‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.”’
The imagery of water is everywhere in scripture. Moses smote the rock in the wilderness and water poured forth from it, and this imagery also points to the biblical image of Jesus’ death being compared to the smitten rock.
Exodus 17:6 I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.
In the passage from John, Jesus declares, during the Feast of Tabernacles, that he is the source of living water. Jesus himself is the true smitten rock, and this was evident when he was crucified and the life giving water flowed from his sacrifice. And it wasn’t only figurative; physical water too flowed from his side when he was pierced with the soldiers lance. His wounds became the founts of many blessings.
Water is such a powerful symbol, not only of God’s ability to provide for his people, but it is also a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Water is necessary for our physical existence; we cannot live without it. But just as we cannot live without physical water, we cannot live spiritually without the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the great sustainer, and the Spirit is our life in Christ Jesus.
The Samaritan woman at the well tells Jesus, to give her living water, the kind that never runs out. In response he reveals to her that he is the Messiah, and it is this knowledge that allows believers to drink from this spring of life giving water. We need to look no further, and we will never be thirsty again.
Tell Out My Soul 
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