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Apr 08, 2024 06:00am

Tasting the Real Thing

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A friend of mine was introducing baby food to their little girl. They would try out different pureed foods to see what she liked and what she didn’t. The little girl’s eyes lit up when they got to blueberries and bananas! She reached out with her hands to try to get more. To say she liked it was an understatement!

“If you think this is good, wait until you have the real thing!”

John 7:37-39

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”

The Feast of Tabernacles was an annual holiday for the Jews to commemorate how God had provided for them in the wilderness. He had brought them out of Egypt, slavery and bondage, and as they wandered through the wilderness, they lived in tents or booths. At this annual celebration, the last day was a big feast. Everyone was eating and drinking. And on this day, the Lord chose to reveal Christ’s identity.

When Jesus offered for the people to come to Him and drink, He essentially said He was the Messiah. While they drank, He promised those who would believe in Him something that wasn’t just temporary. He offered eternal life through the Holy Spirit.

It’s like He was saying, “If you think this is good, wait until you have the real thing.”

So, how do we respond to that?

If we follow the example of the religious leaders of that day, we’d be left scratching our heads trying to understand what He was speaking of. We’d be furious at His claims, and we’d be ready to be rid of Him.

In fact, because of His statement, there was confusion among the people. Was He a prophet? A good man? Was He really the Messiah?

What you believe about Jesus is the most important thing in your life.

Jesus is the Son of God. He was with the Father since the beginning and will be with Him forevermore. He came to earth to free us from the debt we owed for our sin against a Holy God. He died so that we could have life. But it requires one thing of us – belief.

Believe that He is who He said He was. Believe that when you accept His offer of salvation, He will send the Holy Spirit to you as a guide, a helper, and a friend. Believe that you will spend eternity in heaven with Him when you die because you accepted Him here on earth.

Believe.

Because if you think this life has any good in it, just wait until you taste the real thing. Heaven, in all of its perfect glory, awaits those who believe.