John 4:22

"Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father."

Key Reflection

In John 4:22, Jesus speaks to a Samaritan woman at the well, challenging her understanding of where true worship is practiced. For a first-century Jew, worship was deeply tied to the Temple in Jerusalem. However, Jesus implies that an era is coming when traditional geographical boundaries for worship will no longer constrain it; true worship can be offered anywhere and at any time. This statement foreshadows the broader shift in religious practice emphasized by Jesus, hinting at a spiritual rather than physical locus for devotion.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 22. Ye worship ye know not what. This probably refers to the comparative ignorance and corruption of the Samaritan worship. Though they received the five books of Moses, yet they rejected the prophets, and of course all that the prophets had said respecting the true God. Originally, also, they had joined the worship of idols to that of the true God. See 2 Ki 17:26-34. They had, moreover, no authority for building their temple and conducting public worship by sacrifices there. On all these accounts they were acting in an unauthorized manner. They were not obeying the true God, nor offering the worship which he had commanded or would approve.

Related Verses

More from John 4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55

Go deeper with Bible.talk - your AI Bible study companion