Jesus Christ said to the woman of Samaria that He was the "living water." In fact He said, "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14).
Jesus Christ also went on record to say, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever" (John 6:51).
Growing up I was always confused by the "living water" and the "living bread." Obviously, Christ is not talking about physical water and bread. What is He talking about?
I heard growing up (multiple times) that the scriptures are the "living water." This never made any sense to me. Jesus Christ said that we would never thirst again. I knew, even as a teenager, that we are dependent on regular scripture study. I see myself straying and becoming unhappy when I stop reading scriptures regularly. We are constantly reminded at Church to continue to develop a personal relationship with Christ through daily scripture study. We are are even told to "hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Matthew 5:6).
How can the scriptures be the "living water" if we constantly need more? Jesus Christ said we would "never thirst."
I pondered this on my mission and in that environment something hit me. Because of Jesus Christ and His great sacrifice, we will have perfect immortal bodies some day. The promise that we would never thirst would not be fulfilled in this life. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ we have the potential for eternal life, a life like God. This life means we will not be subjected to the pain and physical limitations of a mortal body.
Looking at it from that perspective, the promise Christ made to the woman of Samaria has more to do with the ordinances of salvation than it does with anything else. If we want, not only a resurrected body, but a life like God's with a fullness of Joy, we need to follow Jesus Christ's example and teachings. To do this, we need have faith, repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, go the temple, and endure to the end.
The real "living water" and "living bread" is following Jesus Christ. The real water and bread is Jesus Christ Himself. Although these principles are found clearly in the scriptures, reading the scriptures themselves do not produce salvation. Yes, the scriptures could be considered the "living water," but only if you imply that they must be acted on.
When I took a closer look at what Jesus Christ said, I found that he laid it our clearly. He said, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:51).
Very often, when I take the sacrament now, I think of this. Jesus Christ is the "living water" and the "living bread" and He has asked us to remember Him and the ordinances of salvation by taking bread and water every week.
Speaking of the sacrament, Sister Cheryl A. Esplin said in the 2014 October General Conference, "Our wounded souls can be healed and renewed not only because the bread and water remind us of the Savior's sacrifice of His flesh and blood but because the emblems also remind us that He will always be our 'bread of life' and 'living water.'"
With all this being said, I hope it is understood that I am not trying to imply that this is the only way to interpret the metaphor and symbol of the "living water" and "living bread." There are multiple layers of understanding that come from each symbol in the Gospel.
Jesus Christ also went on record to say, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever" (John 6:51).
Growing up I was always confused by the "living water" and the "living bread." Obviously, Christ is not talking about physical water and bread. What is He talking about?
I heard growing up (multiple times) that the scriptures are the "living water." This never made any sense to me. Jesus Christ said that we would never thirst again. I knew, even as a teenager, that we are dependent on regular scripture study. I see myself straying and becoming unhappy when I stop reading scriptures regularly. We are constantly reminded at Church to continue to develop a personal relationship with Christ through daily scripture study. We are are even told to "hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Matthew 5:6).
How can the scriptures be the "living water" if we constantly need more? Jesus Christ said we would "never thirst."
I pondered this on my mission and in that environment something hit me. Because of Jesus Christ and His great sacrifice, we will have perfect immortal bodies some day. The promise that we would never thirst would not be fulfilled in this life. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ we have the potential for eternal life, a life like God. This life means we will not be subjected to the pain and physical limitations of a mortal body.
Looking at it from that perspective, the promise Christ made to the woman of Samaria has more to do with the ordinances of salvation than it does with anything else. If we want, not only a resurrected body, but a life like God's with a fullness of Joy, we need to follow Jesus Christ's example and teachings. To do this, we need have faith, repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, go the temple, and endure to the end.
The real "living water" and "living bread" is following Jesus Christ. The real water and bread is Jesus Christ Himself. Although these principles are found clearly in the scriptures, reading the scriptures themselves do not produce salvation. Yes, the scriptures could be considered the "living water," but only if you imply that they must be acted on.
When I took a closer look at what Jesus Christ said, I found that he laid it our clearly. He said, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:51).
Very often, when I take the sacrament now, I think of this. Jesus Christ is the "living water" and the "living bread" and He has asked us to remember Him and the ordinances of salvation by taking bread and water every week.
Speaking of the sacrament, Sister Cheryl A. Esplin said in the 2014 October General Conference, "Our wounded souls can be healed and renewed not only because the bread and water remind us of the Savior's sacrifice of His flesh and blood but because the emblems also remind us that He will always be our 'bread of life' and 'living water.'"
With all this being said, I hope it is understood that I am not trying to imply that this is the only way to interpret the metaphor and symbol of the "living water" and "living bread." There are multiple layers of understanding that come from each symbol in the Gospel.
Comments
Post a Comment