Have you ever stopped to wonder what you would have thought of Jesus if you had known Him? What if you’d grown up in the same neighborhood—playing with Him, laughing with Him, swapping stories, and being creative? Would you have rolled your eyes at Him when He stayed at the Temple as an 8-year-old or would you have sat up and paid attention? Do you think you would have had the courage to see Him as the Messiah as you grew into adults?
When I read the words of Jesus in the Gospels, I am drawn to His authority and confidence. I’m captivated by His message and the freedom He offered. I read about the ways He cared for the sick and dying, the way He loved children. I will never get over how He took those on the outside and drew them in. But I also have compassion for those who questioned them and were just trying to figure it out. What if I had been one of them?
You and I are the lucky ones. We know so much more of the story today than those who were living with Jesus in real time. We know about the resurrection and ascension, the formation of the church, and the New Testament. And yet, I still wrestle out my theology. It makes sense that they would have, too.
In John 7, we read how the people of Jerusalem were trying to make sense of who Jesus was. Instead of listening to His words, they were arguing about who He was. Finally, “Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink'” (v.37).
Jesus knew that underneath all their questioning, arguing, and outrage, there was a true thirst. What they really longed for was Him. The same is true for us today. The original invitation was for them—but it speaks to us loudly today.
Will you surrender what you do know and what you don’t know? Will you take all of your curiosity and still, along with your unanswered questions, allow Him to be your Messiah? He is your Living Water, a quenching to the thirst in your soul. He can be trusted.
