Sermon - Pentecost (5/31/2020)
Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:24-34; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13; John 7:37-39
On the last and greatest day of the Festival, Jesus stood up in the temple and cried out: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink.”
In the time of Jesus, there were three annual festivals that took place in Jerusalem for which people traveled from all over the Jewish world to participate in. There was Passover, of course, in the early spring, which remembers God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt, when Jesus was crucified. Seven weeks after Passover was the Festival of Weeks, which remembered the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. Because seven weeks times seven is 49 days, this festival was also known by the Greek word for the Fiftieth Day, which is Pentecost – that’s why Jewish people from many countries and languages were present in Jerusalem on that day.
And then in the fall came the third major festival for which people went to Jerusalem, if they were able, called the Festival of Booths. It was originally a harvest festival, much like our Thanksgiving, but it came to be a time of remembering how God provided for Israel during the 40 years in the wilderness – the manna in the desert, the water flowing from the rock, the presence of God in the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. People brought tents, or booths, to camp out in and relive what they imagined it must have been like centuries before to wander in the desert. According to ancient sources, in those days the Festival of Booths was probably the most popular of the three festivals, and got the biggest crowds.
Today’s gospel passage comes from the seventh chapter of John’s gospel, which today is probably one of the least-known chapters in any of the gospels. It’s rarely read in church, except as an alternative gospel reading some years on Pentecost, and you know I can’t resist diving into an obscure passage of Scripture. So, John chapter 7.
The chapter starts with an amazing scene in which the family of Jesus, his blood relatives, announce that they are going to Jerusalem for the Festival of Booths. John stresses that, at this point, the family of Jesus did not believe in him. Later they came around; by Pentecost they were present with the disciples. But at the time, the family of Jesus thought he was nuts. And so they sarcastically invite Jesus to join them on their trip to Jerusalem: “You know, if you want to be a famous rabbi, Jerusalem during the Festival of Booths is the place to be. Everyone is going to be there; you’ll get a great audience. This is your chance at the limelight, Brother Jesus.” But Jesus doesn’t get drawn into the drama of his dysfunctional family. Jesus has boundaries. He just says, You go by yourselves, I’ll stay here. So Jesus stands up to his family and says, I’m not going to church with you. There’s a whole ‘nother sermon in that story by itself, for another day.
But then Jesus does go to Jerusalem anyway, by himself, on his own terms. He shows up incognito in the middle of the festival, where he finds that the crowds gathered in Jerusalem are all arguing with each other about him. Some say he’s a good man, others that he is leading the people away from God. Some say he must be the Messiah, others say he can’t be the Messiah because he’s from Nazareth and everyone knows the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem. Jesus has a few discussions but mostly doesn’t engage in the arguments and the divisions among the dysfunctional family of God come together for Thanksgiving.
Until the last day of the week-long festival. On the last day, the greatest day, of the festival, Jesus suddenly stands up in the middle of the Temple and cries out. The word that is translated “cried out” is much more evocative in the Greek: ἔκραξεν. The verb κράζω (krazo) is pretty much what it sounds like: originally, it’s the sound of a crow. Craw! Craw! Figuratively, it is used for something that is said with powerful emotion. So when Peter tried walking on the water, as he’s falling he cried out, ἔκραξεν: Lord, save me! When Stephen was being stoned to death, as we read a couple of weeks ago in Acts, he cried out, ἔκραξεν: Father, forgive them. In Revelation chapter 12, there is a vision of a woman nine months pregnant, and she ἔκραξεν with the pains of labor. So when somebody ἔκραξεν in the middle of a solemn church service, people notice.
So on the last day, the greatest day, of the Festival of Booths, remembering how God provided for the people in the wilderness, when according to the ritual a priest would draw water from the pool of Siloam and carry it into the Temple, and would pour it with great ceremony into a silver bowl next to the altar, while choirs sang and music played, and remembering how God had provided water from the rock in the desert, the priest would pray that God would send rain and bless the land again. And in the middle of the ceremony, Jesus stands up in the middle of the Temple and ἔκραξεν: “Is anybody thirsty? Is anybody here thirsty? If anyone is thirsty, come to me, and drink. For it is written, From the innermost depths of the one who believes will flow living water.”
Jesus interrupts the solemn ritual of remembering that God once gave God’s people water in the wilderness and he ἔκραξεν: “Are you thirsty now? God has living water for you, now.” Jesus interrupts the arguments of people contending with one another about whether God is working in the world now and disputing over their respective opinions about what God really wants, he interrupts their arguing and ἔκραξεν: “Anyone who is thirsty, anyone who is longing for the living presence of God, come to me, and drink.” Jesus interrupts the thanksgiving of a people remembering dimly the good gifts of God from ages past, and invites them to drink of God’s good gifts now.
And not just on one fall day in Jerusalem two thousand years ago – Jesus says that from every believer’s heart will flow rivers of living water for all the thirsty to drink. John explains that Jesus was speaking of the Spirit that would come after Easter, after Jesus finished his work and was glorified, the Spirit that would dwell in the hearts of all those who believe.
And so, on this final day of our 50-day celebration of Easter, on the great day of Pentecost, I need to ask you: Are you thirsty? Are there people you haven’t seen for months, you haven’t been able to hug and share a meal with? Are you thirsty? Are you afraid of the future, for yourself or for someone you love? Are you thirsty? Are you alone? Are you like Jesus with family members who don’t believe in you and don’t support you? Are you thirsty?
Are you tired of a world where everyone always seems to be arguing with one another, trying to prove that they are right and others are wrong? Are you tired of a world where some leaders find advantage in stirring up controversy and others seek the limelight by engaging in that controversy? Are you just waiting for someone to stand up and ἔκραξεν: What do you really want, what are you really looking for? Are you thirsty?
Do you look at a world of injustice, where innocent people keep dying at the hands of those sworn to protect and defend them, where the burdens of disease and unemployment and hunger fall disproportionately on some and not others, and ask: Where is the God who once healed the sick and set the captives free? Where is that God now? Are you thirsty?
If anyone is thirsty, Jesus cried out, there is living water for you, right here, right now. Come to me and drink. And from the hearts of all who believe there will flow rivers of living water, now and for all time.
The book of Revelation ends with a vision of the New Jerusalem, the city of God come down on earth, with the river of the water of life flowing through its midst, with water as clear as crystal, and the trees growing along its banks produce fruit each month for all to eat, and their leaves are for the healing of the nations. The river of living water that comes from God, the river that feeds the trees of nourishment for all and healing for the nations, is a river that is promised to all who believe, is the Spirit that is poured out on all flesh for the sake of thirsty people in a thirsty world.
May that Spirit cause rivers of living water to flow from your heart. And may the Spirit make us bold to interrupt a thirsty world to cry out: Anyone who is thirsty, come to Jesus, come to the Spirit, there is living water for you. Come and drink, be satisfied and healed.
(I am indebted to Carlos Rodriguez whose interpretation of John 7 and the meaning of ἔκραξεν in this context inspired much of this sermon.)