Dear Student of the Word,
It's time for another installment from John's gospel. This week we look at the encounter that Jesus had with the woman at the well. This is one of my favorite stories. If there is a greater expression of the tenderness, grace and mercy of God in the gospels, I am not seeing it. On the sixth day of this seven-day installment, I wrote:
v. 20 – The woman quickly shifted the conversation back to a discussion of where the best or correct place to worship was. She took the attention off her sin and placed it back on a theological discussion of worship. I have done the same thing with God; in a debate, that trick or technique is called a “red herring.” A diversion is introduced to deliberately get someone off track in the debate or discussion (the image being a different scent to throw off a hound dog in pursuit of something or someone).
This woman’s red herring was the debate between Jews and Samaritans over worship issues. The woman was clinging to her religious pride that her way to God was superior to the Jews’ way. Jesus was declaring that both ways were flawed or at best outdated, for Jesus was then and now the way to God.
We still have these “worship wars” in the modern church, worship in most cases being defined as what we do musically in the public worship service (some expand worship to include the entire service). Jesus was not saying, “Ah, one day, dear lady, you will not worship on a mountain, but in an air-conditioned building with pews.” Worship for Jesus was, well, it was all about Jesus! It should be the same for you. It is not about the technique of worship; it is about the heart of worship, as Jesus was about to explain.
v. 21 – There are some who still want to restore or promote a mountain, a specific place where worship to God is superior because of the venue. I have made ten trips to Israel as of this writing and many who have gone with me have been absolutely enamored with Jerusalem, feeling it is a special place. Yes, Jerusalem is significant for its historical roots, but worshiping Jesus there is no different than doing so in Philadelphia or Johannesburg. It is not where we worship that makes a difference but whom we worship.
Some like stained glass windows, some like to see a simple cross, some like hymns and some like contemporary music. While I have my own personal preferences, they are just that: personal. The important thing in any setting for worship is simple: Is Jesus exalted? Not the music itself, the leader, the doctrine, the money. Is Jesus high and lifted up? Is whatever happens bringing people closer to Him and increasing their awareness of who He is and what He has done to purchase the Church with His own blood?
v. 22 – Jesus did indicate that the Jews were at least worshiping what they knew, while the Samaritans were not. You don’t sense any condescension when Jesus told her this. He was simply stating the truth (what else could He say?). Yet He indicated that a significant shift in worship theology was about to take place because Jesus had come and was talking to people like this woman. Jesus wanted to talk to the woman about salvation, not about modes of worship.
As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, Colossians, First Timothy, and Matthew's and Mark's gospels on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.
Plus my website archives contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse Bible studies from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, Hebrews and Revelation, along with the unpublished Faith Files.
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