Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.
John 4:14.
Without water nothing can live, at least not as we know life on this earth. This makes it especially important to know whether, in the exploration of other planets, water is available there. Our own experience, too, tells us how indispensable water is for our life. A person can live for an amazingly long time without food, but only for a short time without water.
When Jesus was once engaged in a conversation with a woman at a well, He took up this subject by saying. “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again” (v.13). But then He went on to another kind of water, that cannot be found in nature, our visible creation. Whoever drank of that water, He explained, would never thirst again.
This water satisfies man’s longing for what is intransient and eternal. Christ gives it to everyone who comes to Him, the Son of God in faith. What is meant is the rich blessing arising from His atoning death on the cross: all who believe in Christ receive redemption, eternal life and the gift of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 7:38.39). It is the Holy Spirit who enables believers to enjoy happy fellowship with God and Jesus Christ already here on earth, a fellowship in which man’s longing for true life, love and security find true fulfilment.
Image: By Angelica Kauffmann – Upload 1: repro from art bookUpload 2: Own Work, photo taken by Cybershot800i., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8988425