| Devotional Hours with the Bible |
Chapter 12 |
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On the last day of the feast Jesus uttered one of His most wonderful words. The temple was thronged, and He spoke, no doubt, in a loud voice that all might hear what He said. He made a great proclamation of His mission, as it were, offering life to all who would accept it. This is one of the great invitations of the gospel. Every word is full of meaning. “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.” “If” marks the one and only condition to which the invitation is addressed. Of course, if we do not thirst we will not care to come to the will to drink. Souls are dying all around us, not because there is no water near, but because they are not thirsty. The words “any man” show us how universal the invitation is. It was not for “any Jew,” nor “any intelligent man,” nor “any man of good character,” but for “any man.” No one is left out or overlooked. All the invitations of the gospel are universal in their offer and in their adaptation. “All ye that are weary” receive the invitation to rest which Christ gives. All that are thirsty are invited to come and drink. All who hunger are bidden to eat the bread of life. There is not a person in the world who can say he is not invited to receive the salvation of Christ.
The word “thirst” describes the need which Christ is ready to supply. It is not bodily thirst, but thirst of the soul which He offers to quench. For the soul has its thirsts as well as the body, and there is no spring of water on earth at which these thirsts can be satisfied. The words “let him come” show us the gate to the fountain flung wide open. There is no barrier or hindrance in the way. No person is shut out. The words remind us, however, that if we would have our thirst quenched by Christ we must come to Him. We must leave our dry, burning wastes where no water is found, and come away to Christ. We cannot find Christ in our sins. Our thirsts will never be satisfied unless we bring them to the fountain. The fact that we are dying of thirst is not alone sufficient to insure us of the quenching of the thirst. There must be a movement made by us, a movement toward Christ, a believing on Him, and acceptance of Him. The word “drink” tells us we must receive Christ Himself into our own hearts if we would have our thirst satisfied in Him. Merely going to the spring and looking at its sparkling waters will never quench anyone’s thirst; he who would be satisfied must drink. This implies a voluntary act on the part of each individual. So, looking at Christ in all His beauty and power to help is not enough to bless us — we must take Him into our life by an act of our own, as one takes water in drinking from the fountain, or from a cup, and let His spirit fill our hearts.
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