Reading the above excerpt from the Gospel according to St. John, I find myself having to stop and put myself in the shoes of the crowd. Our passage finds us on the last day of the Feast of Booths – a popular feast that drew multitudes to the Temple. On the final and most significant day of the feast – before the crowd spirals into a tornado of confusion – Jesus stands up and cries out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me... ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-39)

For a moment, this declaration suspends the flow of activity, and the crowd wrestles with the question of who exactly Jesus is. Some say that he is the Christ – the Anointed One. Others say that Jesus is “the Prophet” like Moses. While others seemingly ignore the question all together and seek to arrest Jesus.

This passage uniquely conveys the importance of doing the leg work to discern who Jesus is. Like the crowd in this passage, many people today don’t know what to make of Jesus. Some would contend that he was a good person; some would go further and affirm that Jesus was a miracle worker and prophet; others may submit to him as Lord and Savior; while others resent his existence, or are simply indifferent (not hostile, just indifferent).

By invoking the Holy Spirit, we can begin to exercise our own discernment in exploring the claims and life of Jesus. Our Epistle Reading last Sunday taught us that Jesus is "the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:3)

Let us do that blessed legwork to truly uncover who Jesus is in our lives. As C.S. Lewis famously proposed in his 'Trilemma,' Christ was either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord(!) What does that means for how we live our lives? For how we love God and our neighbor, and understand the work that God is calling us to do? In addressing these questions, we can truly come to Jesus and drink the living water!

Faithfully yours,

Zacher