那不勒斯足球俱乐部

Jesus uses the phrase living water in two instances in the Bible. The first is in John 4. Jesus and His disciples had traveled into Samaria. Jesus was tired and sat at a well while His disciples went into a nearby town to buy food. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus asked her for a drink (verse 7). The Samaritan woman was quite shocked because Jesus was a Jew, and Jews and Samaritans had a long history of mutual animosity. She naturally asked Him why He was speaking to her, since He was Jewish.


Jesus ignored the question and went right to the point: 鈥淚f you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water鈥� (John 4:10). Notice that He does not say that He is the living water, but that He would give living water to her. It would be His gift to her, and when she received it, she would never thirst again. Of course, Jesus was speaking of a spiritual truth, whereas the woman鈥檚 thoughts were fixed on physical water, the type that could only be procured with a bucket down a well. But, as the conversation progressed, the woman began to understand what Jesus was saying to her about the living water.

The other passage of Scripture where Jesus speaks of 鈥渓iving water鈥� is in John 7. In that context, Jesus is in the temple for the Feast of Booths (or Feast of Tabernacles). One feature of that feast was the pouring out of water at the base of the altar for seven days. On the eighth day, the ritual was suspended—no water was poured. It was then that Jesus made a very public, very dramatic offer: John鈥檚 note that Jesus 鈥渨as speaking of the Spirit鈥� (John 7:39) is key to understanding the meaning of the 鈥渓iving water.鈥�

The living water is the Holy Spirit. Jesus extended the offer to everyone (鈥渁nyone鈥� in John 7:37 and 鈥渨hoever鈥� in verse 38). The requirement for salvation was faith in Christ (verses 38 and 39). The result of salvation would be the gift of the Holy Spirit (verse 39), likened unto 鈥渞ivers of living water鈥� (verse 38). Jesus repeats the promise of the Spirit to His disciples in John 16:7–15. The Spirit is always involved in salvation (John 3:5–8), but the time of the permanent indwelling of the Spirit would have to wait until 鈥渓ater,鈥� when Jesus had ascended back to glory (John 7:39).

The picture of the Spirit as 鈥渓iving water鈥� leads us to the following conclusions:

• The Spirit gives life. Just as water refreshes and revitalizes a thirsty person, so the Spirit gives life to the believer, enabling God to produce fruit in his or her life. Just as, in Moses鈥� time, the water in the desert kept the Israelites alive, so the Spirit enlivens the followers of Christ (and, according to 1 Corinthians 10:4, the rock providing the water was a picture of Christ).

• The Spirit is active. He is living water, as opposed to still, standing, or stagnant water. He is an artesian well, 鈥渁 spring of water welling up to eternal life,鈥� in John 4:14. He is a flowing river of water in John 7:38.

• Believers are channels for the Spirit鈥檚 work. At the well in Samaria, Jesus said the water would be 鈥渋n them鈥� to well up and overflow (John 4:14). During the Feast of Booths, Jesus said the water would 鈥渇low from within them鈥� (John 7:38). The Spirit gives gifts, and the believer 鈥渟hall receive spiritual blessings, or communications of divine grace, in so great an abundance, that he shall not only be refreshed and comforted himself, but shall be instrumental in refreshing and comforting others鈥� (Benson, J., Benson Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, 1857). This is exactly what we see in John 4, as the Samaritan woman, 鈥渓eaving her water jar, . . . went back to the town鈥� and told everyone about Jesus the Messiah (verse 28).

Long ago, God told His people, Israel, not to fear, giving them this promise:
The Spirit, whom the Father likens unto water, was indeed poured out on all of those who put their faith in the Son. It鈥檚 just one of the many promises of God that are 鈥測es鈥� and 鈥渁men鈥� in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20).