Last week we learned of Jesus being at the Feast of Booths. (John 7:10) He started preaching at the temple and the people marveled at what He was telling them, they then started to wonder at where this simple carpenter, whom they knew, where did He receive His knowledge? (v. 15) Jesus told them “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.” (v. 16) He ended His answer to them with this: “Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” (v. 19)
This did not sit well with those He was teaching. They prided themselves with claiming Moses and Abraham as their fathers and when they were told that they don’t follow the law that was given to them, they got mad at He who would call out their sins to them. So they shouted out “You have a demon!” This was the claim of the Pharisees and is mentioned in Matthew 9:34, Matthew 12:24, Mark 3:22 and Luke 11:15. It is also pretty much at this point when Jesus stopped teaching in anything but parables. After the telling of the parable of the seed and the soils, His disciples asked Him why He taught like that. Christ answered them: “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (Matthew 13:10-17)
Jesus taught in parables, not to explain spiritual truths to the crowds, but to keep spiritual truths from the crowds. Lest we doubt or misunderstand Christ’s answer here, Jesus noted that the veiling of spiritual truths from the unbelieving crowds is actually a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy given at Isa. 6:9–10. Note Luke’s account of this narrative, as he refers to Jesus’ citation of Isa. 6:9, and writes,
And Jesus said to the disciples, ‘To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, so that, “Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand”’ (Luke 8:10; cf. Mark 4:11–12).
Jesus was fulfilling a prophecy by telling parables, for He knew the hearts of men and their unbelief. Back to the lesson, all of this caused people to grumble, some against and some for Christ. (vv. 30-31) All this grumbling caught the attention of the Pharisees and they sent their temple police to arrest Jesus. Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” (vv. 33-34) And this last statement caused them to wonder: “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? (vv. 35-36)
Jesus, on the last day of the feast, which the scripture states it was a “great day,” stood up and cried out “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” When the bible states that He cried out, it does mean that He did this in a loud voice. He wanted them, all of them, to hear what He said. Jesus is appealing to them, yet again. And to us.
From Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary: “On the last day of the feast of tabernacles, the Jews drew water and poured it out before the Lord. It is supposed that Christ alluded to this. If any man desires to be truly and forever happy, let him apply to Christ, and be ruled by him. This thirst means strong desires after spiritual blessings, which nothing else can satisfy; so the sanctifying and comforting influences of the Holy Spirit, were intended by the waters which Jesus called on them to come to Him and drink. The comfort flows plentifully and constantly as a river; strong as a stream to bear down the opposition of doubts and fears. There is a fullness in Christ, of grace for grace. The Spirit dwelling and working in believers, is as a fountain of living, running water, out of which plentiful streams flow, cooling and cleansing as water. The miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit we do not expect, but for his more common and more valuable influences we may apply. These streams have flowed from our glorified Redeemer, down to this age, and to the remote corners of the earth. May we be anxious to make them known to others.”
Christ’s time was growing short and even though He knew their hearts, He was calling to them, put away their sin and follow Him with a true heart. He offers a comfort that flows plentifully and constantly as a river; strong as a stream to bear down the opposition of doubts and fears. It is a message that we should heed today, with all that 2020 and now 2021 has brought to us. He was here in this world as the Son of Man for a limited time, but now that limited time is ours. You may think that you’ve got time, time to enjoy life and you’ll have time to get right with God. Let me remind you of Luke 12:20: “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” When will your life be required of you? The time of salvation is NOW! Seek God while He may be found. (Isaiah 55:6)
If you think “I’m good with God,” I think maybe you better examine that belief, if all you want to do is listen to the word, with no fruit of the spirit. Christ said “Take up your cross and follow Me” which means being willing to die in order to follow Jesus. This is called “dying to self.” It’s a call to absolute surrender. After each time Jesus commanded cross bearing, He said, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:24-25). Although the call is tough, the reward is matchless.
In Luke 9:57-62, three people seemed willing to follow Jesus. When Jesus questioned them further, their commitment was half-hearted at best. They failed to count the cost of following Him. None was willing to take up his cross and crucify upon it his own interests. How about you? Are your interests in your salvation, half hearted at best? Examine yourself and “Get right with God.” You’ve got no time to lose!