This passage contains two main elements. The first is the division among the people about who Jesus is, and the second is Jesus' promise of living water.
Division over who Jesus is
Division over who Jesus is
Why was there confusion? Perhaps the main reason is that Jesus had clearly performed miracles, thus indicating that He was someone special from God, yet His human family was also clearly known. He was the son of a carpenter from Galilee. However, it seems that they did not know about His place of birth, Bethlehem (v42).
The attitude of the religious authorities also engendered confusion. They were opposed to Jesus (because they felt threatened) and some knew they wanted to kill Him. Yet here He was out in the open and they were not arresting Him. They finally tried to do something when they realised the effect their inaction was having among the people, but they found they could not do anything. It was God who was in control, not men.
In response to this Jesus said yes they did no His human family, but they did not know His Father. If we want to understand Jesus it is not enough to treat Him just as a normal humna being. Yes He is fully human, but He is also from God. Jesus was with God from the very beginning, was sent by Him, and came to do God's work. Only when we take Jesus on these terms will we fully understand Him.
Jesus also told them He was going away. He was referring to his death and ascension to heaven, but the people again (and not surprisingly) did not understand Him.
The attitude of the religious authorities also engendered confusion. They were opposed to Jesus (because they felt threatened) and some knew they wanted to kill Him. Yet here He was out in the open and they were not arresting Him. They finally tried to do something when they realised the effect their inaction was having among the people, but they found they could not do anything. It was God who was in control, not men.
In response to this Jesus said yes they did no His human family, but they did not know His Father. If we want to understand Jesus it is not enough to treat Him just as a normal humna being. Yes He is fully human, but He is also from God. Jesus was with God from the very beginning, was sent by Him, and came to do God's work. Only when we take Jesus on these terms will we fully understand Him.
Jesus also told them He was going away. He was referring to his death and ascension to heaven, but the people again (and not surprisingly) did not understand Him.
Living Water
Water played an important part in the Feast of Tabernacles, hence the poignancy of Jesus' references to living water. Jesus was claiming that He, not their religious festivals, were the source of life. Many people went to the religious festivals because they were thirsty for something, Jesus tells them that He is the one who can meet their need. In fact if they believe in Him living water will flow from within them. This is consistent with what Jesus told the woman at the well.
In the midst of disputes and controversy Jesus spoke life-giving truth. Sometimes we can experience confusion in our lives. In the midst of it we should look to the Lord and see what He is saying.
Thank you.
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