Jesus
said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father. You worship that which you don’t know. We worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews.
John 4:21-22
John 4 [19.] The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”
John 4 [21.] Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father. You worship that which you don’t know. We worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
John 4 [25.] The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah comes, he who is called Christ. When he has come, he will declare to us all things.”
Meaning:
The Samaritan woman has raised the question that had divided Jews and Samaritans for centuries: should God be worshipped on Mount Gerizim or in Jerusalem (John 4:20)? Jesus does not brush the question aside. In these verses he first announces that the question itself is about to be overtaken, and then he speaks honestly about the difference between the two peoples. His answer leads straight into the famous words about worship “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24).
- “Woman, believe me”
“Woman” was a respectful form of address; Jesus used the same word for his own mother at Cana and from the cross. “Believe me” asks her to trust his word. She has just recognized him as a prophet, and now he speaks with more than a prophet’s authority, calling God “the Father,” a name full of the closeness he came to give.
- “The hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem”
In John’s Gospel “the hour” points to Jesus’ death, resurrection and glorification. Jesus had already said of himself, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” and John explains that “he spoke of the temple of his body” (John 2:19-21). A time was coming when worship would no longer be tied to one holy mountain. Within forty years the temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed, as the Samaritan temple on Gerizim had been destroyed long before. More importantly, through Christ people of every nation would draw near to God anywhere. Paul writes that Christ “broke down the middle wall of partition” between Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2:14). God had always intended this, saying through Isaiah, “for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples” (Isaiah 56:7).
- “You worship that which you don’t know”
Jesus is kind but truthful. The Samaritans accepted only the five books of Moses and rejected the prophets and the Psalms, which reveal so much of God’s character and promises. Their history also included a mixture of true and false worship: the settlers in Samaria “feared Yahweh, and also served their own gods” (2 Kings 17:24-41). Their worship, though sincere in many ways, rested on an incomplete knowledge of God. Jesus does not pretend all religious opinions are equally true. Love tells the truth.
- “For salvation is from the Jews”
These words do not mean that Jews are saved by birth, nor that Jesus favours one race above another; the whole conversation shows him crossing that very line. They mean that God chose to bring salvation into the world through Israel. God promised Abraham, “All the families of the earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3). Through Israel came the covenants, the law, the prophets, and above all the Messiah, “the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). Simeon called the child Jesus “a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel” (Luke 2:32). Paul likewise says the Good News is for everyone who believes, “for the Jew first, and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16). The Saviour is a Jew; the salvation he brings is for the world.
The Significance of John 4:21-22
- Worship is not about the right mountain
Christians can still argue over places, buildings and traditions. Jesus reminds us that what matters most is not where we worship but whom we worship and how.
- Truth and grace together
Jesus spoke plainly about the Samaritans’ incomplete knowledge, yet he did so while offering the woman living water. Faithful witness holds truth and love together.
- Thankful for God’s plan
God worked through Israel’s history to bring the Saviour to all peoples. Gentile believers owe a great debt to the Jewish people, through whom came the Scriptures and the Messiah.
Cross-References:
John 2:21: “He spoke of the temple of his body.” Jesus himself is the new meeting place with God.
Isaiah 56:7: “For my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” God’s purpose for every nation.
Genesis 12:3: “All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.” Salvation through Abraham’s family.
Romans 1:16: “For the Jew first, and also for the Greek.” The Good News for all who believe.
Conclusion: In John 4:21-22 Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that an hour is coming when the Father will be worshipped neither on Mount Gerizim nor only in Jerusalem. He gently but honestly says that the Samaritans worship what they do not know, while the Jews know whom they worship, because God chose to bring salvation through them. Jesus shows that true worship will not be bound to a place, and that the salvation God prepared through Israel is now offered to the whole world.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible