Upon arriving in Rome, our tour bus dropped us off at Piazza del Popolo. We couldn’t check into our hotel until 4:30pm, so our tour group was dropped off to explore the historical/touristy area for a couple of hours while we waited for the magical hour of 4:30pm to arrive.
It was blazing hot! Hubby and I were wilted in the heat. We didn’t feel up to walking much or exploring. All we really wanted was to be in some air conditioning.
But alas, there was no air conditioning to be had.
So, we found a nice shady spot to sit on the Fountain of the Four Lions. The cool water spraying from the mouth of the lions seemed refreshing in the blazing heat.
As hubby and I sat there, we were greatly surprised when a young man came pedaling up on his bicycle, dropped his bicycle to the ground, climbed up onto the fountain, and began filling his water bottle from the spray of water coming from the lion’s mouth.
Is that water really potable??
The young man downed his water bottle … then refilled it. He downed the water bottle a second time … then refilled it again.
The next day, as we were touring with our most excellent tour guide, Franco, he mentioned that all the public fountains in the city of Rome are perfectly fine for drinking. The water for all the public fountains comes from fresh springs far away, via ancient aqueducts underground, so the water is clean and safe for drinking.
Rome has many fabulous fountains. However, the ones which hubby and I saw were not from the time of ancient Rome. The Fountain of the Four Lions (where we sat in Piazza del Popolo) was from 1886.
The Trevi Fountain is from 1735.
Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers is from 1651.
In trying to imagine what the city of ancient Rome might have been like when the Apostle Paul was there, it has been very helpful to look at the ancient city of Pompeii (from the exact same time period as ancient Rome). The city of Pompeii was destroyed by Mt. Vesuvius only a few years after Paul was in Rome.
Here you can see what a typical public fountain in Pompeii was like.
This fountain is built out into the street, probably so that the horses and animals could have access to the water as well.
The city of Pompeii had about 40 public fountains such as this.
Here you can see another public fountain just around the corner on a different street.
When the Apostle Paul arrived in Rome in the spring of AD 60, he probably passed many fountains just like this. He probably even quenched his thirst at fountains like this.
Three years earlier, in AD 57, the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the early Christians living in Rome. Paul had never been to Rome or met these Jesus-followers, but he had heard of their faith in Jesus Christ. So, he wrote a letter to instruct them in matters of doctrine and in how to live a holy life.
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he instructs them: “Live in harmony with one another.
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
“Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.’ … Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Romans 12:16-21
Just like the blazing heat wilted hubby and me when we were in Rome, so also life itself is nothing but “blazing heat.” There is tension … friction … strife! There is conflict!
There is hurt … there is pain … there are disappointments!
God instructed the early Christians of Rome … and us today: “Live in harmony with one another.” Or in other words … be a fountain with cool clear water. Let your life bring refreshing to those around you.
God instructs: “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. … Do not take revenge.” Or in other words … don’t be a polluted fountain pouring out toxic water in return.
Before we repent of our sin and give our sin to Jesus Christ, we can’t help but pour toxic polluted water out of the fountain of our life. Before repenting and giving our sin to Jesus our life is controlled by our sinful nature.
But once we repent and give our sin to Jesus, Jesus completely transforms us! Jesus removes our old sinful nature … which used to pour out toxic polluted “water” from the fountain of our life. And in exchange Jesus gives us a brand-new nature … or in other words, a “brand new fountain.”
Now we have the Spirit of God pouring cool, clear, clean water from the fountain of our life.
Is that not amazing??
But the thing is, the fountain of our life can only pour out cool, clear, clean water as we maintain our connection to the source – the Holy Spirit.
If we allow bitterness to block the flow of the Holy Spirit in our life … then our fountain will dry up. We won’t have any cool, clear, clean water in the basin of our life.
If we allow anger to pollute our mind and our thoughts … then the flow of water from the fountain of our life will become polluted and toxic.
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. … Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath.”
The fountains aren’t producing the cool, clear, clean water all by themselves. The cool, clear, clean water is flowing from a source elsewhere. If the pathway is blocked, or if pollutants are dumped into the flow … then the fountain cannot be a clean refreshing place.
If you are a Jesus-follower, do not block the flow of the Holy Spirit in your life. Do not ignore the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Do not disobey the Holy Spirit’s promptings in your soul. This will block the flow of “water” in the “fountain” of your life.
Likewise, if you are a Jesus-follower, do not allow sin to contaminate and pollute your mind and your thoughts. A polluted mind will result in a polluted “flow of water” from the “fountain” of your life.
‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.’ … Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Be a fountain! Overcome the “blazing heat” with cool, clear, clean “water” … flowing from the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.
A life which is “marked” by Jesus Christ is a life characterized by peace. Peace like cool, clear, refreshing water. Peace like a fountain of refreshing on a “blazing hot” day.
“Live in harmony with one another. …
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
Peace is not the absence of all problems. Peace is the cool refreshing “water” of the Holy Spirit in the middle of the “heat” … in the middle of the “chaos” … in the middle of the problems.
Be a fountain of peace. People parched by the “blazing heat” of life will be drawn to the fountain.
