Swindoll Study Bible - Book of John - Flipbook - Page 30
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Jesus Promises Living Water
37 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood
and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty
may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may
come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of
living water will flow from his heart.’”* 39 (When he
said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who
would be given to everyone believing in him. But the
Spirit had not yet been given,* because Jesus had not
yet entered into his glory.)
Division and Unbelief
40 When
the crowds heard him say this, some of
them declared, “Surely this man is the Prophet
we’ve been expecting.”* 41 Others said, “He is the
Messiah.” Still others said, “But he can’t be! Will the
Messiah come from Galilee? 42 For the Scriptures
clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the
royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where
King David was born.”* 43 So the crowd was divided
about him. 44 Some even wanted him arrested, but
no one laid a hand on him.
45 When the Temple guards returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees
demanded, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”
46 “We have never heard anyone speak like this!”
the guards responded.
47 “Have you been led astray, too?” the Pharisees
mocked. 48 “Is there a single one of us rulers or Phar
isees who believes in him? 49 This foolish crowd follows him, but they are ignorant of the law. God’s curse
is on them!”
50 Then Nicodemus, the leader who had met with
Jesus earlier, spoke up. 51 “Is it legal to convict a man
before he is given a hearing?” he asked.
52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Search
J ohn 8 : 1 1
the Scriptures and see for yourself—no prophet ever
comes* from Galilee!”
[The most ancient Greek manuscripts do not
include John 7:53–8:11.]
53 Then
home.
the meeting broke up, and everybody went
A Woman Caught in Adultery
8
J esus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2 but
early the next morning he was back again at the
Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and
taught them. 3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who
had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her
in front of the crowd.
4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was
caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says
to stone her. What do you say?”
6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped
down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They
kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and
said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned
throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again
and wrote in the dust.
9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away
one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus
was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman.
10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman,
“Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them
condemn you?”
11 “No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
7:37-38 Or “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from the heart of anyone who believes in me.’”
7:39 Several early manuscripts read But as yet there was no Spirit. Still others read But as yet there was no Holy Spirit. 7:40 See Deut 18:15, 18; Mal 4:5-6. 7:42 See Mic 5:2.
7:52 Some manuscripts read the prophet does not come.
SHAME John 8:1-8 Shame follows us wherever we go
someone becomes a believer, a reservoir of enormous,
immeasurable power will burst from his or her inner life. It
will gush forth. It will pour out like a torrential river, creating
rapids and waterfalls and movement to the oceans. This
is not some blasé, passive kind of force that we hope will
show up. It is dynamic life, and it comes through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
If you have come to know the Lord Jesus Christ and
have personally asked Him to be your Savior, you know
that when He entered your life, He brought with Him His
Holy Spirit. His Spirit came to give you a new and vibrant
life. The refreshing, creative work of the Spirit of God will
continue to pour out day after day, bringing joy and hope
and refreshment to everyone around you.
like a bad rap sheet. It straps us to our torturous pasts
and puts everything embarrassingly on display. Feelings
of shame push their victims into the corners of the room
and into the shadows of society. A relentless, accusing
voice whispers to us, “You are worthless!” In most cases,
a lingering disgrace remains that grips us tightly like
a vise.
But the scars of shame need not be permanent. Christ
desires to meet us in those dark corners to redeem our
dignity and worth. His grace is greater than our shame.
Remember that. He becomes for us the One who personally bears our shame and walks with us through those
harsh, agonizing days when we feel most alone and
afraid. There’s no limit to the depth of shame. But the
good news is that God can see us through it regardless of its depth—there is also no limit to the grace He
can supply.
LIVING INSIGHTS
RIVERS OF LIVING WATER John 7:37-38 When
