Berean Standard Bible
(BSB)

Living Water

^<37>On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. ^<38>Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’ ” ^<39>He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given,¹ because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Division over Jesus

^<40>On hearing these words, some of the people said, “This is truly the Prophet.”

^<41>Others declared, “This is the Christ.”

But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee? ^<42>Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?² ”

^<43>So there was division in the crowd because of Jesus. ^<44>Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him.

The Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders

^<45>Then the officers returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring Him in?”

^<46>“Never has anyone spoken like this man!” the officers answered.

^<47>“Have you also been deceived?” replied the Pharisees. ^<48>“Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him? ^<49>But this crowd that does not know the law, they are under a curse.”

^<50>Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who himself was one of them, asked, ^<51>“Does our law convict a man without first hearing from him to determine what he has done?”

^<52>“Aren’t you also from Galilee?” they replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”³⁵

Word Come Alive
(WCA)
(An extended translation)*

Jesus’ invitation

^<37>What happened next took everything to a deeper level. It was the last and most important day of the festival, the final day of celebration. Jesus stood up and declared, ‘If anyone is spiritually thirsty, sensing their need, let them come to me, the One who can satisfy that longing. Let them drink the water I will give them, drawing deeply on my unlimited resources. ^<38>Everyone who trusts in me, who takes me into their lives spiritually, will know the truth of what the Scripture says. They will find that water wonderfully refreshing. But even more than this. From the depths of their inner being will flow such life-giving power that it will be like a river bursting its banks. That powerful surge of water cannot be contained but will overflow, giving spiritual life and refreshment to others around them.’ ^<39>Jesus was here referring to the resources of the Holy Spirit, whom all those who trusted in him would later receive. Up to that time, the Spirit had not been poured out in his fullness because Jesus had not yet died, risen from the dead and returned to his glory in heaven.

^<40>When the people heard what Jesus said, some of them responded, ‘This must really be the Prophet we’ve been waiting for.’

^<41>Others were even more certain, saying, ‘He’s the Messiah.’

A third group asked, ‘Surely the Messiah doesn’t come from Galilee, does he? ^<42>Doesn’t Scripture say the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, David’s home town?’ ^<43>So the people were divided over who Jesus was. ^<44>Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one actually laid a finger on him.

The unbelief of the Jewish leaders

^<45>Finally, the temple police went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees who asked them, ‘Why didn’t you bring him in to question him?’

^<46>The temple police answered, ‘This man is different. We’re struck by how he speaks. No one has ever spoken like this before.’

^<47>The Pharisees were quick to reply. They said angrily, ‘Surely you’ve not fallen for his teaching too, have you? It’s all a pack of lies! ^<48>Have any of the leaders or even any of us Pharisees actually gone as far as trusting him? ^<49>Of course not! What does this rabble know about the law anyway? Their ideas aren’t worth bothering with. If some of them have trusted in him, they should be cursed!’

^<50>Nicodemus, the man who had met Jesus earlier and who was one of the Pharisees, had a different view, however. He reminded his colleagues, ^<51>‘Does our law condemn anyone without first listening to what they have to say? We should give this man a fair hearing and he can explain what he’s been doing.’

^<52>They answered Nicodemus, ‘So you’re defending him, are you? Do you also come from Galilee? Go and check out the Scriptures for yourself, and you won’t find any prophet coming from Galilee.’

Study Guide

This pericope consists of three propositions:

• John 7:37–39 Jesus’ Living Water Offered to Everyone
• John 7:40–44 Jesus’ Living Water Considered by the People
• John 7:45–52Jesus’ Living Water Rejected by the Leaders

According to John 7:39, what was Jesus referring to by the term, “Living Water”?

What have we learned so far about this “Living Water”? (see: John 3:6, 8; 4:14; 6:63; 7:38)

What were some of the reactions the people had upon hearing Jesus’ offer?

Describe how the chief priests and Pharisees treated people who considered Jesus’ offer?

What do you think of Jesus’ offer?

Study Resources

To learn more about this study passage, go to
https://www.bibleref.com/John/7/John-7-37.html. Read the commentary of each verse in the study passage.  (Also read the Context Summary and the Chapter Summary.)

If you have any questions about this passage, type the verse reference or your question in the search box at the top of
https://www.gotquestions.org/ and explore the results.

If you have a study Bible, read the footnotes and study notes and see how they help you understand this passage. Also check out any maps, charts and articles related to the study passage.