We all know that no matter how much we drink we will get thirsty again at some point, so what is Jesus talking about here? What is this water that completely quenches our thirst?

To answer these questions, we are going to have to start at the beginning when "God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1). God, who had no beginning, created everything in existence and like a potter with his clay, God fashioned the world into the shape he wished, with all its amazing details (including the very water we drink). He made it, He owns it, He controls it. Revelation 4:11 says “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” God created humans too (Genesis 1:26), just like you and me. God was a kind king, and the world was originally a perfect paradise.

But then something bad happened, the first two humans decided not to listen to God and broke the first law (see Genesis 3) and so "through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned" (Romans 5:12). Sin is just a fancy word that means breaking the law or going against justice. Because our first father sinned, all sorts of injustices started happening in the world.

We can all think of some of the evil things that people do around the world: the murders, the warlords, the people who own sex slaves, or maybe even those who keep clean water from those in need. We say that these people need to come to justice. Taking small girls and selling their bodies is wrong, and these people need to be stopped and punished. However, Jesus himself said “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court…" (Matthew 5:21-22). The Bible also tells us that "whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all." (James 2:10)

We’ve ALL done something wrong; we’ve all been angry, apathetic, or unjust towards someone in our lives. And even if we have been perfectly kind to everyone (which is highly unlikely), we still have chosen to ignore God the King, to "not honor Him as God or give thanks, but [we] became futile in [our] speculations, and [our] foolish heart was darkened." (Romans 1:21)

God can’t ignore the things we’ve done wrong because He is a good judge and can’t just ignore injustices. We see so much evil in this world and we wonder why God allows this evil to happen, and the truth is that God is not ignoring the evil or unable to stop it, but is just being patient with us. We should be asking why God lets me take another breath knowing what I’ve done or the evil things that I have thought about and wanted to do. However, The Bible also says that "it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment," (Hebrews 9:27). God will not ignore sin/injustice forever and will one day perfectly and fairly judge, punishing the people who have done evil. This is great! Those evil men who abused that little girl and sold her into slavery will be punished. But we too are guilty and deserving of punishment on that day.

BUT GOD…
"demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

Jesus Christ, who was God, humbled himself to become a man on earth, lived a completely just and perfect life, died an unjust death in the place of sinners/evil people just like you and me. Jesus never did anything wrong or deserving of punishment, but He paid the ultimate price for our unjust lives with his blood. Even though we deserved to be punished for our sins, Jesus gave us grace so that “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13). "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7). All our evil deeds are forgotten and we are saved from the punishment we deserve.

Jesus then rose from the dead, proving everything that He said was true, that He really was God and could forgive our sins.

The living water that Jesus was talking about was Himself! We all know that no matter how many cups of water we drink, or give to someone else, everyone will always be thirsty again. No matter how many diseases we cure, we will all one day die. The good news from Jesus is that He has Eternal Life for us, where we will never grow thirsty again, never hunger, and "God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”" (Revelation 7:17). Death in this life is only the next part of eternal life; we will one day be raised from the dead, just like Jesus was.