“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.”
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink — on the final great day of Tabernacles (likely the seventh or eighth day, when water-drawing ceremonies reached their climax), Jesus stands and cries out (ekraxen, shouted). The image of thirst and drinking connects to the feast's water rituals: the daily procession to the Pool of Siloam and the pouring of water on the altar. Jesus claims to offer what the ceremonial water symbolized: satisfaction of the deepest spiritual longing. The universality ('if any man') opens this to all, not just Israel.
Church Fathers on John 7:37
The feast being over, and the people about to return home, our Lord gives them provisions for the way: On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come to Me, and drink.
The feast was then going on, which is called scenopegia, i.e. building of tents.
To make Himself audible, inspire confidence in others, and show an absence of all fear in Himself.
Read all 19 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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