Worship
Jesus teaches about the true nature of WORSHIP and reveals who He really is.
John 4: 5-26
So He came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
The Samaritan woman therefore said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, "Give Me a drink", you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." She said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? You are not greater than out father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his sons, and His cattle?"
Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who who drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."
The woman said to Him, "Sir give me this water, so I will not be thirsty, nor come all the way here to draw. "He said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."
The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly."
The woman said to Him. "Sir I perceive that You are a prophet. "Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship."
Jesus said to her. "Woman, believe Me, and hour is coming when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father. You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
The woman said to Him, "I know the Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us."
Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."
I am fascinated by this story.
The Samaritans were looked down on by the Jews and the Jews had nothing to do with them. They wouldn't ever step foot in Samaria. That is what makes this story so unique. This was not a coincidence or an accident. Jesus planned this encounter with the Samaritan woman, and all along had in mind that He would use this encounter to bring her and the people of her village to an understanding of who He was, and the hope that they would find in Him.
Jesus begins the encounter with a simple request, "Give Me a drink." But He was never really interested in water. It was all about opening the door to Her coming to the realization that He was the Messiah.
Her response was amazement that a Jewish man would ask a Samaritan woman for a drink. "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?" Jesus uses her response as the opening into the deeper things He is most interested in leading her into. "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, "Give Me a drink", you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."
She is still thinking He is talking about literal water and she said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water?
Jesus continues to lead her into the truth He wants to reveal to her:
She is still thinking He is talking about literal water and she said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water?
Jesus continues to lead her into the truth He wants to reveal to her:
Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who who drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."
She responds: "Sir give me this water, so I will not be thirsty, nor come all the way here to draw.
Jesus then reveals He is more than just a man by revealing He knows more about her than should be possible if He is just a Jewish man asking for a drink. He said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."
The woman explains that she has no husband, and Jesus responds by telling her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly."
She is now realizing that He is something more. "Sir I perceive that You are a prophet. "Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship."
She asks Him a question regarding the differences in Jewish beliefs and Samaritan beliefs about worship.
Jesus answers her question with a very revealing insight into what is true worship.
"Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father. You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
True worship has nothing to do with location, but has everything to do with the attitude of the heart and an accurate understanding of who God is and who His Son is. True worship is spiritual and grounded in the truth of God the Father and His Son Jesus - the Messiah! Those who worship Him must worship in SPIRIT - the outflowing of God's Spirit within us, and TRUTH - in the full knowledge of who God is and His love if us demonstrated in His Son - JESUS the Christ!
The woman is still oblivious to who He is and responds, "I know the Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us."
She is aware of and hoping for the coming of the promised Messiah and is waiting for the day when He will reveal and explain all things. This is the faith Jesus is looking for and now He tells her what He had told no one else except His disciples:
Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."
In essence He is saying - "I am right here."
Now she realizes that He is more. He is in fact - The Messiah! She runs back to her village and tells them all that she has found the Messiah. (In fact - He found her). They all come to see Him. They cannot help it - if this is the Messiah - they must see Him and be with Him.
That is WORSHIP!
It is the most reasonable response to being in the presence of God. As I worship I often have the picture of Jesus standing right in front of me and He knows everything - my pain, my shame, my fears, my grief, my doubts and on and on. He looks in my eyes and says - "I am right here, and I will never leave you or forsake you. Give it all to me and let me carry it. You don't have to do this alone anymore. That is why I came and the gift I give. I can set you free so you can know abundant life free from all the things that keep you from me."
With that picture in my heart I find myself worshipping with thanksgiving and a freedom that comes from knowing and being in the presence of Christ - the Son of God, my Savior! I worship with abandon and with my eyes turned to Him, my heart overflowing with adoration and love, and humble thanksgiving to the Father who would send His Son, and for His Son who chose to give His life for mine. That is worshipping in Spirit and Truth.
WORSHIP HIM! He is worthy, and it is what we were made to do, and because of what Jesus did on the cross and continues to do in leading me into all truth, I can worship with nothing standing between us or holding me back. I am living out of who I am in Christ.
