Thursday after Epiphany: John 7:37-52

The Set-Up

The last day of the Feast of Tabernacles - a ritual where priests pour water out on the altar to pray for rain. 

And right in the middle of it, Jesus disrupts the ceremony: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.”

He refers to Living Waters, The Spirit, which flows out of us to hydrate the world.

The Temple guards won’t even arrest him: You know the system is crumbling when even the cops are mesmerized by the message.

The Pharisees respond by insulting the common people - “there is a curse on them” and then insist “no prophet comes out of Galilee.”

They are so blinded by their geo-snobbery that they miss the Messiah standing right in front of them.

The Takeaways

Disrupt the Ritual. 

If liturgy doesn't lead to Living Water, it's just performance art.

Trust Your Gut. 

The Spirit flows from our deep, internal, center. It’s instinctual, raw, and alive.

The "Mob" Knows. 

God speaks the language of the street.

Prejudice Blinds. 

The Pharisees missed God because they couldn't believe He'd show up in a "trashy" place like Galilee.

Authority is Voice, Not Force. 

The guards had weapons; Jesus had words. The words won.

The Good News

Jesus says the Living Water will flow "from within you." You don't have to go to the building, pay the fee, or get the priest's approval to access God. You are a carrier of the Divine flow. 

The Good News is that the "mob" - regular, thirsty, people - are the new temples of the Holy Spirit.

(Artwork - Living Water part 2 - Marisa Jean)