Church Fathers Commentary John 7:37-39

"Now on the last day, the great [day] of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believed on him were to receive: for the Spirit was not yet [given]; because Jesus was not yet glorified." — John 7:37-39 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: As the feast was ending and the people were about to return home, our Lord gave them provisions for the way. On the last and great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If any man thirst, let him come to Me, and drink.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The feast then in progress was called Scenopegia, that is, the building of tents.

St. John Chrysostom: This feast lasted seven days. The first and last days were the most important, which is why the Evangelist says, In the last day, that great day of the feast. The days in between were given chiefly to amusements.

He did not make this offer on the first, second, or third day, lest amid the ongoing excitements, people would let it slip from their minds. He cried out because of the great multitude of people present.

Theophylact of Ohrid: He did this to make Himself audible, to inspire confidence in others, and to show His own complete lack of fear.

St. John Chrysostom: If any thirsts: it is as if to say, “I use no compulsion or violence. But if anyone has a strong enough desire, let him come.”

St. Augustine of Hippo: For there is an inner thirst because there is an inner man, and the inner man certainly loves more than the outer. So then, if we thirst, let us go not with our feet, but with our affections; not by a change of place, but by love.

St. John Chrysostom: He is speaking of a spiritual drink, as His next words show: He that believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But where does the Scripture say this? Nowhere.

What then? We should read it this way: He that believes in Me—as the Scripture has said—placing the stop here. Then, we continue: out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. The meaning is that the right kind of belief is formed on the evidence of Scripture, not of miracles. He had said before, Search the Scriptures.

St. Jerome: Or, this testimony is taken from Proverbs, where it is said, Let your fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The “belly” of the inner man is the conscience of the heart. Let him drink from that water, and his conscience is quickened and purified. He drinks in the whole fountain and, indeed, becomes the very fountain itself.

But what is that fountain, and what is that river, which flows from the belly of the inner man? It is the love of his neighbor. If anyone who drinks of this water thinks it is meant to satisfy himself alone, living water does not flow out of his belly. But if he does good to his neighbor, the stream is not dried up, but flows.

St. Gregory the Great: When sacred preaching flows from the soul of the faithful, it is as if rivers of living water run down from the bellies of believers. For what are the entrails of the belly but the inner part of the mind? That is: a right intention, a holy desire, humility toward God, and mercy toward man.

St. John Chrysostom: He says “rivers,” not “river,” to show the copious and overflowing power of grace; and “living water,” meaning water that is always moving. For when the grace of the Spirit has entered and settled in the mind, it flows more freely than any fountain, and it neither fails, empties, nor stagnates. The wisdom of Stephen, the tongue of Peter, and the strength of Paul are evidence of this. Nothing hindered them; like impetuous torrents, they went on, carrying everything along with them.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The Evangelist next explains what kind of drink our Lord invited them to: But this He spoke of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive. Who is meant by “the Spirit” but the Holy Spirit? For every man has his own spirit within him.

Alcuin of York: He promised the Holy Spirit to the Apostles before the Ascension and gave it to them in fiery tongues after the Ascension. The Evangelist’s words, Which they that believe in Him should receive, refer to this.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The Spirit of God existed—that is, was with God—before this time, but was not yet given to those who believed in Jesus. For our Lord had determined not to give them the Spirit until He had risen again: The Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified.

St. John Chrysostom: The Apostles did indeed cast out demons by the Spirit before this, but only by the power they had from Christ. For when He sent them, it is not said that He gave them the Holy Spirit, but that He gave them power. Regarding the Prophets, however, all agree that the Holy Spirit was given to them, but this grace had since been withdrawn from the world.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Yet we read of John the Baptist, He shall be filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother’s womb. And Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied. Mary was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied of our Lord. So too were Simeon and Anna, so that they might acknowledge the greatness of the infant Christ.

We are to understand, then, that the giving of the Holy Spirit after Christ’s exaltation was to be of a certain kind, in a way it never was before. It was to have a unique quality at His coming that it did not have previously.

For we nowhere read of men under the influence of the Holy Spirit speaking with tongues they had never known, as happened at that time, when it was necessary to demonstrate His coming by tangible miracles.

If the Holy Spirit is received now, then why does no one speak the tongues of all nations? Because now the Church herself speaks the tongues of all nations. Whoever is not in her does not now receive the Holy Spirit.

But if you love unity, whatever anyone has within the Church, he has for you. Put away envy, and what I have is yours. Envy separates, but love unites. Have love, and you have all things; without it, nothing you can have will profit you.

The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us. But why did our Lord give the Holy Spirit after His resurrection? So that the flame of love might ascend toward our own resurrection, separating us from the world and devoting us wholly to God.

He who said, He that believes in Me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water, has promised eternal life, free from all fear, change, and death. Because these were the gifts He promised to those in whom the Holy Spirit kindles the flame of love, He would not give that Spirit until He was glorified. He did this so that in His own person He might show us the life we hope to attain in the resurrection.

If, then, the reason the Holy Spirit was not yet given was because Jesus was not yet glorified, then doubtless the glorification of Jesus, when it took place, was the immediate cause of the Spirit being given. The Cataphrygians, however, claimed that they were the first to receive the promised Paraclete, and thus they strayed from the catholic faith. The Manichaeans, too, apply all the promises concerning the Holy Spirit to Manichaeus, as if the Holy Spirit had not been given before.

St. John Chrysostom: Or, to put it another way: by the “glory” of Christ, He means the cross. For since we were enemies, and gifts are given to friends, not enemies, it was necessary for the victim to be offered up first and the enmity in the flesh removed. Only then, having been made friends of God, could we be capable of receiving the gift.