"Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool
when the water is stirred up;
while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me."
Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your mat, and walk."
The man no longer needs the pool because Jesus is the true source of living water.
Whoever believes in me, as scripture says:
'Rivers of living water will flow from within him' (see John 7:38).
These are the waters that flow forth from the side of Jesus on the Cross. These waters refer to the Spirit poured out by Jesus, through his Passion, upon the world at Pentecost. They are the waters that power baptism and make us new creations in Christ.
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws (see Ezekiel 36:25-27).
Jesus himself is the new temple (see John 2:21). Therefore the waters that flow from the temple in the reading from Ezekiel are the waters flowing from Christ himself.
Then he brought me to the bank of the river, where he had me sit.
Along the bank of the river I saw very many trees on both sides.
He said to me,
"This water flows into the eastern district down upon the Arabah,
and empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh.
We are in desperate need of more of this water in our lives. But there is no shortage! Jesus delights to pour it out upon us. He longs to drench us in the healing rain of the Spirit. Let's not look for reasons to doubt or reasons to condemn. Instead, let us look to the action of Jesus in our world so that we can see it more clearly as done by him. Let's not be like the antagonists of today's gospel reading.
Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus
because he did this on a sabbath.
Rather let us learn that Jesus is the source of living water. Let us come to him, realizing our thirst, and drink!
There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High.
God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed;
God will help it at the break of dawn.
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