Verse 37. On the last day of the great feast, Jesus stood and called to you, saying, 'If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink.'3 The first and last days of the above-mentioned feast of the setting up of tabernacles were considered great, since all those gathered on these days were more zealous in worship, spending the intermediate days of the feast more in feasting. Thus, when everyone intended to go home at the end of the feast, Jesus Christ wanted to give guidance to those who wished to be saved, and He proclaimed in order to show His boldness and so that everyone would hear, since there were many people. He said, "If any man thirst for learning, let him come to me and drink spiritual drink; I do not summon those who are thirsty, but only those who greatly desire such drink.

Verse 38. Believe in Me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living waters shall flow out of his womb.4 The heart is called the belly, as it is said, "Thy law is in the midst of my womb" (Psalm 39:11),5 – and by rivers of water He calls the abundance of the Holy Spirit, the fullness of Divine grace; living, i.e. always active, eternally moving, for when Divine grace is established in the soul, it becomes a source and always flows. And Peter, and Paul, and all their followers, having abundant grace in their hearts, did not pour out a river, but rivers of words, rushing with great force, carrying away everything that came across, flooding and drowning the idle talk of unbelievers. And in the fourth chapter (v. 14) Jesus Christ said to the Samaritan woman: "The water which I will give him, there shall be in him a fountain of water flowing into eternal life." Read again the explanation of these words. After the words, "As the Scripture speaks," one must pause. In various ways, the Scriptures commanded us to believe in Jesus Christ.

Verse 39. And this is the word of the Spirit, Whom the believer in His name desires to receive... 6 This, that is, that rivers shall flow forth from His womb living waters; about the Douce, i.e. spiritual gifts.

Verse 39... For the Holy Spirit is not with him... 7 He was not yet among those who believed in Jesus Christ, He was not yet given to His disciples.

Verse 39... For Jesus is not glorified... 8 Jesus Christ was not yet glorified through the Cross, since here He calls the Cross glory. For all others, the cross was a reproach, as a retribution for great crimes, but for Jesus Christ alone it became glory, as a reward for His great love for us. Who, having a thankful soul, hearing that He Who stands above all honor, endured such dishonor for the salvation of men, will not glorify Him? Before His sufferings on the Cross, Jesus Christ did not give His disciples the Holy Spirit, but only power over unclean spirits, in order to cast them out and heal every sickness and every infirmity (Matt. 10:1), and after His sufferings on the Cross He also gave them the Holy Spirit. Because we have sinned and offended God, we have become His enemies; but the grace of the Holy Spirit is a gift, and the gift is given to friends. Therefore, it was necessary first to offer a sacrifice for us, to reconcile and destroy enmity, for which the slaughter of the Intelligent Lamb, the death of Jesus Christ, served, and then it was necessary to give a gift.

Verse 40. And many of the people heard the word, saying, This is truly a prophet,1 of whom Moses wrote, as we have often said. And indeed, He was a prophet; but they imagined Him to be a mere prophet, like Moses, but not God.

Verse 41. The Druses said: This is Christ... 2 And indeed, He was the Christ; but even these considered Him a simple man.

Verse 41... And Ovii said, "Does Christ come from Galilee?"3 But He was not born in Galilee either.

Verse 42. Did not the Scriptures say, "From the seed of David, and from the whole of Bethlehem, where David, the Christ will come?4 But He was also from there, and it was only out of malice that the Jews called Nazareth His homeland, whence was His Mother and His father, lest on the basis of this prophecy they should believe in Jesus Christ, if they said that He was from Bethlehem.

Verse 43. For there was strife among the people for His sake,5 because every party disputed its opinion.

Verse 44. And some of them wanted to eat Him:...,6 precisely as a troublemaker.

Verse 44... but no one laid down the hands of Nan,7 which were invisibly restrained, as was shown above.

Verses 45-46. And the servants came to the bishop and the Pharisee, and said unto them, Why do ye not bring Him? And the servants answered, "Thus hath a man spoken, for this is the man.8 They went to bind Jesus Christ, but they returned, bound in wonder, to His words. And so, those who sent, although they heard many of His words, saw many miracles, read prophecies about Him and were considered wise, did not take advantage of this in the least, while those who were sent quite the opposite – they were captivated only by the conversation of Jesus Christ to the people, since they still had an uncorrupted mind. And it is not only their prudence that should be marveled at, but also their boldness. They do not say, "We have let Jesus Christ go so that there may be no rebellion among the people," nor do they invent any other excuse, but speak the truth plainly and declare His wisdom.

Verse 47. For the Pharisee answered them, "Food, and ye are deceived?"9 What mad envy! They should have asked and found out what Jesus Christ taught, but they did not wait for it, but immediately flattered them, sparing them and not allowing them to be harsh, for fear that they would not cling to Jesus Christ at all.