“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”
Whose heart will the river flow come out? Traditional, eastern interpretation says that the recipients heart will outflow living waters. Contemporary, western interpretation says that it’s Christ’s heart. Both views claim linguistic and biblical proof. Grammatically the difference is punctuation (not in the original). Both appear equal in their claim. Both appear right.
Then I read John 4:13–14 (ESV):
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
There you see, three chapters earlier, Jesus explained that both views are right - at the same time. Living water flows out of Him to the believer; and then flows out of the believer.
Perhaps the ambiguity of John 7:37-38 is intentional because Jesus already interpreted it for us.
Scripture interprets Scripture!
Sola Scriptura! SDG!
