Lent Devotional Day 17

Day 17
Friday, March 10

John 7:32-53
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about Jesus, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent guards to arrest him. 33 Therefore, Jesus said, “I’m still with you for a little while before I go to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you won’t find me, and where I am you can’t come.” 35 The Jewish opposition asked each other, “Where does he intend to go that we can’t find him? Surely he doesn’t intend to go where our people have been scattered and are living among the Greeks! He isn’t going to teach the Greeks, is he? 36 What does he mean when he says, ‘You will look for me, but you won’t find me, and where I am you can’t come’?”

37 On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, “All who are thirsty should come to me! 38 All who believe in me should drink! As the scriptures said concerning me, Rivers of living water will flow out from within him.” 39 Jesus said this concerning the Spirit. Those who believed in him would soon receive the Spirit, but they hadn’t experienced the Spirit yet since Jesus hadn’t yet been glorified. 40 When some in the crowd heard these words, they said, “This man is truly the prophet.” 41 Others said, “He’s the Christ.” But others said, “The Christ can’t come from Galilee, can he? 42 Didn’t the scripture say that the Christ comes from David’s family and from Bethlehem, David’s village?” 43 So the crowd was divided over Jesus. 44 Some wanted to arrest him, but no one grabbed him. 

45 The guards returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked, “Why didn’t you bring him?” 46 The guards answered, “No one has ever spoken the way he does.” 47 The Pharisees replied, “Have you too been deceived? 48 Have any of the leaders believed in him? Has any Pharisee? 49 No, only this crowd, which doesn’t know the Law. And they are under God’s curse!”

50 Nicodemus, who was one of them and had come to Jesus earlier, said, 51 “Our Law doesn’t judge someone without first hearing him and learning what he is doing, does it?” 52 They answered him, “You are not from Galilee too, are you? Look it up and you will see that the prophet doesn’t come from Galilee.” 53 They each went to their own homes.

Reflection
I can get really thirsty for the Spirit. In the hustle and bustle of daily life I can easily begin to neglect the spiritual practices that draw me closer to Jesus. If I do this long enough, a deep spiritual drought takes over. I live in a scarcity of spirit and with a never-ending supply of the fullness of God at my disposal, untapped, waiting for me to lean into the abundance that is following Jesus. An abundance so robust, that when I tap into it the living water flows out of my heart. When I turn to Jesus to quench my spiritual thirst I connect to a source so prosperous that ‘rivers of living water’ flow from my heart. I become a channel for God’s love and grace. This lenten season I will choose to turn to Jesus for spiritual refreshment. When I am tired, I know where to turn.  

Prayer
Jesus, I am tired and worn out and spiritually thirsty. I now turn to you for refreshment. I turn toward your abundance so that I may share that spiritual nourishment with others who are spiritually thirsty as well. Amen.

By Seth Botts