The Gospel of John: John 7.37-52

Read and meditate on John 7.39.
Jesus points beyond Himself to the coming of the Spirit. But the Spirit points us to Jesus, Who points us to Father. No wonder Jesus and the Father have sent the Spirit to us!

                                                                              ³⁹He
was speaking of the Spirit, Who would be
bestowed on those who would believe in Him;
because the Holy Spirit was not given
as yet, since Jesus was not glorified.

- John 7.39

Reflect
1.  Why do you suppose Jesus used this occasion to point toward the Spirit?Complete this prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the gift of Your Spirit, Who is at work in me to…

2.  Jesus here returned to a theme He broached in John 4.13, 14, 24. He insisted that He was the well of Isaiah 12, the Fount of every blessing. Meditate on Isaiah 12.1-6. What do we learn about the Gospel from this passage? Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Your praise, and my life to…

3.  Why is “Living Water” such an apt way of thinking about the Spirit? Lord, let Your Living Water well up today in me, so that I…

4.  Remember John’s emphasis on the glory of Jesus. Here he comments that the Spirit would not come until after Jesus was glorified. To what is John pointing us here? How is Jesus glorified in that? Lord, if this is Your glory, then the glory You want to show through me must be…

5.  To whom is the Spirit given? Meditate on Galatians 4.6. Which comes first, the grace to believe, or the faith to receive the Spirit? Explain. Bring together into one prayer the prayers you wrote from questions 1-4.

Summary
“This … is not a trivial matter when we read that a river goes forth from the throne of God. For you read the words of the Evangelist John that speaks to this: ‘And he showed me a river of living water, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of the street and on either side was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of all nations.’ This is certainly the river proceeding from the throne of God, that is, the Holy Spirit, whom he drinks who believes in Christ, as Christ himself says: ‘If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes on me, as the Scripture says, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this he spoke of the Spirit.’ Therefore the river is the Spirit. This, then, is in the throne of God, for the water does not wash the throne of God.… And what wonder is it if the Holy Spirit is the throne of God, since the kingdom of God itself is the work of the Holy Spirit.” Ambrose of Milan (333-397 AD)

The Spirit of God is Promise of salvation, the Bringer of salvation, and the Substance of salvation. Explain.

Closing Prayer
You hide Your face, they are troubled;
You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the earth.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
May the LORD rejoice in His works.
He looks on the earth, and it trembles;
He touches the hills, and they smoke.
I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
May my meditation be sweet to Him;
I will be glad in the Lord.

Psalm 104.29-34

Psalm 104.24-3 (Creation: Exalt the Lord, His Praise Proclaim)
How many are Your works, O Lord,
Which You have created by Your Word!
The earth and sea with creatures teem –
They look to You to care and feed.
You give to them, they gather all;
You hide Your face, they fail and fall.
You take their breath, they gasp and die;
You send Your Spirit, they revive.

Lord, let Your glory long endure;
Rejoice! His works are ever sure!
He looks on earth, it quails and quakes,
As we our songs of praises make.
Lord, let our meditation rise
And bring great pleasure in Your eyes.
Consumed shall sinners ever be –
O, bless and praise the Lord with me!

T. M. Moore

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Jesus is the Centerpiece of all Scripture, as He Himself explained (Jn. 5.39). But how can we learn to see Him there? How do the primary themes of Scripture revolve around Jesus? Our online course, Introduction to Biblical Theology, shows you how best to get at, get into, and get with the Word of God, so that you can grow more consistently in the Lord. It’s free, and you can study at your own pace. For more information or to register, click here.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series IV a and b: John, edited by Joel C. Elowsky, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Verse translation of John by T. M. Moore.