Abstract
He spoke and galaxies whirled into place, stars burned the heavens, and planets
began orbiting their suns – words of awesome, unlimited, unleashed power. He
spoke again and the waters and lands were filled with plants and creatures,
running, swimming, growing, and multiplying – words of animating, breathing,
pulsing life. Again He spoke and man and woman were formed, thinking,
speaking, and loving – words of personal and creative glory. Eternal, infinite,
unlimited – He was, is, and always will be the Maker and Lord of all that exists.
And then He came in the flesh to a speck in the universe called planet earth. The
mighty Creator became a part of the creation, limited by time and space and
susceptible to age, sickness, and death. But love propelled Him, and so He came to
rescue and save those who were lost and to give them the gift of eternity. He is the
Word (John 1:1); He is the Bread of Life (6:35); He is the Way, the Truth, and the
Life (14:6); He is the Giver of Living Water (4:13-14); He is Jesus, the Christ.
Without light, water, and food there could be no life. It is exactly these elements
that John uses as symbols in his Gospel to present Jesus as the Light, Water and
Food to the reader. Each of these symbols is a vital part of the context of eternal
life though for this study the focus will be on water, and its symbolism in the book
of John.
We will firstly consider the meaning of Johannine symbolism, Following, the
significance of the water motif in the Old and New Testament, the characteristics
of John’s use of the Old Testament and the Johannine writings. We will end our
study with the eschatology and the symbolic meaning of water in John 4.
Prof. J.A. du Rand