Day 51 | Rivers of Living Water
May 21, 2015 - WEEK EIGHT
James Tissot, Reconstruction of Jerusalem and the Temple of Herod, [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
DAILY READING
CONSIDER AS YOU READ
- Do you make righteous judgments?
- What is the foundation of your personal belief in God and His Son Jesus Christ?
- How could members of Jesus’ own extended family not believe His claims and demonstrated powers?
SUPPLEMENTAL READING
The fourth significant event of the Feast of Tabernacles was the drawing of water from Siloam and its libation [pouring] on the altar….
This ceremony was accompanied by great rejoicing and singing from the congregation…. This ritual performed at the sacrificial altar consists of several aspects that added to its spiritual richness. The Pool of Siloam received its water from the Gihon Spring, a natural water source, making the water in Siloam “living water,” or water suitable for ritual purification. The concept of “living water” is critical to understanding the significance of this ceremony. Living water had to come directly from God (via rain or other “pure” or natural sources, such as a spring). It was used for all ordinances and rituals requiring water in the law of Moses. Based on recent archaeological research, the Pool of Siloam was likely a mikveh, an ancient ritual bath for purification, and not a reservoir for drinking water. Thus the water from Siloam symbolized the cleansing and sanctification necessary to prepare one to return to God….
The water-pouring ritual was also accompanied by a prayer of gratitude for the rains that had brought forth the harvest of the previous year and a plea for rain for the coming year to provide another harvest…. Thus reflective participants in this ritual were drawn into a commemorative environment of gratitude and purification that signified their constant dependence on God—all centered on the most significant sacrificial site in all Israel, the altar of the temple (Ryan S. Gardener, “Jesus Christ and the Feast of Tabernacles,” Religious Educator, V.13 No.3, 2012).
ADDITIONAL MEDIA
FOR YOUNGER DISCIPLES
Click on poster for larger, printable image
QUESTIONS FOR YOUNGER DISCIPLES
- What happened to the flowers that fell out of the vase?
- Do you think Jesus means that when we live in his way, we will never wilt and fall?
- Look how the stems of the flowers in the vase wrap around each other to keep them in the water. Who wraps around us?