February, 2002

“God is spirit, and His worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24

On this occasion Jesus and His disciples were on their way from Judea to Galilee. They came to a town called Sychar. Jesus was resting by Jacob’s well while His disciples were away buying lunch. A Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus took the initiative to ask her for a drink. This action was considered a taboo for the Jews at that time. We understand some of the Near East cultures from reading the current development in Afghanistan. Even though the country is “liberated” today, the majority of the Afghan women are still afraid to remove the burqa in public and to leave home without having a male accompanied them.

The conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman changed from topic to topic, and finally rested on the most important one: Who God is and how to worship Him? The Samaritan religion and many religions today are equally confused and in error. They worship what they don't know. Therefore, it is important to know who and how to worship. In this verse, Jesus explained that God is Spirit. He is not confined in any particular place or time. Since He is Spirit, therefore, the only way to worship Him is through spirit and truth. Both the King James Version and the Chinese Translation (God is a spirit) erred in putting an indefinite article preceding the word Spirit. In Greek grammar, there is no indefinite article, only definite article. Therefore, the translator uses his own discretion, whose decision (hopefully) is based on context and other Scripture. If God is a spirit, it means that God is one among many. But from the context, Jesus was seeking to lift the Samaritan woman into developing a spiritual and heavenly worship.

Worshipping God is not based on human ancestry, location, or traditional practices as often referred to by the Samaritan woman. The emphasis here is the essential character of God—Spirit. Therefore, the essence of true worship must be on God’s terms and aligned with His nature—spirit and truth. Since God is Spirit, how can we even know Him? We can’t, unless He shows Himself to mankind. This is where the prologue of John came in (1:18). The only way to truly worship God is through Jesus who expresses God’s invisible nature. God is seeking worshippers to worship Him with spirit and truth (v.23). Therefore, true worshippers must worship Him with spirit and truth, which means a sincere mind, with a true heart, not with mere external rites. Spirit refers to affections, emotions, and passions. Truth is opposite to pretense. Let’s improve our worship!