John 7:37, 38 - On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink.  He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.” 

These verses refer to the Feast of the tabernacles which was celebrated by the Jews for eight days. It was to commemorate the fruitfulness of God, who split The Rock and gave water to two and a half million people and their flock during their wanderings in the wilderness. If that water never came, the entire Jewish community would have perished and there would be no Jew or a nation called Israel today. Jesus was in Jerusalem to celebrate this feast because it was one of the three great festivals that adult males were required to participate in the Holy city. 

On the first seven days, the High Priest would carry a golden or a silver pitcher, fetch water from the pool of Siloam and pour it on the steps of the temple as a yearly ritual. This rite represented God’s provision of water for the Israelites in the wilderness (Numbers 20:1 - 11). On the eighth day, the priest would refrain from this ritual, and it was on this day that Jesus stood up in place of the High priest and shouted “If any one thirst let him come to me and I will give him living water.” Jesus announced symbolically that the spiritual Messiah of the Jews had come. 

Apostle Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 10:4 that Jesus was that supernatural Rock that was split to yield water to the thirsty Jews in the wilderness and without that water gushing out, they would have all died. Likewise Jesus was declaring in the New Testament, that if any man came to Him to drink, He would quench his spiritual thirst by giving ‘living water’ – which not only sustained life, but also brought eternal life! 

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