This is Spoken Gospel.

We’re dedicated to seeing
Jesus in all of scripture.

In each episode, we see what’s
happening in a Biblical text

and how it sheds light
on Jesus and his gospel.

Let’s jump in.

After feeding the 5000, some
of Jesus’ followers want him to

leave Galilee and go to Jerusalem for
the Feast of Booths, or Tabernacles—

a week-long celebration of God’s
provision for Israel in the wilderness.

When they encourage him to go, Jesus
responds by saying, “My time has not yet come,”

the same phrase he used in
John 2 at the wedding in Cana.

Yet just like Cana, Jesus seems to contradict his
words when he goes to Jerusalem just a few days later.

Multiple times, John quotes Jesus saying
“my time” to refer not to the present
moment but to his coming death.

At this moment, the threat is imminent.
The crowds murmur about Jesus.

He announces that some in the
crowd are seeking to kill him,

and the Pharisees send Roman soldiers
to arrest Jesus for stirring up the crowd.

Jesus knows “my time has not yet come,”
but his coming death is imminent.

Jesus breaks the categories held by the
religious leaders and citizens of Jerusalem.

The religious leaders can’t understand
why Jesus is so authoritative,

and the people can’t understand
how the Christ could be from Nazareth.

Yet who could do more
than what Jesus has done?

The whole city wants
to know, “Who is Jesus?”

On the last day of the Feast, the
High Priest would leave the temple

with a giant golden flagon, parade it
through the city to the Pool of Siloam,

fill the flagon with water,
and return to the temple.

This ritual celebrated God’s gift of
water in the desert for wandering Israel.

And people would sing Psalms
113-118 as the parade took place,

and as it ended the priest would pour out the
water and some wine as offerings to the Lord.

This is the moment that
Jesus stands up and interrupts.

And Jesus says that the water and the wine
being poured out are about him. More

than this, he claims that anyone who
is thirsty should drink from him.

Jesus is claiming to possess the faithfulness
of God to satisfy humanity’s deepest needs.

But instead of water
from a flagon at a feast,

Jesus will pour out his own
blood from his body on the cross.

Jesus is promising that when water and
blood flow from his side, anyone who trusts his
wounds will see God’s faithfulness again.

Jesus promises that those who drink of this
stream will themselves overflow with the Spirit.

The river of blood and water
from Jesus’ side gives us life.

And as our lives are filled up
with his life, we too will bleed out

the compassion and life of
Jesus to the world around us.

Just as God met the needs of Israel in the
wilderness, so Jesus meets our needs and

fills us with his Spirit so that we
can meet the needs of others.

May the Holy Spirit open your eyes to see
the God who is faithful to meet your needs.

And may you see Jesus as
the one who gives us life eternal,

abundant enough to overflow
into the lives of others.