Let's start this morning by rereading last week's passage, starting from John 4:1:
(4:1) Then, when Jesus knew that the Pharisees heard
that Jesus, many more disciples he is making and baptizing than John--
although Jesus himself was not baptizing,
but his disciples--
(3) he left Judea,
and he departed again for Galilee.
(4) Now, it was necessary for him to pass through Samaria.
(5) Then, he comes to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
(6) Now, there was Jacob's well.
Then, Jesus, having become tired from the journey, was simply sitting at the well.
It was about the sixth hour.
(7) A woman of Samaria comes to draw water.
Jesus says to her,
"Give to me to drink."
(8) For his disciples had gone to the city,
in order that food they would buy.
(9) Then, the woman-- the Samaritan one-- says to him,
"How are you, a Judean being, from me to drink you are asking-- a woman of Samaria being?"
For Judeans don't have dealings with Samaritans.
(10) Jesus answered,
and he said to her,
"If you had known the gift of God
and who is the one speaking to you,
"Give to me to drink,"
you would have asked him,
and he would have give to you living water.
(11) She says to him,
"Lord/sir, neither a bucket do you have,
and the well is deep.
Then, from where do you have the living water?
(12) You, not greater than our father Jacob, are you, right?,
who gave to us the well,
and he from it drank,
and his sons,
and his livestock?"
(13) Jesus answered,
and he said to her,
"Everyone drinking from this water will thirst again.
Now, whoever drinks from the water that I will give to him,
will absolutely never be thirsty [again] for eternity,
but the water that I will give to him will become in him a well of water springing up to/for eternal life.
(15) The woman says to him,
"Lord/sir, give to me this water,
in order that I shall not thirst,
nor come here to draw [water]."
Last week, we ended in verse 15. Here, the Samaritan woman totally stalls out in her growth. She wants the water Jesus offers, but why? It's a lot of work getting water from the well. Life would be better, and easier, if she wasn't ever thirsty.
And who does she think Jesus is? At first, she thought Jesus was simply a Judean. Then, she called him "Lord/sir." But here, for a second time, she uses the same title-- "Lord/sir."
And so we read her words in verse 15, and we find ourselves wondering, is the woman going to end up more like Nicodemus, than Nathaniel? Is she just flat out unable to reach the higher level of truth? Is she stuck at the lower, earthly level of understanding?
Jesus sees, and hears, that she has stalled out. She just can't understand God's gift. But, unlike Nicodemus, she's not hostile. Just confused. She WANTS God's gift, but she doesn't understand what she's asking for, or why she should want it.
So in verse 16, Jesus tries a different approach.
Actually, first, let's reread John 4:10:
(10) Jesus answered,
and he said to her,
"If you had known (1) the gift of God
and (2) who is the one speaking to you,
"Give to me to drink,"
you would have asked him,
and he would have give to you living water.
Up until now, Jesus' words have been focused on the "gift of God." But she's been unable to really understand God's gift, because she doesn't understand who is the one speaking to you. You have to understand both, together, for them to make sense.
Starting in verse 16, Jesus is going to try to reveal to her who he is.
Verse 16:
(16) He says to her,
"Go.
Call your husband,
and come here."
(17) The woman answered,
and she said to him,
"I don't have a husband."
Jesus says to her,
Rightly you said (that),
"A husband I don't have."
(18) For five husbands you had,
and now, the one whom you have isn't your husband.
This, truthfully, you have said."
Throughout the gospel of John, Jesus has had been able to see right through people. He knows what's in their hearts-- whether good (John 1:42, 47), or bad (John 2:24). He can tell if people come in truth, without deceit (John 2:24-3:1), or if they are genuinely open.
Here, that happens again. He looks at the woman, and he knows an astonishing truth about her. She's had five husbands, and she's currently living with someone she isn't married to.
And Jesus gives her credit at this point-- Jesus makes a big deal about how she has spoken truthfully. [And let's not get sidetracked, and call her a sinner, or adulterer, or some such thing.]
Verse 19:
(19) The woman says to him,
"Lord/sir," I perceive that a prophet, you are.
(20) Our fathers on this mountain worshipped,
and you (plural) say,
that in Jerusalem, the place is, where it is necessary to worship."
Here, the woman shows progress again. She's gone from calling Jesus a Judean, to "Lord/sir," to now calling him a prophet. She's inching closer to the truth. We find ourselves getting optimistic again. We are pleased.
And the woman's increased insight leads her to ask a question about where the right place is to worship.
Now, her statement here is often understood as being a way to sidetrack Jesus, and the conversation. She's embarrassed about her life, and she tries to distract Jesus by asking how many angels can dance on a pin.
But let's take her words at face value. When you find yourself confronted with a prophet, there is no better time to ask the hard theological questions-- the kind of question that's fundamental to who you are, and how you are supposed to relate to God.
What could be more important, than the question of how we can worship God rightly? Especially when some people--including the prophet in front of you-- think you're doing everything wrong?
Before we leave this verse, notice her words: "Our fathers."
Verse 21-24:
(21) Jesus says to her,
"Believe me, woman, that an hour is coming
when neither on this mountain
nor in Jerusalem you will worship the Father.
You (plural) worship what you don't know.
We worship what/who we know,
because salvation, from the Judeans, it is,
but an hour is coming, and now is,
when the truth worshippers will worship the Father in/by the Spirit and truth.
For, indeed, the Father such ones, He seeks [to be] his worshippers.
Spirit, God is,
and the ones worshipping him, in/by the Spirit and truth must worship."
The woman's unspoken question is a natural one: WHERE is the right place to worship God?
God, throughout the OT, was picky about how He was worshipped. You had to be consecrated. You had to offer sacrifices the right way, to the right God/Elohim, at the right place.
And if that's true, then either the Judeans or the Samaritans are doing it all wrong. And God can't be happy about that.
So her question is a natural one.
But Jesus' reply shows that this is the wrong question. We should be wondering, not WHERE God is rightly worshipped, but HOW. HOW is God rightly worshipped?
Let's reread part of this:
We worship what/who we know,
because salvation, from the Judeans, it is,
but an hour is coming, and now is,
when the true worshippers will worship the Father in/by the Spirit and truth.
Jesus says, the hour is coming when true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and truth.
Notice, though, three little words in the middle of this-- "and now is."
What we have here, probably, are AJ's words. He is helping you understand that Jesus isn't talking about something future to you. This is, right now, your reality. God doesn't care where you worship Him. What God wants-- what He is seeking-- is people who worship him in the Spirit and in the truth.
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E. Haenchen:
"This hour could not arrive during the earthly life of Jesus “for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (7:39*). For that reason, the disciples are always depicted in the Gospel of John as without understanding (see 4:32f.*). On the other hand, the Fourth Gospel nevertheless describes Jesus—and this complicates the matter initially for the reader—as faith understands him, the faith made possible (only) by the Spirit (cf. 16:12*), after “the hour” has come (20:22*)."
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Now, what does this mean? We read these words, and we know they are important. But how can we worship the Father in the Spirit and in the truth? How can we be this type of people?
That's a hard question.
Let's try to answer this in two steps, first focusing on "worshipping in the Spirit," and then on "worshipping in truth."
"Worship in the Spirit."
English Bibles will usually translate this "in spirit and in truth."
But you'll notice that I've capitalized "Spirit," and added "the."
And let's read the NIV:
23 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.
Let's go total nerd here, and try to explain this.
In the Greek, there is no "the" here. But that doesn't really matter. With proper names, in particular, the definite article "the" is often missing. The only way to tell if a noun is definite or not (when the article is missing) is through the context.
Hebrews 1:3 is a good example. Jesus sat down "at the right hand of God." "The" is implied from the context; it's not that God has lots of right hands, and Jesus sat down at one of them.
Or John 1:1. "In THE beginning, not in a beginning."
More to the point, in Matthew 3:11 we read this: "He will baptize you in/with [the] Holy Spirit and fire. "The" is missing.
Other places where "the" is missing, in the phrase "in THE Holy Spirit: Matt. 12:28; 22:43; Mark 1:8; Luke 1:17; 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5; 11:16; Romans 2:29; 8:9; 9:1; 14:17; 15:16; 1 Cor. 12:3; 2 Cor. 6:6; Eph. 22; 3:5; 5:18; 6:18; Co. 1:8; 1 Thess. 1:5; 1 Tim. 3:16; Jude 20; Rev. 1:10; 4:2; 17:3; 21:10.
It's basically always missing "the" in Greek.
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When we look at these examples, I think the NIV is really obviously right. Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit, not about worshipping with our spirits/inner being. And the best defense of this, I think, (besides the 33! other places it's used this way in the NT) had to do with that little note about "and now is." When Jesus said those words, he was looking forward to the day when the Holy Spirit would be given (John 7:39). And AJ helps us, by telling us that that day, now is. We, now, can worship in the Spirit.
So stepping away from the nerd cliff, where does that leave us?:
God can only be worshipped now, the way He should be, by people who have the Holy Spirit, and worship in/by/through the Spirit. Because we have the Holy Spirit--IF we have the Holy Spirit-- we are able to worship God in a way that our fathers in the Old Testament couldn't. The Spirit makes possible a higher level of worship-- worship on a Spirit level, since God is Spirit.
So that's what it means to worship "in the Spirit." What about "worship in the truth"?
Jesus, as the Word of God, is Truth. He is the one who reveals the Father. And you can't come to the Father, apart from Jesus.
I think what Jesus is saying, is that God can only be rightly worshipped, by those who understand who Jesus is (and accept that he is, who he says he is).
"Judeans" and "Samaritans" don't worship in the truth, unless they understand "who is the one speaking to you."
Verse 25:
(25) The woman says to him,
"I know that the Messiah is coming-- the one being called the Christ.
Whenever that one comes, he will disclose to us everything."
Samaritans had their own expectations for a Messiah. And the woman, at this point, tries to retreat back to the safety of her own fathers' faith. She doesn't expect to really understand all of this. But she knows that, someday, the Messiah will explain all of this.
Then, in verse 26, Jesus makes a remarkable statement-- one that English Bibles kind of hide a little (because there's not a nice way to translate it).
(26) Jesus says to her,
"I am-- the one speaking to you."
Jesus says to her, "I am." This is the first time in the gospel we've heard Jesus say this. What is Jesus saying?
Let's turn to Exodus 3:13-14:
13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.[c] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
God's personal name in the OT is "I AM." "Yahweh."
What Jesus is doing here, is calling himself God. He is revealing the truth about who he truly is, for the first time in this gospel-- and he's doing this for a Samaritan woman. "The Word was with God, and GOD, the Word was.
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At this point, our story is going to shift. But I think we should just camp here, and talk about worship.
Let's reread John 4:21-25:
(21) Jesus says to her,
"Believe me, woman, that an hour is coming
when neither on this mountain
nor in Jerusalem you will worship the Father.
You (plural) worship what you don't know.
We worship what/who we know,
because salvation, from the Judeans, it is,
but an hour is coming, and now is,
when the truth worshippers will worship the Father in/by the Spirit and truth.
For, indeed, the Father such ones, He seeks [to be] his worshippers.
Spirit, God is,
and the ones worshipping him, in/by the Spirit and truth must worship."
What is it that God wants? What is He seeking? God is looking for people who will worship Him rightly, and fully. He is looking in places that we maybe wouldn't think to look-- in Judea, and Samaria. And God is seeking both men and women.
Why was it "necessary" for Jesus to go through Samaria? God was seeking worshippers there. He was seeking this woman.
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How can we be the kind of worshippers God is seeking? We have to be people who have received his Holy Spirit. And when we worship, we have to worship "in/by" the Spirit.
I wish I could explain all of this better.
Every once in a while, you will find yourself watching something on youtube, or you're in a church service somewhere, or at a retreat, and the worship will feel different.
The worship at this church is more authentic, more vibrant, than what you're used to. The songs may be the same; the skill of the musicians may be the same. But it's different. And there is nothing fake, or artificial, or forced, about this difference. This isn't something that's artificially pumped into the room. It's just different. It's better. And you feel Something inside of you responding to that. You find yourself worshipping differently.
Or, other weeks, you recognize that gap between their worship and yours, and you realize that you can't bridge it. You can't worship, the way they do. Worship is a struggle for you. And maybe you look at them worship with a certain amount of envy, or sadness. You think, "I wish I could be as free in worship, and authentic, as they are." Or maybe, you've accepted that this will never be you.
If there is a difference that you see, and feel, between your worship, and someone else's, that difference is almost certainly rooted in the Holy Spirit. When people worship in/by/through the Holy Spirit, it's a fundamentally different experience.
And I say all of this, without meaning to criticize anyone. I have no desire to pick on anyone, or any worship team. My own wife would be the first to admit, that some worship is more Spirit-filled and Spirit-led than others. And my wife is the one who finds these youtube videos, and feels an immediate difference.
Maybe, you hear these words, and you know that this is how your church normally worships. You are a church that understands worshipping God in the Spirit. Or, you know that this is how YOU normally worship. You understand being filled with the Spirit. And you worship in the Spirit.
But every once in a while, if you're honest, the worship falls flat. It's an off-week. Maybe the worship leader was compromised by sin that week. Maybe you were. Maybe you're distracted, or tired. Whatever it may be, worship that week wasn't really worship in/by the Spirit. It wasn't quite done how God wants. And you can tell.
What God is seeking, is people who will worship Him in the Holy Spirit.
The other half of this, is that God is seeking people who worship Him in [the] truth. Lots of people worship a Being in heaven. They offer praise to "God." But their praise isn't what God is looking for.
Jesus is very matter of fact about this to the woman. He says, "You worship what you don't know." Her worship, up to this point, hasn't been what God is seeking. Half of her basic problem, is that she's been ignorant of the truth. She doesn't understand that salvation is from the Judeans. She doesn't understand who Jesus is.
So what does God want? God is seeking people who will worship Him in the Spirit, and in the truth.
The question I want to leave you with this morning, is this: Are you seeking to be a people who worship God this way?
Worship in many churches is viewed as a preparation for the high point of the service-- me. lol. It's all designed to get you in the mood for me. The songs are chosen, for me. I'm like the end goal. I'm as good as it gets.
Worship is something half the church endures, while they wait for me. And if there are too many songs, or the worship gets too long, people get irritable. They leave nasty notes in the comment cards. They have places to go, and 15 or 20 minutes is a ridiculously long time to be expected to worship God.
If I'm describing you, then God is still seeking you. You don't yet worship God in the Spirit, and in the truth. And you probably know this. Right?
God is not seeking people who are in the mood for a sermon. God is seeking people who understand, and value, what He has done for them through King Jesus. They are grateful for their salvation, and they love praising Him. God is seeking people who have partnered with his Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14), and worship God as Spirit, through the Spirit.
So all I'll ask of you this morning, really, is this:
Examine the way you worship.
Actually, for my wife's sake, let me put it like this:
Assuming that the worship songs are (1) easy to sing, (2) in a comfortable key for singing, (3) that some of them are songs you know, (4) that they are God-focused and not hollow (trash), (5) and played at least somewhat skillfully, you should find yourself thrilled at the privilege of worshipping God. You should find yourself worshipping in the Spirit. This should be the norm.
Be a (Spirit-filled) people who worship our Father in the Spirit, and in the truth.
Let's close by reading from Ephesians 5:17-21:
Don't get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery,
but be filled with the Spirit:,
speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit,
singing and making music from your heart to the Lord,
always giving thanks to God the Father for everything
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Translation:
(16) He says to her,
"Go.
Call your husband,
and come here."
(17) The woman answered,
and she said to him,
"I don't have a husband."
Jesus says to her,
Rightly you said (that),
"A husband I don't have."
(18) For five husbands you had,
and now, the one whom you have isn't your husband.
This, truthfully, you have said."
(19) The woman says to him,
"Lord/sir," I perceive that a prophet, you are.
(20) Our fathers on this mountain worshipped,
and you (plural) say,
that in Jerusalem, the place is where it is necessary to worship."
(21) Jesus says to her,
"Believe me, woman, that an hour is coming
when neither on this mountain
nor in Jerusalem you will worship the Father.
You (plural) worship what you don't know.
We worship what/who we know,
because salvation, from the Judeans, it is,
but an hour is coming, and now is,
when the truth worshippers will worship the Father in/by the Spirit and truth.
For, indeed, the Father such ones, He seeks [to be] his worshippers.
Spirit, God is,
and the ones worshipping him, in/by the Spirit and truth must worship."
(25) The woman says to him,
"I know that the Messiah is coming-- the one being called the Christ.
Whenever that one comes, he will disclose to us everything."
(26) Jesus says to her,
"I am-- the one speaking to you."
