Day 11 - John 4:19-26
18 Jan 2017
In verse 19 it may seem like this woman is changing the topic of conversation. That would be understandable - Jesus has just revealed he knows some embarrassing facts about her life. But it might be that she is following up on what Jesus has just said.
There is an important connection between true worship and true satisfaction. Everyone worships. We worship what we think will give us purpose, meaning and satisfaction in our life. We all long to be part of something bigger than ourselves - something that will deal with our past, help us in the present and provide for us in the future.
The woman’s question about true worship gets to the heart of the issue. One of the big divides between Jews and gentiles was over where they should worship. The Samaritans rejected temple worship in Jerusalem. She may have been challenged by Jesus about where she was finding satisfaction - so she now asks where she should really find and worship God.
Jesus answers the woman by directing her to himself. The Jews were right in worshipping at the temple in Jerusalem, but that temple was a temporary picture of the true meeting place between God and man. The meeting place who is Jesus himself. If we are to worship God rightly we need to listen to him, let him reveal God to us, and we need to be transformed by him. To truly worship we don’t go to place, but we worship in Spirit and truth by going to him.
But how do we do this? This woman was expecting the Messiah to come. Jesus says “I am him”! Now she has no excuse not to worship God rightly. Neither do we.