Living Water

Posted by Rev. Dr. Lance Giuffrida on 08/05/2008

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Jesus says to the Samaritan women, “If 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.” (NIV) There are two important background facts that are needed to fully grasp what is going on here.  First, rabbinic teaching was referred to as water that would fill the clay jars of those who learned.  The teaching was considered so precious that not one drop was to be lost.  Jesus is drawing upon this, and saying in effect, my teaching is of the highest quality and fully rabbinic in its content.  The second fact has to do with his use of the phrase “living water.” Living water flows and bubbles and cannot be contained.  This is not a rabbinic phrase.  Jesus is saying to her, “my teaching is unique and will fill you to the brim, and then overflow from you into the lives of others.”

Is this your experience?  Has the word of Christ so filled you, so fully satiated your thirst for answers that it bubbles up from within and overflows in praise to the living God?  Does Jesus, the Word of God, well up from within you like an effervescent stream?  I pray this is so.  I get so excited about the scriptures I could spend all my time studying them and sharing them with others.  God’s word is always new and exciting.  It is like an archaeological dig, an ancient repository of untold wealth.  Some of the riches are exposed and on the surface, easily found by anyone who just wanders by for a moment or two.  But most of the true wealth requires effort and time, a conscious digging and examination.  Sometimes we go for quite awhile before finding something new; but then, what excitement!

Some time ago I watched a special on the tombs of Egypt.  Three new tombs were opened in front of live cameras.  Everyone was excited as stones were removed and a variety of discoveries unveiled.  Can you imagine what it is like to pore through those ancient sites and discover new revelations from the past?  That is how I feel when I study scripture.  No matter how often I have walked the ground of a particular passage, God’s word always reveals new gems, new treasures and new revelations.  The wealth is there at your fingertips.  It is a wealth Jesus promises will fill you beyond imagining and overflow from you to others.  Drink deeply from this well. 

Fr. Lance

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Spiritual Growth