Living Fountain

“To the apostles he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during 40 days, and speaking of the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3).

Can you imagine a more exciting time for Jesus’ disciples? He had suffered, died, was buried, rose from the dead, and now was teaching them the scriptures. Forty days of Jesus doing what he did on the road to Emmaus, “And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27); as well as to the ten shortly afterward in Jerusalem, “‘Everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms, must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures.” (Luke 24:44-45).

Can you imagine the excitement and privilege of sitting on a hill somewhere and listening to the risen Jesus opening up scripture and unpacking its meaning, interpreting the Old Testament and explaining the kingdom of God! Our hearts would burn, our minds would sizzle.

I suspect that one of the themes of Jesus’ pre-ascension teaching would be all about water, and how he fulfilled the many references to water in the psalms and such prophets as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Joel. Jesus must have had this in mind when he stood up in the crowded Temple and shouted, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me! Let anyone who believes in me come and drink!” (Luke 7:37-38).

Let’s take a look at all these fascinating references to water in scripture, and how Jesus Messiah fulfilled them. Remember to keep Jesus in mind as you read these words from the Word:

1. Isaiah 12:3. Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing from the spring of salvation.
2. Isaiah 55:1. Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters.
3. Isaiah 44:3-4. For I shall pour water on the thirsty soil and streams on the dry ground. I shall pour out my spirit on your descendants, my blessing on your offspring, and they will spring up among the grass, like willows on the banks of a stream.
4. John 7:38b. As scripture says, ‘From his heart shall flow streams of living water.’
5. Revelation 7:17. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water.
6. Isaiah 49:10. They will never hunger or thirst, scorching wind and sun will never plague them; for he who pities them will lead them, will guide them to springs of water.
7. Jeremiah 2:13. For my people have committed two crimes: they have abandoned me, the fountain of living water, and dug water-tanks for themselves, cracked water-tanks that hold no water.
8. Jeremiah 17:13. Those who turn from you will be registered in the underworld, since they have abandoned Yahweh, the fountain of living water.
9. Psalm 63:1. O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
10. Psalm 42:1-2. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
11. Revelation 22:1. Then the angel showed me the river of life, rising from the throne of God and of the Lamb, and flowing crystal-clear.
12. John 4:14. No one who drinks the water that I shall give him will ever be thirsty again; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water, welling up for eternal life.
13. Revelation 22:17. The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come!’ Let everyone who listens answer, ‘Come!’ Then let all who are thirsty come: All who want it may have the water of life and have it free.
14. Nehemiah 9:20. You gave them your good spirit to instruct them, you did not withhold your manna from their mouths, you gave them water for their thirst.
15. Joel 4:18. When the Day comes, the mountains will run with new wine and the hills will flow with milk, and all the stream-beds of Judah will run with water. A fountain will spring from Yahweh’s Temple.

Scriptures have made this as clear as a mountain stream. Jesus is the water source of life, life to the brim. Come and drink!