This is my reflections to the sermon given by Rev Dr Gordon Wong
on the 41st Anniversary of Aldersgate Methodist Church.
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John 4:19-26
19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
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A quick glance at the verses before the main passage reveals the main concern of this Samaritan woman’s in her interaction with Jesus. Firstly, notice in v.9, she asked Jesus “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?”. Then in v.12 “Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” and lastly in v.20 “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” This Samaritan woman knows the clear line between what are the Samaritan customs and traditions versus those of the Jews.
In particular, the verse that is from our passage of study is verse 20. In this verse, the woman highlighted the difference in the place of worship between the Samaritans and the Jews. This has historic significance because the ‘mountain’ that she was referring to is Mount Gerizim. Deuteronomy 11:29 records Moses’ instructions to the Israelites before they entered the land of Canaan. The mountain that the Samaritans ‘worshiped on’ is Mount Gerizim – it was a place to proclaim blessings. However, by the time of Joshua, and due to the nomadic nature of the Israelites, they worshiped wherever the altar was built, this slowly shifted the place of worship from Mount Gerizim to eventually Jerusalem, where the Temple was built.
Fundamentally, what we have read is an account of Jesus’ response to the Samaritan woman was not one that addresses the issue of customs or tradition, but it was one that addresses beliefs and attributes of worshippers.
Anywhere
Jesus used the phrases ‘the hour’ and ‘the hour is coming, and is now here’. These pair of phrases also appear several times in John (2:4, 5:28, 7:30, 8:20, 12:23, 13:1, 16:2-4, 16:25, 17:1) and for the latter (5:25, 16:32). These phrases have differing meaning when written in John.
Firstly, ‘the hour’ is always spoken in relation to Jesus himself. ‘The hour’ can be inferred from what Jesus said in John 2:4 and crucially in John 17:1, referring to an exact event – Jesus’ death. In the context of this passage, what Jesus is trying to say is that following the death of Jesus, the Samaritans and the Jews will no longer worship on the mountains or in Jerusalem. Because the place of worship does not matter, it is the attributes that determine a true worshipper.
Next, ‘the hour is coming, and is now here’ is always used in relation to believers, often referring to the imminent outcome on believers. In the case of John 4, the use of this phrase refers to the attitudes of true worshippers. It is not something that you have to wait for the death of Jesus to possess, it is something that you can change now, the attributes of a true worshipper can be possessed now.
Jesus in this few verses wanted to drive across the point that the location of worship is inconsequential for giving true worship; as long as the worshipper is a true worshipper. This brings us to the next point. Although Jesus said that we can worship anywhere he also qualified it by mentioning that we cannot worship anyhow.
Not Anyhow
According to Jesus, in vv.23-24, there are 3 attributes of true worshippers. True worshippers (i) Worship the Father, (ii) Worship in spirit, and (iii) Worship in truth. We take each one of them individually and link them together:
(i) Worship the Father. This is the first quantifier. Worship cannot take place unless it is towards the Father. Culture, traditions, even sacraments when performed during worship services must be performed as a worship to God. This is why the location does not matter, God is omnipresent. Culture, traditions and sacraments are signs and tools that direct us to the Father, they are not the ends or even the means, they are simply signs. A road sign points us to the location. In the same way, institutions have traditions and sacraments as a sign to point us to the true God. When we worship, we do not worship the traditions and sacraments, we worship the Father.
(ii) Worship in spirit. Worship is primarily a spiritual action. Romans 8:16 speaks of the Holy Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God. In worship, our spirit speaks to God who is also spirit. Worship is a spiritual action from us to God. Therefore, if worship is going to happen, true worshippers must have been born of the Spirit (ref. John 3:3). The order in which John is written is significant here to drive the idea that in order for us to engage in spiritual worship discussed in John 4, we must first be spiritually born as discussed in John 3.
(iii) Worship in truth. Worship is through Jesus. Jesus claims that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (ref. John 14:6). There cannot be true worship of the Father without the Son. No person can worship the Father without first believing in Jesus. Thus, while the Samaritans and Jews can continue going to the mountain or Jerusalem, their unbelief in Jesus guarantees that they are not worshipping the Father. Jesus makes worship possible. The truth here, also refers to the word of God. True worshippers worship according to God’s word. True worship demands that our lives and our actions match up with the truth of God’s word.
This COVID-19 season has for the most part revealed what is essential and non-essential. Bubble tea, haircuts, bak kwa, these are not essential. But on a deeper level, it also revealed to Christians what is non-essential. Often times, the church promotes every thing as essential for good spiritual growth. If you are feeling dry, attend this course. If you want to be challenged, attend another course. If you have too much free time, attend this activity. If you have the expertise, take up this position. Sure, all these things do stretch us. But how can it stretch our faith if we are clueless on who we worship? Activities in church are important, but of what importance are they if we don’t worship the Father that allowed for the existence of the church in the first place?
When the “non-essentials” of church are all stripped down, when church is paralysed to the point where it can only provide the essentials, then we realise that we are created for the one thing matters, that is our true worship of God. When Jesus said to the Samaritan woman that “the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.” I think there is a deeper meaning to that. The Samaritans and Jews can continue to go to the mountains or Jerusalem, but whatever they are doing there is not considered worship because it is not worship directed to the Father. When Circuit Breaker ends and Christians flock back to church, will it be worship that is taking place, or will it be anything but worship?
If the church is just a collection of Christians, then let’s make it clear what the role of the church is — to bring together true worshippers of the Father. Church activities are important as markers of our spiritual walk. But we should not be relying on ‘church activities’ to keep our faith. If we have been relying on them to keep our faith, then I think we ought to evaluate whether we are true worshippers. Just like what Jesus told the Samaritan woman, there will come a day when Christians will no longer worship in churches. Today, as we are confined in our own homes, are we worshipping God in spirit and in truth?
Reflection Question: Evaluate our worship life. How can we be correcting or changing the way that we approach worship, so that we are worshipping the Father in spirit and in truth?
God, through his Son, by his Spirit, and according to the truth of the gospel is calling out and creating worshippers who worship in spirit and in truth.
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