Zechariah 14:8: “And in that day it shall be / That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, / Half of them toward the eastern sea / And half of them toward the western sea; / In both summer and winter it shall occur.”

December 25th, 2021 by Pastor Ed in devotional

We love the phrase “living waters” here. It originally meant flowing water like from a spring or waterfall rather than stale water that had been collected in a cistern. Someday soon, pure, fresh flowing water will run from Jerusalem in 2 directions. Part of the spring will flow east toward the now Dead Sea, and the other part will flow west to the Mediterranean Sea. It seems it will run continually for 1000 years and not dry up, making the desert ‘blossom as the rose’ even in summer. The living water mentioned here isn’t just flowing, it also brings life.

In the early 1500s, not long after the discovery of the New World, Europeans began making the long journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Some came in search of prosperity, others for adventure, to see what other Europeans had not. Later some sought religious freedom, but at first, the people who came were mostly in search of gold. Perhaps the most famous was Juan Ponce de Leon, a Spanish conquistador. Ponce de Leon and his men were the first Europeans to explore Puerto Rico, parts of Mexico, and Florida. In his quest for gold, he meet with the indigenous tribes in those areas, who told him stories not only of gold but also of a magical spring, the “Fountain of Youth,” that bubbled up out of the ground and had the power to heal and restore youth to anyone who drank from it. He spent the rest of his life trying to find this fountain, but when he died from a poisoned arrow in 1521, he still had not discovered this “living water.” Not much has changed in the 21st century; people are still looking for some fountain of youth. They have their faces lifted and their bellies suctioned. They are perpetually dieting, joining health clubs, getting personal trainers, and doing exercise videos. There is a whole “fountain-of-youth” industry today.

Almost 15 centuries before Ponce de Leon, a Samaritan woman came to her local well, not searching for a fountain of youth but for just enough water to get her through another day. We are not told how old she was, but we can easily see that she was very old emotionally and spiritually. Selfish people, life, and sin had used her up. Her story in John 4 records her encounter with the Messiah and His offer of living water. She gratefully accepted the free gift of eternal life that Jesus offered her and still offers to all who come to Him today.

“LORD, we are so grateful for Your living water and ask that You would use us to spread the word this day, in Jesus’ name.”