided by the bridegroom.  The six jars of purification water are replaced with libation spirits.

 

The irony present within the Cana inclusio is that Nicodemus, a highly esteemed Jewish teacher, misunderstands Jesus is God’s living water.  Nicodemus is darkened by the night and cannot see that he must be cleansed by Jesus’ spirit, he must be born anew with Jesus’ living water, water brought down from God’s Kingdom, as foretold by Isaiah (32:15, 44:3, 55:1, 58:11, 14, 62:4-5), Ezekiel (47:1-12), Zechariah (12:10, 14:8,16-19) and as foretold by the water that sprang from Moses’ desert rock (Exod. 17:5-6). Nicodemus does not understand he must not only be born of physical blood, but of spiritual blood as well, in order to become a child of God (1:13).  In contrast to the Nicodemus “character” of Chapter 3, a lowly esteemed Samaritan woman and a non-Jewish royal official’s son, both appearing in Chapter 4, are given new life, new baptism, washed pure, by Jesus’ gift of living water and living spirit. The royal official’s son is raised to new life at the seventh hour.  The miracle is identified as Jesus’ second numbered miracle (4:46-54) closing the “Cana” inclusio.

 

The number seven in Jewish Scripture represents completeness.  The six Jars of water at Cana (2:6), and the six men the Samaritan woman lived with before she met Jesus (4:18) both represent incompleteness. When Jesus tells the Samaritan woman she has had five husbands and the one with her now is not her husband (4:18), Jesus becomes her seventh and fulfilling bridegroom.[10]  Jesus is being connected to Yahweh, the bridegroom of ancient Israel (Samaria.)  When the Samaritan woman leaves her jar of water behind, the seventh water jar of the “Cana” inclusio, Jesus again is marked as the fulfilling bridegroom.  The Samaritan woman leaves the seventh of water behind and runs to tell the people of her city about Jesus (4:28-29), the possible true living water and true fulfilling Deuteronomic prophet-like-Moses promised in Hebrew Scriptures.

 

The story of the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well “over flows” with water symbolism.  First, Jesus asks the women for a drink of water because he thirsts.  In return, she identifies Jesus as someone special, a Jew who speaks to Samaritans (4:9) and a Samaritan woman at that.  Jesus returns the recognition with an offer of living water (4:10).  The Samaritan woman does not believe Jesus can give her this living water (4:11) because he has no jar to draw the water into. The Samaritan woman, beginning to understand, asks if Jesus is greater than Jacob, who gave them living water from the well. Jesus, as he did with Nicodemus when he failed to understand the meaning of his words, explains that He gives the real living water.  “Everyone who drinks this water will never be thirsty again…The water I give will become a fountain leaping up to eternal life” (4:13).  Unlike Nicodemus, who came in the dark of night to Jesus, the Samaritan woman comes at midday and seems to believe.  Unlike Nicodemus, she asks Jesus to give her this “living water” (4:15).  

 

If we look ahead to all seven of Jesus’ miracles, it seems the evangelist is connecting Jesus’ first miracle to his last “completing” work in Chapter 19, like another bookend, another inclusio.  Within the new inclusio of Chapters 2 and 19, we find six signs, rather than jars as in the last inclusio, pointing to Jesus’ seventh  “fulfilling” work.  In Chapter 19, Jesus drinks poor tasting wine, not like the good wine of Cana, just before pouring out water from his side. And like the seventh and fulfilling “jar” of our first inclusio, a “seventh” jar or bowl of wine appears in Chapter 19 just before Jesus pours out living water.   

 

Interestingly, all seven miracles that Jesus performs will use water, replace water, or ironically not need water.  In many cases, the water seems to be a means of “purifying” the object of his healing.  John’s Gospel will often use symbols such as baptism or water purification that ironically point to a theme that Jesus replaces Jewish purification customs, especially purification water.

 

Let us now examine the part water plays or does not play in the remaining five miracles of John’s Gospel.  The remaining five miracles are not explicitly numbered like the first two miracles of 2:11 and 4:54.  The next Jesus miracle all agree on is the healing of a lame man, on a Jewish feast, by a water pool in Bethzatha (5:1-2).  In Jesus’ third miracle, the  healing is called a work unlike the other miracles which are called signs.  In this miracle, a lame man, sick for 38 years like the Exodus Israelites wondered in the desert, is cured without getting into moving water (5:4-5).  Ironically, Jesus heals the man, against Jewish Law, on a Sabbath, without any moving water from the healing pool, demonstrating Jesus’ replacement of Mosaic Law and water purification.

 

In Jesus’ next miracle, his fourth, He turns five barley loaves and a couple of fish into nourishment for 5000 people (6:9-10) telling the crowd “no one who believes in me shall ever thirst” (6:35).  Like the manna in Moses’ desert and the water from Moses’ rock, Jesus is God’s real nourishment to everlasting life (6:32).

 

The nature of Jesus’ fifth miracle is disputed by commentators of John’s Gospel.  Most readers count Jesus’ walking on water as his next miracle.  However Joseph A. Grassi[11] wrote a wonderful exegesis that suggests seven miracles in John but does not site the walking on water as a separate miracle.  I agree with Grassi that Jesus fourth miracle, the multiplication of nourishment miracle, is a miracle narrative that spans both Chapters 6 and 7.  

 

The seven miracle sequence identified by Grassi wonderfully forms a literary chiasm whose inverted symmetry “over flows” with symbolism.  Like the other literary devises used by the author of John, discovery of a seven miracle chiastic structure adds meaning to the Gospel and better fits the Gospel’s overall literary beauty.

 

The chiasm of miracles are as numbered below.  I have marked three of the miracles in boldface representing a sub triplet or “sandwich’ of my own identification.  Miracles one and seven form an inclusio of six and one just like the inclusio contain within miracles one and two.  Miracle one (A, water to wine) and miracle  seven (A’, water and blood to Spirit) cap the entire Gospel placing Jesus’ fourth nourishment miracle at the center of the Gospel.  Interestingly, all seven miracles use water, replace water, or ironically not need water

 

1. A – Near Passover #1, at the joy of his mother, the pouring of “good” wine from 6 jars of purification water (2:1-22).
2. B - the raising of the royal official’s son (4:46-54) without the use of water.
3. C - The Sabbath healing of a sick man near the stirring waters of Jerusalem’s Sheep Pool (5:1-16).  This is the only miracle of the first six not explicitly called a sign.  It is instead referred to as a work (5:17, 5:20, 5:36).
4. D – Near Passover #2, the eating and drinking command that multiplied Jesus’ flesh and blood to the nourishment of eternal life.
5. C’ - The Sabbath healing of the blind man with washing water from Jerusalem’s pool of Siloam (9:1-41)
6. B’ - The raising of Lazarus without the use of water (11:1-41),
7.  A’ - During Passover #3, in the presence his grieving mother, the pouring out of life giving water and blood from Jesus’ side, now purifying Spirit (19:32-34), making us children of God, to those who would receive it.  This seventh completing “work” fulfills the incomplete six previous “signs.”

 

The fourth miracle within the literary structure becomes the central focus of Jesus’ ministry.  Ironically, the miracle that is at the center of John’s Gospel causes many to leave Jesus (6:60-66).  They could not believe that Jesus’ flesh, blood and water was to be eaten/drank as spiritual nourishment.  They could not believe that they must eat Jesus’ flesh and drink His blood/water to become children of God.  Like Nicodemus, they could not understand the link between Jesus’ physical water, blood and flesh and Jesus as spiritual nourishment to everlasting life. 

 

Closely tied to Jesus’ middle or fourth (D) miracle is Jesus’ walking on water episode (6:16-21).  The author of John sandwiches the walking on water episode between Jesus’ multiplying of bread and fish episode (6:9-14) and Jesus’ long discourse on the meaning of the multiplication miracle (6:26-40).  Here John uses another form of literary sandwich.  In this form of sandwich, often used in the Gospel of Mark, the author inserts a new story between the two ends of a main story thus giving the main story “relief.”  In Chapter 5 of Mark’s Gospel, the healing of Jarius’ daughter (Mark 5:21-24) is similarly interrupted by a second miracle story about a hemorrhaging woman (Mk 5:25-34).  The healing of Jarius’ daughter is then continued and finished in Mark 5:35-43.  I believe the story of the walking on water section of chapter gives relief to the entire multiplication of nourishment narrative.

 

The walking on water should not be counted as a separate miracle.  The episode was not public but performed only in front of his disciples.  Jesus did not heal or restore life to anyone.   The event demonstrated Jesus had power Moses only hinted at in the desert. Jesus’ power was far greater than Moses power over both bread and water. In fact, Jesus soon demonstrates He has the power to give His water, His flesh, His blood, and His Spirit as everlasting nourishment, everlasting life to all who would receive Him, not just the 5000 gathered in Galilee that day.  The location of Galilee in Chapter 6 flows to those in Jerusalem in Chapter 7.   The multiplication of nourishment narrative, and associated miracle, flows down the Jordan river connecting chapter 6 to chapter 7. 

 

Jesus words in Chapter 7, “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink,” closely ties the “drinking Jesus” references of 6:53 and 6:55 with the overall miracle that “eating and drinking Jesus” is the living nourishment to eternal life.   The reference to water in Chapter 7 is the central and most important reference to water in the entire Gospel.  However its central focus is only understood with the completing reference to water that flowed from Jesus side as He came into “Glory” and crowned “King” during Jesus’ “hour” in Chapter 19.

 

 Wai-Yee Ng, in her book on water symbolism in John, says it is hard to overstate the significance of 7:37-39 in the use of water symbolism.  She says water is given as “the Spirit” at Jesus’ glorification.  She says the juxtaposition of “water” and “spirit” in 3:5 with Jesus subsequent promise of the Spirit in Chapters 14 to 16 is the prime reference of water as Jesus’ Spirit.[12]

 

Chapter 7 is set within the context of the Jewish feast of Booths, sometimes called the feast of Tabernacles.  In order to understand this Jewish “water” feast, one must again look to Hebrew Scripture sources for complete understanding.  In Francis Moloney commentary on John 7, Tabernacles was the most popular of the three Jewish pilgrimage feasts.  Tabernacles represented the tent experience of the Israelites in the Exodus desert.  After seven days of celebration, an eighth day, perhaps the great day, was day of celebration in itself.  The association of water within the celebration linked the feast to the gift of rain mentioned in Chapter 14 of Zechariah.[13]

 

The feast of Booths was a festival that recognized the human need for water.  Each day during the weeklong celebration, water and wine was drawn and poured out on the altar of the temple.  The water symbol within the festival was connected to future hopes for the redemption of Israel, when streams of water would flow out of Jerusalem.[14]   Larry Paul Jones[15] says the water poured on the altar was indicative of the temple being a cleansing fountain of water for the faithful.  Interestingly, the water was drawn from the pool of Siloam, the same pool where Jesus healed the blind man (miracle five).  Both water and wine were poured into vessels on the altar with both the water and wine allowed to over flow out of the vessels onto the altar and out to the people.[16]  On the seventh day of the feast, the procession around the altar was done seven times. 

 

On the last day of this feast, Jesus stood up and cried out “If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink.  Jesus said he who believes in me, as scripture has said, “Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water” (7:37-38).  Within the context of a Jewish feast marked by libations and the promise of a coming Messiah who will repeat the gift of water, Jesus presents himself as the source of living water.[17]

 

 In verse 7:39, the evangelist then adds a qualifying text explaining his/her meaning.  The verse reads: “Here he was referring to the Spirit, whom those that came to believe in him were to receive.  There was, of course, no Spirit as yet, since Jesus had not yet been glorified” (7:39).  Jesus had not yet been lifted up on the cross in glory.

 

When the people heard Jesus cry out, they said, “This is really the Prophet”. (7:40).  To that remark, the Pharisees said we do not believe in him, except for a Pharisee named Nicodemus who spoke up on Jesus’ behalf perhaps beginning to understand the meaning of Jesus’ Baptism by spirit in Chapter 3.  Unlike the Samaritan woman, Nicodemus does not ask Jesus for anything, but remains silent, only to be ridiculed by his fellow Jewish teachers (7:48-52).  Interestingly, in the next verses of Chapter 8, The Jews will accuse Jesus of being a Samaritan, echoing back to Chapter 4 where the Samaritan woman asked Jesus if he were greater that Jacob.  The evangelist connects the narrative of Chapter 8, about who Jesus is, to the narrative of Chapter 4.  In Chapter 8 Jesus’ declares He even is greater than Abraham (8:58).  Again, with the great irony that marks the entire Gospel of John, Nicodemus’ fellow Jewish scholars cannot comprehend what the lowly Samaritan woman seemed to grasp.

 

Putting aside Jesus’ fourth miracle and its position at the center of the chiasm let us compare the parallels between the two bookends of the chiasm.   In Chapter 2, at Cana,  Jesus’ mother appears eight verses before Jesus turns water in wine (2:1-9), when it was not Jesus’ “hour.”   His mother next appears during Jesus’ “hour,” eight verses (19:26-34) before Jesus pours out blood and water as Spirit on the cross.

 

In Jesus’ first miracle he provided good wine from six jars of purification water for the thirsty celebration at Cana.  In Jesus’ seventh miracle, He drinks sour wine (19:29-30) drawn from a “jar” on to a hyssop branch, after saying “I thirst” (19:28), and just before He miraculously pours out His Spirit, His water and His blood (19:34), as a final purification and gift of everlasting life. 

 

In Chapter 2, Jesus drives out the lambs from the temple (2:15) during Passover number one of the Gospel.  In Chapter 19, the flesh of Jesus’ temple, the “Lamb of God,” is slaughtered on the day of Preparation for Passover (19:31); Jesus’ third Passover.  The entire crucifixion scene echoes the killing of the Exodus Passover lamb where the lamb’s blood was smeared over doorways using a hyssop branch.  The flesh of the lamb was eaten granting freedom from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:3-27), to those who desired to receive freedom, to those who desired a new life with the living God. 

 

And when they got thirsty during the Exodus asking Moses to “Give them water to drink,” Moses struck the rock, and out of the rock poured water for the people to drink (Exodus 17:2-6).  Water flowed out of the rock in great abundance (Numbers 20:8-11) as a libation to new life.  In Jesus seventh and crowning work, a sign ”King of the Jews” appears above the cross as he pours out a libation, to those who desire to celebrate life in Jesus heavenly Kingdom, to those who would feast on the flesh of God’s Lamb, to those who would drink the abundant Spirit of God’s Bridegroom. 

 

Comparing the parallels of Jesus’ second (B) and sixth miracle (B’), both use water from a famous Jerusalem pool to heal.  In this Gospel water is sometimes used to heal or purify the object of healing.  Ironically, the Gospel is about water replaced as a Jewish purification medium.  In the next two parallel chiastic miracles water is replaced. Miracles three (C) and five (C’) both miracles involve raising death to life without the use of healing water.  Jesus not only restores the life of strangers, the non-Jewish royal official’s son (C),  He also demonstrates inclusively, as he with the Samaritan woman, by restoring the life of a very close friend, Lazarus (C’).  

 

After Chapters 6 and 7, but before Chapter 19, water does not appear significantly except in Chapter 13. The feet washing episode of chapter 13 is not part of Jesus’ seven miracles but the episode adds to the water purification replacement motif that spans the entire gospel.   More importantly, the foot-washing story is highly significant in understanding the evangelist’s use of figurative narrative.  The story connects for us Jesus’ six “incomplete” miracles with His completing work, at least in terms of how His disciples came to understand the meaning of Jesus works in their entirety.   Jesus washes the feet of the disciples but tells them they would not understand until afterward (13:7).  As He washes their feet, He reminds His disciples that His “hour” of glory is now at hand when their true Passover purification is accomplished for the receiving.  Reflecting back to Jesus words of 7:39, Jesus tells his disciples, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives any one whom I send receives me; and he who receives me, receives him who sent me.” 

 

The full meaning of Jesus “works” including His six preparation miracles would not be clear to his disciples until His resurrection in chapter 20.  The great import of Jesus’ words in Chapter 7 only became clear with His command “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you - Receive the Holy Spirit” (20:21). 

 

 Jesus’ disciples would not come to fully understand until after Jesus’ “hour” had passed. They would not understand, until later, why Jesus was killed on the day of Preparation of the Passover (19:14); the day the Passover Lamb was killed.  It would not be clear to them, until later, why Jesus’ legs were not broken to hasten his death (Exod. 12:46) but instead his side pierced (Zech 12:10).  It would not be clear to them, until later, why Jesus drank sour wine from a hyssop branch and why out of his side flowed His blood and water and Spirit echoing scenes from Exodus.  The irony of the ‘king” sign placed above Jesus’ cross would not be clear to them until the  resurrection glory dawned three days later.  Only later, would it be clear to them the meaning of 19:34 and Jesus’ water as symbol of Jesus’ Spirit, and His blood, as symbol of Jesus’ Life-giving death.[18] 

 

Some of Jesus’ disciples, people like His mother, with him at Cana three days into his public ministry, would not understand the full meaning of Jesus’ “hour” until three days after Jesus’ public ministry ended.  They would not understand until after they had looked on the one who was pierced (Zechariah 12.10).  Thomas would not understand until he asked Jesus to put his fingers into the side where blood and water had poured forth (20:25-29).  In Ezekiel 47:1-11, life-giving water flowed from the temple, the very center, and the navel of Jerusalem.[19]

 

Chapter 20 closes telling us these things were written that you might believe and that you may have life in Jesus the Christ (20:31).   Truly, truly, just as Jesus sent his disciples out to bring the living water to us, so are we to bring this living water to others (7:38), just as the Samaritan woman did.  If we open our hearts to belief, like the Samaritan woman, in the open daylight, where all can see, then Jesus’ Spirit will flow through us like a river of living water. 

 

In this Gospel, we learn we must not come to Jesus in the night as Nicodemus did, but must open our eyes and hearts to Jesus’ Spirit in a way that Nicodemus seemed unable.  We must see Jesus’ Spirit, His blood, His water, as baptism to becoming children of God.  We must allow Jesus’ “living water” to flow through us and out to our neighbor.  We must open our eyes to see Jesus as the “Lamb of God” whose flesh replaces The Passover Lamb, whose words fulfill the Hebrew Scriptures of Moses and Abraham, whose water replaces all former purification rites, and whose Exodus signs lead us out of a desert of death into thirst free everlasting life. 

 

End of Part 1

 

A Reflection for Catholics – Essay Discourse – Part 2

            In closing this essay, I would like to switch from exegesis to hermeneutics.  I would like to connect the images from the above essay, particularly the image of living water flowing from Jesus’ heart (or side, or naval) in John 19:34 to my present day place of worship as a Catholic.  I want to reflect on Jesus’ hour when living water flowed from his side baptizing me with His Spirit from above so I could be born again of both water and Spirit.  I want to reflect on how we are all called, today, to be conduits of Jesus living water, if we receive Him, and if we then allow that Spirit to pour out of our hearts into those who would receive Him.

 

I believe the Catholic Mass wonderfully gives us a worship place that helps us realize the image of Jesus as a river of living water.  The Mass recreates Jesus as “ a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The Mass, via the Eucharist, recreates Jesus as Passover lamb and the water and wine of Tabernacles.  The Mass recreates Jesus’ hour of glory where His Spirit flows once again from our altars into the hearts of those who chose to receive Him. The Mass fills our jars with “living water” that can be carried into the thirsty neighborhoods that surround us.

 

I have a favorite symbol/model that I have used in my CCD teaching which helps me, and hopefully my students, better see Jesus as a river of living water during the Mass.  I the symbol, or model, was inspired by the “living water” verses of John’s Gospel.  The model is made out of plastic pipe, plastic conduit, meant to transfer water from one place to the next.   We no longer need jars like the Samaritan women needed.  The conduits represent how we can be conduits of Jesus’ “living water” bringing eternal life to those around us who would receive Him (7:38) like the Samaritan woman did 2000 years ago.

 

Figure 1 and 2 are photos of the symbol I used as my teaching devise, a teaching device just like the author of John used literary techniques to convey his message and just like the evangelist of the Fourth Gospel used water as a symbol to represent Jesus as God’s Spirit of living nourishment.

 

Figure 1

 

Figure 2

 

I begin my teaching by placing five plastic conduits on a stand like shown in Figure 1.  The stand represents the altar at Mass with us, the pipes, gathered around.  The five colors of each pipe represent the five ways Jesus is made present to us as “living water” during the “hour” long Catholic worship service called Mass.  The number five has multiple meanings. Their are five different colors to suggest each of us is a unique color of a rainbow; rainbow colors we see during a rain shower.  Each pipe is made of five separate plastic parts and can have different diameters. 

 

Thomas Keating, in his book, “The Mystery of Christ”, mentions five ways Jesus becomes progressively present to us in the Catholic Mass.  Although there are more than 5 colors in a rainbow, I use five because of Father Keating's analogy.  In Keating’s metaphor five steps, which I will call stages, illustrate how Jesus becomes more and more “present” to us as “living water” in the Catholic Mass.  In the last and fifth step we become the “living water” of John’s Gospel flowing out to our neighbors…. if we allow Jesus’ Spirit to pass through our hearts to others.

 

Keating’s progressive “presence” analogy goes as follows.   The first step, represented as stage one by my red pipe, Jesus becomes initially as “two or more” people gather together, in Jesus’ name, in the pews of our Churches.  The orange pipe represents the second stage of the Mass, the “Liturgy of the Word.”  The scripture readings tell us how Jesus replaces Moses, all the Prophets, Jewish purification rites, and Exodus Passover. The yellow pipe depicts the third stage, called the Consecration, when the Priest calls down Jesus’ Spirit like a “fountain of all holiness.”   In this stage, the gifts of bread, wine, and water become Jesus’ actual Flesh, Blood and Spirit, a concept that still divides followers of Jesus as it did in Chapter 6 of John.  Next, the green colored pipe symbolizes the fourth and most important stage.  In this step we invite Jesus into our hearts.  In this step Jesus flows into our hearts like rivers of water flowing from our altars, if we receive Him.  With stage 4 the formal “Liturgy of the Eucharist” stops unless we do as Chapter 7 of John’s Gospel portends. 

 

The blue colored pipe represents the fifth stage where our hearts become conduits of Jesus’ presence in the world.  In the last step, Jesus’ becomes present to our neighbor as living water, through our testimony.   When we exit the church after Mass, we carry Jesus’ “living water” into the world just like he commanded his disciples to do.  We become jars of living water “over flowing” their brims carrying Jesus’ Spirit into our neighborhoods in unmeasured abundance.

 

In Figure 2, the five sections of the plastic pipe illustrate the special significance of each piece.  Notice that the pipe has two sections connected by a 90-degree elbow.  The elbow represents the connection of the horizontal to the vertical, the physical world to the spiritual realm.  Note in Figure 1, that the pipes can have different diameters representing each individuals capacity to carry water.    The pipes have two caps, one cap leading to the spiritual realm and one cap leading out to our neighbor’s physical world. 

 

The individual pipes reminds each person, within the church of Jesus Christ, that they can continuously choose to be a conduit of Jesus’ living water.  The caps represent our free will.  We should never choose to put the cap on our conduit outtake because the living water would stop being living, it would stop flowing.  Nor should we put the cap on our conduit intakes rejecting Jesus as the true living water the way the Pharisees did.   The pipe diameter reminds us the more we open our hearts (conduits) to Jesus’ rivers of living water, the bigger our pipes will grow in size and capacity. 

 

Thanks to the evangelist who wrote the Gospel of John, we can help the world to never thirst again.  The Mass, each time we experience this worship service, can helps us see Jesus as “Living Water” for a very thirsty world.  Chapter 7 of John’s Gospel comes alive, not only on the altars of Jerusalem and Mt Gerizum, but in the altars of our churches, a place we now all worship God in spirit and truth, a place we now can remember that the temple they thought they destroyed 2000 years ago is alive and flowing today.