Each chapter in John naturally holds a great deal of compelling material, and you could spend a great deal of time meditating on any given section or teaching of Jesus. This week, in studying John 4, one line that particularly captivated me was verse 14; “Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” In this famous conversation with the woman at the well, Jesus says a number of surprising things. This promise in verse 14 is an easy one to overlook. Jesus promises to give eternal life, making people themselves a spring of living water. In context, this “living water” is a reference to the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus will send upon all believers. The Holy Spirit will indwell followers of Christ, and live in them. What’s really interesting here is that Jesus says that each Holy Spirit indwelt person will themselves become a “spring.” Meaning, I believe, that not only will they have the water of life, they themselves will produce waters of life. In the temple vision of Ezekiel, it is promised that a river of water will come forth from the future temple when it is restored. Then in the gospels we learn that Jesus Himself is the temple, who gives living water. Going forth in the New Testament, we will see that believers themselves, as the body of Christ, will be the temple of the living God, in which God dwells. Believers have the Spirit, believers are the temple, and believers are a spring of water. All this imagery fits together – Christians are the temple from which the river flows, fulfilling the picture of Ezekiel’s temple. I think this is exactly what Jesus will talk about in John 7:38 when He says; ”Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” This is important. It is not just that believers are recipients of eternal life. Beyond that, believers become distributors of eternal life. Life comes from us, just as water flows from the temple. This is a theme throughout John. Jesus not only calls and saves people. Jesus also uses people to bring life to others. Just as He did with the Samaritan woman, and just as He will through all those who follow Him. As we go forward in John, pay attention to this important theme, and consider how Jesus has made you a spring of living water, a temple of His Holy Spirit.