Aqua Vitae | Living water

"As the Scripture has said, out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water." - John 7:38

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Soli Deo Gloria

The passage of today evokes profound contemplation. For it is easy to feel identified in this passage. This passage mostly reflects upon the division of the people regarding what is the identity of Jesus. Some called Him a prophet. Some a Messiah. All based upon their preconceived notions of where the Messiah should have come from. Some see Him as a Prophet, due to Him being the Word incarnate. To them, it was impossible to arrest Him, for no one had ever spoken like Him ever before.

Although, of course, one could also debate that they did not arrest Him yet, for God had another timing for Him. That’s another point of the passage. Aside from the nature of Christ, aside from it, there is a key element in the passage that is the ‘Divine Timing’ of God.  “Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come.” This mostly mentions that Christ was acting under divine timing, according to the purposes of God. For the entirely of the chapter of John, a lot of emphasis is given upon time itself.

There is also another key point in the passage, which is the mention of “Living Water”: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and let the one who believes in me drink. As the Scripture has said, out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.” Which would be the first mention of the Holy Spirit. Although, there was no Spirit yet, because Jesus was not glorified yet. That is mainly why, from the passage, one can take a lot of it, and realize, that this could be applied in our lives.

There are many moments, many people, even us, who will still be divided upon the nature of Christ. Even more so, they do not know if to believe in Him, or not. That could also be said about us, about our doubts. We will find ourselves conflicted, upon our long spiritual journey, and just like the religious leaders, we can be confused as well. However, there are many people out there who also believed in Christ, who are open minded to consider His teachings. His Gospel.

There are many moments where we do not know how to apply His words. Perhaps, we won’t be able to explain them properly. For it is true, that our Lord is Divine. And we, as human beings, we’re limited in our understanding of Him. But by interacting with those who believe, and share our Faith, and accepting our limitations, we may be able to understand bit by bit, our Lord. The most key thing is to follow His steps, and in this way, even if our understanding is lacking, we can, by the Grace of the Holy Spirit, achieve a greater understanding. Even if it may seem difficult, we must try to be like Him. To be compassionate, humble, loving, and righteous. To be forgiving. 

Many will be like the Pharisees, but just like our Lord, we must remain steadfast in our belief. He held his convictions, while being understanding and compassionate even to those who disagreed. And in this way, by being Christlike in our love, and steadfast, we may be a referent of the Holy Word. An instrument of reconciliation and unity, in a divided world.

Reflection on John 7:25-53 by Cristobal Alvarez

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