37 On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, 38 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.’ ” 39 Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive, for as yet there was no Spirit because Jesus was not yet glorified.
I must admit that I get a little confused about the Holy Spirit when I read stories from different places in scripture. As early as chapter 2 in Luke’s gospel, we find the story of when the baby Jesus was presented by His parents in the Temple. A man named Simeon (who has the Holy Spirit resting upon him) is there in the Temple, and praises God for what he is seeing. The Holy Spirit rested upon Simon, and the Spirit revealed to Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Anointed (Jesus.) The Holy Spirit was active among believers when Jesus was a baby.
Fast forward thirty-plus years to this story in John’s gospel. Jesus tells His disciples that the Spirit would enable believer’s hearts to flow rivers of living water. (I want that to happen in me.) But then John goes on to say “for as yet there was no Spirit because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (Bad news, at that time for the disciples who had to wait for the Spirit.) But there’s good news for you and me. We live after Jesus has been glorified. We get to come to Jesus as our Lord and Savior and have our thirst quenched. And the Spirit fills our hearts with living water, and it flows out from us.
Prayer
Wonderful God, through your Holy Spirit, “I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me! Makes the lame to walk, and the blind to see. Opens prison doors, sets the captives free! I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me! Spring up, O well, within my soul! Spring up, O well, and make me whole! Spring up, O well, and give to me that life abundantly.” Amen.