In Jesus’ day, the idea of holiness had become very important to the Jewish people. Babylonian exile and captivity experienced by the Jews five hundred years earlier due to embracing pagan practices caused them to build a fence around the Torah. This meant that you obeyed the law perfectly and never violated it. For first-century Jews, many lived out holiness by following rules and legalism, but were bereft of blessing others. So much of the heart to reach people had been lost because they were afraid to fall out of God’s favor and into captivity once again.

During this time, I think there was this huge separation between God’s people and those outside of their culture they were intended to reach. The calling to reach the world didn’t start with Jesus. It began with God saying to Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Friend, I really think this is God’s purpose for the Jewish people and for us as Christians today. God has chosen not just to bless us, but like the Sea of Galilee, which is fresh, full of life, and flowing water, He gives us the water of life. We, in turn, give the water out to the world. To be a healthy person in God’s Kingdom means not only receiving the blessings, but to turn around and bless the world.