Today we will focus on the text of John 4:20-26. And how complete this text of God’s greatness is. We have seen in verses 1-15 that Jesus is the living water he himself offers to the Samaritan woman in the well, and that she certainly does not understand. We last saw (c. 16-19) that Jesus is a surgically penetrating prophet who discovers our souls and knows our being deeply, but persecutes us. “You’ve had five husbands and the man you have now is not your husband.
We will now see Jesus as the Savior who reveals the mysteries of true worship, and who was once known as the Jewish Messiah (v. 26). And much more.
Worship is not limited to location
First, listen with me to verses 20-22. To depart from the prophetic search for her heart, the Samaritan woman leads Jesus to a discussion about worship. But even here, she wants to keep things on the surface level of worship, not in the heart. You want to talk about him? (v. 20: “Our parents worshipped on this mountain; However, do you say that in Jerusalem it is the place of worship?). Jesus is willing to discuss this issue with her, but does not want to let her limit himself. That goes to the heart of it (v. 21:? Jesus said to him, “Woman, can you believe that time is coming, where neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father???).
Mountains are not relevant to worship
Jesus begins with a refusal. A denial Where do you ask?Are you worried about the place? Ma’am, is there a day to come?First of all you think when the two mountains have nothing to do with true worship. It’s amazing that a Jew says that. The day comes, he says, when Jerusalem, the holy city, the city of David, the place with the temple of God, will not be at the heart of true worship.
That was not the answer I expected, I expected a good argument that the Jews defend Jerusalem as the main place of worship, while the Samaritans say it is Mount Gerazim, but Jesus rejects all arguments. Instead, he says that we are about to do something new: “the time comes when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. “
Why do you revere the designation? The father?
Instead of knowing where we worship Jesus, focus on who we love and how we worship Him. Notice the reference to? Father, at the end of verse 21, “the time comes when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. “She didn’t say that. He said, why?Why not say, “God? Or? The Lord?Or another designation?Will you not love the Father?” In one of these hills.
1) Is it God? The father? Samaritans
Three reasons. First, he uses it to say his reference to the Samaritan parents, and in this way draw his attention to the only important Father. She said in verse 20, “Our parents loved this mountain. “And I had already asked in verse 12, “Are you perhaps bigger than Jacob, our father?”(John 4:12). As a result, it is very focused on the superficialities of the place and tradition. Parents are very important in their minds.
Jesus changes direction. He does not say, “Well, the real Jewish parents worshipped in Jerusalem. “He said, “Is there a Father you should worry about, called?The Father? The Father who aspires to be worshipped, but not in a particular place. “. ?
2) Is it God? The Father? From the children who receive it
Second, in saying that the one who should worship is “the Father,” he tells the woman that God has children. There’s no father who doesn’t have children. Designing children is what makes you a father. Therefore, when Jesus says that the only one who should be worshipped is “the Father,” he asks the question of who his children would be. The answer was already given in John 1:12: “But to all who have received it, he has given them the power to become children of God, “those who receive Jesus are children of God. God is a Father to those who are born again and believe in Jesus. Thus, Jesus awakens you to the truth that when you worship, the place is not the important thing, but if you have God as Father, that is, if you are born again and believe in His Son.
3) Is it God? The father? of the Son, Jesus Christ
And this leads to the third answer to why does it refer to God as?The Father? At the end of verse 21 Does this remind you?For us, at least, the father has only one Son, who is “the Son”. two terms are used together so often that it’s hard not to hear them here:
The only one who should be worshipped is “The Father. ” This woman was dealing with “The Son. “And we will see that: his presence is more important in worship than in what hill or in which city he is.
By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod. org Original: Not on this or that mountain, but in mind and truth they change in any way and are not used for commercial purposes For web publications, a link to this document on our website, a link to the ministry and one to the original source of the material (just copy the items above)
In the world, there is only one thing to look for: the knowledge of God (Robert H. Benson).