John 4:19-24
“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
Comments
The conflict between Jews and Samaritans began hundreds of years before the time of Jesus. Only the books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) were accepted as Scripture by the Samaritans. That led to different perspectives on the center of worship because Jerusalem had no special status before the time of King David.
Jesus made a point that what was truly important was not a matter of where we worship but of who we worship.
Reflections
Have you known someone from a different faith who worshipped God “in the Spirit and in truth?”
Do you believe someone from another religion can worship God, whose holy and loving nature is fully revealed in Jesus?
Prayer
Help me see, Lord, how different religions can at times draw people closer to you and at other times push them further away.
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