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Faith Expression of the Marginalized
John 4:19-26
Vs.23, 24 "Yet a time is coming and has now
come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and
in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God
is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
In this passage, Jesus goes through Samaria on his way to
Galilee. In Samaria, he sits at a well and encounters a Samaritan woman.
Through their conversation, the Samaritan woman realizes that Jesus is
not just any ordinary Jew. She begins to realize that He is the Messiah.
From a short conversation with Jesus, this Samaritan woman begins her
journey of faith. Jesus intentionally uses the faith of this woman to
teach us a lesson on true worship. Jesus knew of her troubled past and
her indiscretions but He saw that she had a heart that was seeking truth
and was open to let Jesus transcend her previous misconceptions.
Jesus gives an insight
into what true worship really is through His conversation with the
Samaritan woman. At that time, the Jews believed that the only acceptable
place to worship was in Jerusalem while the Samaritans believed it to be
on the mountain. However Jesus says, “a time is coming when you will
neither worship the Father on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” Jesus’
ministry of true worship transcends the traditional concepts of worship
set by Old Testament laws. No longer is worship confined to a particular
place or a group of people. Now any one of God’s children is able to
approach God at any time or place as long as we approach Him with
humility. Jesus emphasizes that true worship must be done in spirit and
truth. Worship that is “in spirit” is worship that engages in full
submission and surrender of ourselves to God. We are often concerned with
how the worship will benefit us or what we will get from the worship
without regard to the one we are worshipping. There is no worship in
truth unless we come to worship with a heart and mind that knows the God
that we are worshipping.
Why is Jesus’
encounter with the Samaritan woman important to us? The whole encounter
including the conversation and its effect afterwards can be seen as a
form of true worship. Jesus could have had this conversation regarding
true worship with anyone, but He chooses a social outcast such as the
Samaritan woman. An essential part of worship is living our lives
in a way that reflects God’s love and grace. Instead of seeing the
Samaritan woman as someone with a dark past and questionable morality,
Jesus saw a broken spirit who was in need of God’s mercy. In this
situation, Jesus’ true act of worship was His personification of God’s
unconditional love. By caring for one marginalized Samaritan woman, He
was able to reach the whole village through her testimony. If we embrace
people at their time of brokenness, we are exemplifying a God that
welcomes the sinful and the lost with open arms. One of the truest forms
of worship is living our lives in a way that embodies our God’s love,
mercy and grace.
PRAYER
Father, grant us the wisdom to understand what it means
to worship in spirit and truth. Help us to live our lives in a way that
glorifies and worships You. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
"The highest form of worship is the worship of
unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of
consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless.” –Billy Graham
Sheena Thomas, Long Island MTC, NY
Christian
Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church
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