The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 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.” The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by saying, You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”
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 this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Comment: Why didn’t the officers arrest Jesus? We’re not told! It is easy to say that it wasn’t God’s time for Jesus to be judged and crucified – He, Jesus had more to do and teach. Jesus’ answer would have been confusing. Because we know what happened we can read that Jesus was talking about His return to Heaven, but their thoughts turned to the dispersed Jews in other lands. I suspect that they had some hard explaining to do when they returned to the leaders! After that did Jesus not do much to get people’s attention? On the last day of the feast, held in a huge place made for people to hear speeches without modern day equipment, Jesus found a seat, presumably unnoticed, high up in the ‘auditorium’ and at an appropriate moment stood up and announced for all to hear …..
“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.’” It means something like this to me. ‘If you have a real desire to know God come to Me, believe in Me. The Bible promises that from that believing your life will be changed and huge amounts of truly good things will spring to life.’ John the writer connects these ‘good things’ to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Prayer: Thank You that the Holy Spirit did come at Pentecost and that He mightily works in Your people.
As I read it! 