4:21
Jesus is not to be deflected. Nor does He get involved in this controversy. When we look at Jesus' discussions and arguments with people we see that He both refuses to get involved in pointless controversies, but equally is not afraid to go ahead on into the heart of the matter.
The argument between the Jews and the Samaritans would soon be absolutely no consequence. Negatively, Jerusalem was going to be destroyed. Positively, something far greater was occurring, Jesus Himself. Note also that He talks about worshipping the Father. The woman, and so often us, talk about worship as an abstract concept. It is not abstract, it is personal. It is personal in that in involves us, but also personal in that it involves the Father.
4:22,23
Jesus has just said that soon neither worshipping in Jerusalem nor the mountain would matter at all. Now He says that salvation comes from the Jews and that the Jews worship what they do know. We would do well to keep this balance as well. There are the extremes of those who think Israel can do no wrong and think there is a special salvation for Israel, and then those who think that Israel no longer has a special place in God's plans. We would be far better advised to take the balanced view that Scripture gives. The Bible is clear that the gospel grew out of the Jews.
The woman needed to focus on what really mattered. Worshipping the Father in Spirit and in truth was what counted. Turning our hearts towards God is what counts, as is truth.
Moreover, this is what the Father is seeking. Too often we are concerned with how we think someone should worship God. The real question is how does God think we should worship Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment