Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:37-39, RSV).
The Feast of Tabernacles was one of the three major celebrations on the Jewish calendar of worship. It was a harvest festival during which the people gave thanks for the gathered crops.
Jesus knew that he would be the chief topic of conversation at this popular feast, so he urged his unbelieving brothers to go ahead to the feast in Jerusalem; he would come later, alone. When he arrived, he began teaching in the temple, attracting great crowds. He was not spouting dogmas, but declaring convicting truths. The chief priest and Pharisees sent officers out to arrest him. They returned empty-handed with only one exclamation: “No man ever spoke like this man!” (John 7:46).
On the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, and during the featured ritual—the pouring of the water from the golden pitcher on the base of the altar, a commemoration of the flowing water from the smitten rock in the wilderness—there was a holy interruption: Jesus stood and proclaimed, “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37-38).
The Beloved Apostle John makes sure that his readers know the meaning of Jesus’ words. He explained, “Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:39).
Following Jesus’ death on the cross, willingly offered in atonement for our sins, and after his entombment and resurrection came his ascension and glorification.
Then came the Feast of Pentecost and the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus to give the Holy Spirit to believers. Luke reports, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they (believers) were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4, RSV).
Abundant Life
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit,” said Luke. The word filled denotes abundance (bountiful, plentiful). “I came,” said Jesus, “that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10, RSV).
In his teachings, Jesus stressed that the secret of a victorious life for his followers would be in their relationship with the Holy Spirit, who would be given to each of them at the new birth experience. The apostle Peter took Jesus seriously, so that after the Spirit had been given at the Feast of Pentecost, he promised those who would “repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins … you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38, RSV).
