John 4:16-26
Worship in Spirit and Truth
Read the passage
16Jesus told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17“I have no husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said to her, “You are correct to say that you have no husband.
18In fact, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. You have spoken truthfully.”
19“Sir,” the woman said, “I see that You are a prophet.
20Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place where one must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21“Believe Me, woman,” Jesus replied, “a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
22You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.
23But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him.
24God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”
25The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”
26Jesus answered, “I who speak to you am He.”
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Jesus asks the woman to call her husband. When she says she has no husband, He confirms that she has spoken truthfully: she has had five husbands, and the man she now has is not her husband. He knows her history without having been told. John gives no account of how those marriages ended, so we should not fill in her story with accusations the passage does not make.
She recognizes Jesus as a prophet and raises the disagreement over where to worship. Her people worship on this mountain; the Jews say Jerusalem. Jesus tells her a time is coming when worship of the Father will not be bound to either place. Yet He does not say that every claim about God is equally true: He says salvation is from the Jews.
God is Spirit, and the Father is seeking people who worship in spirit and truth. A location cannot supply the worship He seeks. Neither can outward observance replace a heart turned toward Him, or sincerity make a false idea of Him true. Worship must answer to who God is and what He reveals. Jesus announces that this new hour has already come.
The woman speaks of the Messiah who will explain everything. Jesus replies, “I who speak to you am He.” The answer she hopes to receive someday stands before her now. The One who knows her life also makes Himself known to her. The Father is seeking worshipers, and His Messiah is speaking with this woman.
Questions
1 What does Jesus reveal that He knows about the woman's life?
AnswerHe knows she has had five husbands and that the man she now has is not her husband. He confirms that her statement, “I have no husband,” is truthful.
2 Why does Jesus say the Father seeks worshipers in spirit and truth?
AnswerGod is Spirit. Worship of Him therefore depends on more than being in the right place: it must involve our inward life and accord with the truth He reveals.
3 How does Jesus answer the woman's hope that the Messiah will explain everything?
AnswerHe tells her, “I who speak to you am He.” The Messiah she expects is already there, speaking with her.
4 Where can our household worship God truthfully rather than depending on a preferred place or image?
AnswerWe can worship Him at home as well as when we gather with other believers. A familiar setting does not make worship true by itself; we come honestly before the Father and listen to what He reveals through Jesus.
What This Means for Us
We do not need a perfect setting to turn toward the Father. During a quiet prayer at home, a hurried day, or worship with the church, we can speak honestly to Him and attend to His word. Familiar songs and routines help only as we actually offer ourselves to the God we are addressing.
Jesus knows the woman's history and continues to reveal Himself to her. We can bring our actual lives before Him too. And when we know only part of someone else's story, we should resist treating our assumptions as facts.
Prayer
Father, You seek worshipers who worship in spirit and truth. Receive us as we are, with nothing hidden from You. Help us know You through the Messiah who spoke to this woman and has made Himself known to us. Amen.