John 7.37 is probably one of my favorite verses. If you've ever been to my house, Aaron has seen I have a little rock garden in the back with a little waterfall and some goldfish. But on one of the rocks I have painted John 7.37. and I like to sit next to that pond and hear the water run and think about this verse and what it means. We're gonna start to dig into this a little further in Leviticus chapter 23, verses 39 through 43, and this is a description of the Feast of the Booths, or Sukkot, as the Jews call it today. Leviticus 23, 39, on the 15th day of the seventh month, when you had gathered in the produce of your land, you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees, and bows of leafy trees and willows of the brook. and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It's a statute forever throughout your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. There is a similar passage in Deuteronomy chapter 16 describing the same festival. Now there were three festivals a year that the Jews were required to go to Jerusalem to celebrate. Festival of the Booths, Festival of the Weeks, and Passover. Josephus says that at about the time of Christ, there were approximately two million Jews living in the surrounding area of Jerusalem. That's a lot of people traveling to this one central location at one time. Present day, the Jews still celebrate Festival of the Booths. They call it Sukkot. It's in the fall. This year it was in September. If you drive through Squirrel Hill, I believe there's also a Jewish population here in White Oak. I know there's a synagogue, but you might see a sukkah set up outside. It's a little, it looks like a hut. A lot of them now, they're using the pop-up canopies, and they take the canopy off the top, and they cover the top with branches. They're celebrating the Feast of the Booths, and they do that for eight days. They will put that outside. Some of the more adventurous Orthodox Jews will actually sleep out in Asuka depending on the weather, which is interesting because they're not allowed to completely cover the roof. You have to be able to lie in there and see the stars and see the heavens where God is. It's a reminder of their wandering in the desert and God providing for them. Now, most don't sleep in them. They will, as a family, have a meal. They'll sit out in the sukkah. Or some of the elderly people, they can't tolerate being out that, especially in September, depending on the weather. They might just go out and celebrate with a snack and a glass of wine, and then they come back in. Again, it's to remind them of the 40 years in the desert. One of the other things they do is they will, when they worship during those eight days, they will wave a bouquet of branches in the right hand. They call it a louvla. Three branches, myrtle, willow, and palm in the right hand. In the left hand, here they use usually a lemon. Technically, they're supposed to use what's called a citron, and it looks like a lemon, but it only grows in the Middle East. They're hard to get here. They are very, very specific about what types of branches. Even the citron. If you've seen a lemon, sometimes there's a little green leafy around the little nub on the end. That's a prized citron. That's what they want because that's a perfect citron. And to them, that represents what we see, the fruit of splendid trees. Now, as they celebrate Sukkot, they will take the branches in their right hand and the fruit in their left. They will wave them as they worship and as they sing. They sing what is called the Great Hallel, Psalms 113 through 118. And I believe in all three of those major festivals, they will sing those. So if you remember at the Last Supper, when they went to the Mount of Olives, they were singing Psalms, most likely the Hallel or 113 through 118 of the Psalms. That's what we have context-wise from the Old Testament, but there's more for us to really understand what was happening at the time Christ went into the temple. At the time Christ went to the temple, they were practicing what we would call Second Temple Judaism. The Jews had added rites and ceremonies to all of the laws, and they had added to this law. There were three things they added in the celebration of the booths. In the mornings, the rabbis would go out of, I believe, the east gate and turn around and face the temple and say a certain prayer in the morning about how their fathers worshiped to the east, but they were going to worship to the west. The second thing they did was they had huge menorahs, like candelabras, that you would see at Hanukkah, and they would light up the temple at night, and that would burn throughout these eight days at night. They were large enough that instead of wicks, they would use the worn-out garments of the priests, the linen garments, and that would light the way. Interestingly enough, if you go to John chapter eight, what does he claim to be? He claims to be the light of the world. That's also part of, the discussion he had with the Jews at this festival. That was one of his claims, and that was where that came from. The third thing is what we're gonna focus on. It's called the Water Libation Ceremony. Let me read to you exactly what that looked like. The third daily ceremony was the rite of water libation. On the first morning of Sukkot, A procession of priests went down to the pool of Silom to bring up to the temple a golden container of water sufficient to last through the seven days of the feast. The water was brought up with great ceremony, the shofar or the horn that they blew. was blown and pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem for the feast waved their lulavs as the priest carries the water around the altar. The great Hallel, Psalms 113 through 18, were recited. Then the priest on duty that day poured out the contents of two silver bowls. One held water and the other held wine. This was an act of prayer and an expression of dependence upon God to pour out his blessing of rain upon the earth. So at the time of Christ, they were celebrating this. They weren't only celebrating the 40 years God sustained them in the desert, they were also celebrating this at the end of the year in the fall when the harvest had been brought in. They were thanking God for providing for them and praising God for that and asking God to bring rain for the next year to save them. Let me read. from Psalm 118. And this is probably what was being read at the time that we're gonna get to in verse 37 and 38. Psalm 118, verse 22, and these are all familiar words. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we pray, O Lord. O Lord, we pray. Give us success. And a description of what the practice was goes on. On the last or great day of the feast, the water libation rite reached its climax. The priest circled the altar seven times and then poured out the water with great pomp and ceremony. Let's go back to John. Chapter seven, verse 37. On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus 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. Now that probably happened as the priest was pouring out the water on the altar and the people were crying out to God to save them. Now if we don't know the context, it seems kind of strange that he would cry out, but we know that that temple was full. The Jews were required to be there. Can you imagine the reaction of the people there? As they're dumping the water out, and he cries out, whoever is thirsty, let them come to me and drink. There was probably silence, except for the water running across the floor. Knowing that context really brings this verse to light and what he was saying. There they were, reciting the Psalms, praising God for saving their people as they walked through the desert for 40 years. for saving them, for providing for their needs with a good harvest that year and asking God to save them. And they were doing it all in the right way. They marched around seven times. They had poured the water seven days. They were in golden bowls. They had their myrtle and their willow and their palm branches in their right hand and they had their citrons in their left. and they missed the Christ standing before them. They didn't see it. Some of them did, but most of them were caught up in it. They were caught up in the ceremony, they were caught up in the rite. They are very unique people. Living water is a theme that we see throughout scripture. We see that in John chapter four, as Jesus meets with a woman at the well. And he says to her, verse 13 through 14, everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, But whoever drinks of the water I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. There are other passages about living water. Ezekiel chapter 47 speaks of water flowing from the temple and giving life to the people. and it goes throughout scripture all the way to Revelation chapter 22, the last chapter. Verses one and two says this. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. Also on either side of the river, the tree of life, with its 12 kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the trees were for the healing of the nations." Again, the people were celebrating and remembering God providing refuge and protection as the people wandered in the desert for 40 years and praising God for supplying their needs and asking God to save them in the coming year. And Jesus' message is simple. I am that person, I am that water, I am that life. There's a, I thought it was a very strange Jewish tradition that some hold that the water, I'm sorry, the rock that Moses struck with the staff that poured out water for the Israelites, the tradition is that that rock followed them through the desert for 40 years. And that sounds kind of strange. I'd never heard that before. Let me read Paul's writings in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. I'd never seen that passage before. Maybe Paul believed the same thing, maybe they had the same custom and the same teaching at the time, but Paul seems to allude to that, that that rock that produced water that saved the people was Christ. Jesus's message is simple for the people at the time, that he is the one that saved them. The examples that he used to describe himself are simple, right? Living water, bread of life, lamb of God, the door, the gate, the way, the good shepherd, those are all things we can picture easily in our minds. They're not complicated. He pictures himself in very simple ways. And when the Jews got caught up in what they were doing, they missed it. They can be a very peculiar people, very interesting people. I'm exposed to them all the time. I had a discussion yesterday with a lady who lives in a facility where they have call buttons. If she needed help from the staff or the nurse, she could push this button. And she was really worried about whether or not she was allowed to do that on the Sabbath. She was so worried about it, she was waiting for a phone call from her grandson, who is in Israel, who is a rabbi. that would know the answer to that question. I knew another lady who lived in an apartment building. I think she lived on the fourth floor, and it was a secure building. You had to push a button at the intercom, and she would buzz you in so you could get through the first door. Her son, who was very orthodox, when he came to visit her on the Sabbath, would walk there, He would wait in the doorway until somebody came in or left, so he wouldn't push the button to call. He had two very, very bad knees, which he actually ended up having knee replacements done. He would not push the button on the elevator to go up four floors, because that was work. He would walk the stairs. And at every landing, he would have to sit down and rest for four or five minutes. It would take him 20 minutes to go up four floors. But he didn't sin because he didn't push that button on the elevator. They can be very, very rigid, very particular, and sometimes they miss the boat, which is what happened in Jesus' day. One other quick story, a few years ago I had a very dear friend who lived in a high rise that was a Jewish building and he died and I went to his shiva. I was out of my element. I was in a room with 150 Orthodox Jews, most of them Orthodox. There was an Orthodox rabbi that came in and officiated the ceremony. The first thing he had to do, I mean, half the people there lived in the building, so they had walkers and wheelchairs. The first thing he did was separated the men from the women, and they were all in an uproar. I mean, there were some of them that were really mad at him. I didn't know where I was at. I didn't know where I was doing. I had on a pair of blue pants, a jacket, and I think a pink shirt. And there's a man in town who I see once in a while. I believe he came from New York. He is a rabbi. He's kind of mysterious. People look to him for teaching. He does really strange things. He won't tell anybody his age. He doesn't have a car. He spends, I think, 20 minutes a day every morning meditating as he stands on his head. And people know this, and they think he's a holy man. At the shiva, the funeral, I was sitting next to an older man that I was just acquainted with who was Russian. He spoke broken English. I go in the building often and he often sits in the lobby and I always just say hi to him. We were sitting and this other rabbi walked over and pointed at me and he said to the Russian, oh, Jewish girl. He was making fun of me because I had a pink shirt on. All the other men had white shirts and black pants. And here I was at the funeral of a friend, trying to show my love and respect, and this man who's supposed to be a leader in their community comes over and insults me. And I thought it was funny because the older Russian guy stood up and pushed him out. I thought there was going to be a fight, but it was interesting. But they missed the point. Their focus is on doing this and that and adding on to God's word and doing everything in a certain way. But they don't have it in their heart. And that's what Jesus was saying at this festival. You're doing all these things, you're adding. It's good that you're remembering God saves. It's good you're remembering what God did in the desert. But here I am standing in your midst. You're missing me. Isn't that what he said often? Right, when he was challenged, I think in Matthew 22, he was challenged, which is the greatest commandment? And he simplifies it, love God and love your neighbor. And they didn't know how to respond. His message was simple. In John chapter 17, the high priestly prayer. Jesus is praying, and he's praying for us. And this is his simple message, and he prays to the Father. Verse three, and this is eternal life. that they know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. The message is simple. The message is simple enough that we should be able to share the gospel with children, with somebody that we know, we don't need PhDs, we don't need to know Greek and Hebrew. Those things are important and those things help. But Jesus says it's simple. I am the water, I am the bread, I am the lamb. John Piper wrote a book, Hunger for God. It's an excellent book. It's actually on fasting. We've talked about that book before. But he brings forth this idea that We are created to be thirsty and hungry and to need shelter and love for a reason, because he wants us to be reminded that yes, we have physical needs, we have physical thirst and physical hunger, But when we feel physically hunger, we should also be reminded that that hunger is for God. That thirst that we feel is also a spiritual thirst that we should be thirsting for God. We were created that way as reminders that we can't care for ourself and he meets our needs. If you look at all of our basic needs, he kind of covers them with those simple things. Water, bread, light. Jesus's message is simple. The message he had at the Feast of the Booths was simple. He was that water. He was that water they were using to celebrate. And I'm certain he was hated for it. And how are we to look at that message today? I think it's pretty simple. Especially at this time of year that we can see Jesus is telling us, hey, it's okay to celebrate festivals such as Christmas, but don't get caught up in it. Don't be so worried about what you're gonna buy and how much you're gonna spend and having the right food and did that recipe come out right? We get so worried and so focused on those things and he's standing there and saying, I took on flesh. We need to be reminded of those things and the simplicity of the message of Christ, especially at this time of year. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word, we thank you for the context of this passage that brings it to light for us in a way that the Jews at that time clearly understood. May each of us continue to study scripture and to find things like this that bring your word alive to us. May each of us be empowered by the spirit to take into our hearts the preciousness of your word, the simplicity of your word, the simplicity of Christ and his message, and may that be life-changing for each one of us. May we not be caught up in the things of this world, may we not be caught up in even things that outwardly seem good, but take our eyes off of Christ, who is our all in all, who satisfies all of our needs, and who from the beginning of time was called upon to become a man and live on this earth and die for our sins. Strengthen us this week as we go out into the world. Help us to see opportunities to share the good news with others who might need to hear it and give us the courage and the strength to do so through your spirit so we might make a difference in lives that need it. We ask all these things in your son's name, amen.