"If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink"
The last and greatest day of the Feast of Tents came. On that day they brought water into the Temple and poured it out, amid great rejoicing; calling to mind how God had given water from the rock to the Israelites in the desert.
In the midst of the pouring out of the water, Jesus cried with a very loud voice, so that all heard him:
"If any one is thirsty," he said, "let him come to me and drink! He who believes in me, out of him shall flow rivers of living water!"
Some of the people, when they heard this, said, "This must be really the Prophet who is to come!"
Others said, "This is the Christ, the King of Israel!"
But there were those who said, "No, this cannot be Christ the King, for this man comes from Galilee, and the Bible says that Christ is to come from the line of King David and from David's town of Bethlehem."
These people knew that Jesus came to them from Galilee, but they did not know that he had been born in Bethlehem and belonged to the royal line of David. They were divided over Jesus: some thought that he was their promised king, while others wanted to seize him as a teacher of falsehood. The rulers sent out officers to make him their prisoner, but somehow no man dared to lay hands upon him.
When the officers came back to the chief priests and leading men, they were asked, "Why did you not bring this man with you?"
The officers answered, "No man ever spoke as this man speaks!"