Lenten Reader | Day 10

February 23rd, 2024

Spirit & Truth

“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.”

John 4:19-24

In John chapter 4, we find one of the most recognizable stories ever told among Christians, Jesus speaks to the woman at the well. This is not surprising to think about when at our core as humans, we long to be able to put our trust in a creator who is graceful and all-knowing. It is this story that brings this longing of our heart to life in the revelation of the power of who Jesus is – perfectly full of grace, full of truth.

Why is this story important to us? What can we learn from this story? And how does this story feed into the idea of the title of this year’s reader, From Sorrow to Joy? It is in this passage where – as believers – we are given this perplexing call to worship Jesus in the Spirit and in truth. However, this does not need to be perplexing to us today. It is in this passage that Jesus gives us an incredibly hopeful and encouraging fact that our worship is not limited to one specific place or to one specific group of people. The arrival of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, ended the relevance of the separation between Jew and Gentile. Furthermore, His arrival ended the idea that He could only be reached in one spot (the temple in Jerusalem). As believers His temple is inside of us, and all people are equal under God, as sons and daughters of Christ Jesus. That is Good News, very Good News.

To worship God in Spirit means that we worship with the posture of the Great Commandment – we worship with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Secondly, to worship God in truth means that we worship knowing intimately the God that we worship. The Lord desires us to know Him intimately. When we worship, He can turn our sorrow into joy.

Steven Best