“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37)

This last day of the year, Christ pleads with us the way He did with the crowds assembled for the feast in Jerusalem. Despite our rebellion and resistance to His Holy Spirit, He cries for us to “come”. The word “cry” implies pity, like that of a mother appealing to her children, or the apostle Paul reasoning with the Corinthians “as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Jesus invites anyone who’s thirsty to come and drink freely. Christ’s invitation is done without regard for who hears it. The only thing you bring to the fountain is a thirst to be saved from yourself. All your attempts to satisfy your thirst have failed. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).

The sinner must come to Jesus, not to good works, religious observances or doctrines, but to a personal Redeemer, who bore the sins of the world in His body on the cross. The Savior, who bled and died and was raised from the dead, is the only hope for the sinner.

No waiting or preparation is hinted at. Everyone knows how to drink. A fool, a thief, a harlot can drink; so sinfulness of character is no bar to the invitation to believe in Jesus. They don’t need a golden cup. Even the poorest sinner is welcome to stoop down and drink. Blistered, leprous, filthy lips can take from the stream of divine love; they cannot defile it, but the defiled will be purified. Jesus is the only fountain of hope. Hear His loving voice as He cries to each of us, "IF ANY MAN THIRSTS, LET HIM COME TO ME AND DRINK".

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