"37 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. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So there was a division among the people over him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him."
John 7:37-44
If we follow the symbolism of John's thought throughout the chapter, it is not fanciful to see in the course of events a portrayal of his main message. Consider what happened at this feast: Jesus came up to Jerusalem in secret, then made Himself known suddenly. Then, when the people were divided over Him, He withdrew and retired from the scene. Such is the outline of the chapter. Is John saying something to us in all this? We may recall Malachi's prophecy, ‘The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple.... But who may abide the day of His coming?', recall too, John's own words in the Prologue, 'He came unto his own, and his own received Him not’. The chapter certainly reflects the story of His coming to the people of Israel: He came to them in secret, incognito, then manifested Himself to them in miracles, wonders and signs; there was a division among them, they could not make up their minds about Him; they resisted and finally rejected Him. And He finally withdrew from them and left their house desolate (Matthew 23:38). Is Christ here, then, by His symbolic action, conveying this warning to them - the sudden appearing, the manifestation, the withdrawal? There may be some- thing in this. But more: this is also the pattern of the Holy Spirit's dealings with men. He comes to men's hearts like this, sometimes secretly, sometimes suddenly, confronting them with His tremendous challenge and claims. This is the crisis of grace; and when men delay their response to Him and resist His overtures, He withdraws from them. This is one of the awesome things about the gospel. We may not presume to keep Christ waiting too long. He is the King, and He summons us to obedience. This is why Isaiah cries 'Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near'.