Water: Symbol, Element, Utility V
One final thought, this time, from the words and actions of Jesus. He who spat in the dust, and anointed the eyes of the blind man, who when he went and washed, found he could see.
Who walked over the treacherous waves and spoke angrily to calm a raging sea.
The same Jesus whose feet were anointed with the tears of a woman who then dried her tears, and his feet, with her hair. The same Jesus whose side leaked blood and water to signify his death.
He said these words,
31″When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34″Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35..For I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
37″Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you thirsty and give you something to drink?
40″The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
How like Jesus to take something as humble as a glass of water and to trade it for eternal life. How extraordinarily unequal is that exchange. The same Jesus who turned mere jars of water into vintage wine now takes from us this inexpensive, ubiquitous glass of water offered in his name and gives us in return a life at his right hand.
And yet how difficult is this action.
Today, two fifths of the world people face serious water stresses and water-borne diseases fill half of the world’s hospital beds and kill one child every eight seconds. Moment, by moment by moment.
Today, if I want to fit 120 litres of scarce Australian water into a single glass, I can perform Jesus ancient miracle at Cana and turn it into Merlot.
Today, the ancient boundaries between the waters above and below are being removed and we are being engulfed again as in the days of Noah. Once again, the selfish, sinful actions of human beings are causing a global calamity. Only this time, what is being unleashed is a cataclysm of thirst and disease.
And what Jesus asks of us is that we become aware of the eternal significance of a single glass of water. In this glass, and in our willingness to share it with those who are least among us, lies our very salvation, and, as before, the salvation of the world, which is saved in and through the water.
POEM
Manasquan Inlet ii (1991 ) Jane Tyson ClementNo one can stem the tide; now watch it run
to meet the river pouring to the sea!
And in the meeting tumult what a play
of waves and twinkling water in the sun!Ordained by powers beyond our ken,
beyond all wisdom, all our trickery,
immutable it comes, it sweeps, it ebbs
and clears the filthiness and froth of men.
Thought provoking post, thanks Glenn. This also stood out to me- 37″Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you thirsty and give you something to drink? those who shared with others didn’t do it to actively please God and get eternal life or in any legalistic way. They were unaware of their actions, it had been their heart attitude to living almost a lifestyle.
I’m supposed to drink 3 litres of water a day to keep me well but I think that I have never fully appreciated how easy it is for me to pour as many glasses of clean water as I want from a tap in my kitchen. I will grumble no longer, but will remember the significance of water…