John 4:14 … To drink the Sacred Waters (04/29/17)
“Those who drink of the Water I give them will never thirst. The Water I give them will become in them a spring of Water gushing up to eternal Living.” ~ Jesus (John 4:14)
First & foremost, note that the traditional translation of this verse reads “But those who drink of the water that I will give them will never thirst, but the water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life” (NRSV) – a very small difference of one word (“life” instead of “living”), and yet a very small difference with quite a significant consequence …
For the traditional translation implies that Jesus is somehow talking about a blessing of infinite life post-mortem that one would receive as a reward for worshiping him, and yet such a translation contradicts not only everything Jesus said about himself (see Mark 10:18, John 5:41, John 7:16, John 8:50-54, John12:44 et al) and everything he said about Heaven (see Matthew 10:7, Luke 17:20-21, John 13:15-17 et al) and everything he said about God (see Matthew 5:48, John 14:20-26, John 15:26 et al), but also contradicts the meaning of the Greek text used in the ancient biblical manuscripts.
Indeed, what this verse actually says is “those who drink of the water I give them will never thirst for the length of the age” (i.e. for their lifetime, or for the “seeming eternity” that such moments feel to be – see the greek “aiona;” Strong’s #165) and that “the water I give them will become a spring welling up into a life seemingly eternal” (or “age-long”, implying that the life in question has been stretched to its full potential – see the Greek “aionion;” Strong’s #166). And it is this latter textually accurate translation that harmonizes far more readily with the teachings and the recorded ministry of Jesus in the Gospels …
Second, note as well that “water” for Jesus was his preferred metaphor for the Holy Spirit (see John 4:7-15 & John 7:38-39 & Thomas 108, just as “wine” was his symbolic reference of choice for the unconditional Love of his selfless Way — see John 2:1-11) …
Third, note that Jesus does not say that those who drink once from his Wisdom will be forever quenched, but rather implies that those who drink will never thirst while they are repeatedly drinking thereof (see Gospel of Thomas variant – “He who drinks from my mouth/from my words will become as I am, and I will become what he is, and all that is hidden will be revealed to him.” ~ Gospel of Thomas 108) …
Fourth, note that the more one enlivens the “water” of the selfless Spirit, the more that Water washes away the sludge of sin & the tarnish of fear that coat the Soul, and thus the more readily one’s life does indeed become a life overflowing with Spirit – overflowing with acts of selfless Love & radical Kindness. And the more one’s life becomes such a tribute to The Way of Christ, the “longer” (i.e. the fuller) that life becomes and the more steadfastly its deeds ripple throughout the Universe … Love only lives in the moment – a moment that is per se timeless; per se “eternal” – or “age long”.
As such, a life soaked in deeds of selfless Love is a life strewn with hundreds of such jewels of infinity. To the giver of that Love, life stretches towards eternity – and to those witnessing the same, their Wonderment thereof inspires a similar boldness of Loving — and thereby a similar experience of the eternal.
Amen … Let it be so.
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