John 4:21 - Printer Friendly

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

NIV: "Woman," Jesus replied, "believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

NASB: Jesus *said to her, 'Believe Me, woman, that a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

CSB: Jesus told her, "Believe me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

NLT: Jesus replied, 'Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem.

KJV: Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

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

Jesus is responding to the Samaritan woman's attempted distraction. Often, in evangelism or debate, one side will try to lure the other into a discussion not relevant to the point at hand. This usually comes in an effort to avoid the original topic. In this case, Jesus has just confronted the woman about her immoral lifestyle (John 4:17–18). Her clever-minded response is to ask Jesus about a controversial spiritual question (John 4:19–20).

Instead of taking the bait, Jesus simply deflects the question. The issue is simply not important as part of the conversation they are having. Instead of chasing a false trail, Jesus continues to explain the gospel. The woman's question revolves around the proper location for worship. Jews only worshipped in the temple. Samarians only worshipped on Mount Gerizim. Jesus explains that, once His mission is complete, that worship will not be confined to any one place on earth. This would have been just as controversial to the Jews, who placed great importance in the physical temple.

This leads Jesus into an important truth about proper Christian worship: it requires spirit and truth.

John 4:5–26 describes one of the most famous moments in Jesus' earthly ministry. Here, He converses with a Samaritan woman. She is not only an ''unclean'' Samaritan, but also an outcast among her own people. At first, she attempts to avoid Jesus' teachings. Her answers suggest a clever mind, but they are also flippant and sarcastic. Despite that, and despite knowing all about her sin, Jesus encourages her with the love of God. This breaks through her hard heart; as a result, many others are brought to meet Christ. The disciples are also taught a valuable lesson about the purpose of their mission.

Jesus speaks to a Samaritan woman who is drawing water from a well. He confronts her about sin, yet He also comforts her with the truth of the gospel. Even though He knows her sins, He still seeks after her, and those like her. The woman returns to town, eventually bringing many people to meet Jesus. The disciples, meanwhile, are reminded of the purpose of their mission. Jesus also heals the son of a government official in a way that demonstrates the importance of trusting faith, rather than reliance on spectacle.

John chapter 4 continues the use of contrast. Jesus goes from conversing with an educated, powerful, prestigious man (John 3:1–2) to talking to an outcast, unlearned, self-conscious woman. The combination of this passage, along with Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus, makes an important spiritual point: the gospel is for all people, in all places, and all times. Christ can reach each person exactly where he or she needs to be reached.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.