John 4:20–23

Context

In chapter 4 of the Gospel of John, Jesus is traveling from Judea to Galilee and comes to Sychar, a town in Samaria. There, at Jacob's well, he speaks with a Samaritan woman. When Jesus reveals details of her past, the woman takes him to be a prophet and raises a long-standing point of contention between Jews and Samaritans: the proper place of worship.

The "mountain" the woman refers to ("Our fathers worshipped in this mountain," John 4:20) is understood to be Mount Gerizim, which the Samaritans held sacred. The Jews regarded the Temple in Jerusalem as the legitimate place of worship. Jesus answers by moving beyond the question of which mountain, declaring that "the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23). In the following verse he adds, "God is a Spirit" (John 4:24).

Interpretation

• Worship beyond place: Commentators from many denominations read the passage as a declaration that the era of worship bound to a particular sanctuary has ended and that a new form of worship has begun through Jesus. Some also connect it with John 2, where Jesus likens his own body to the temple.
• Reformed reading: Since John Calvin, the Reformed tradition has tended to explain "spirit" as inward faith of the heart in contrast to outward ritual. It understands "truth" as the reality to which the shadows of the Old Testament law pointed, now fulfilled.
• Pentecostal and charismatic reading: Pentecostal and charismatic churches often connect "spirit" with the Holy Spirit, using the passage as a basis for emphasizing worship offered in the presence of the Holy Spirit and under his inspiration.
• Understanding verse 22: The statement "salvation is of the Jews" (John 4:22) is read to mean that salvation comes through the history of Israel and through the Messiah. It is also interpreted as showing that Jesus is speaking here as a Jew.

Debates and Issues

• Translation: The Korean Revised Version rendered the phrase as sillyeong-gwa jinjeong-euro (roughly, "with spirituality and sincerity"), which the New Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Standard Version changed to yeong-gwa jilli-ro ("in spirit and in truth"). Some have pointed out that the older wording can be narrowly understood as referring merely to a devout and sincere attitude of heart.
• Place and gathering: Because it speaks of worship not bound to a place, the passage has been cited in discussions of the practice of calling a church building a "temple." It was also invoked in debates over online worship during the COVID-19 pandemic. Others counter that the passage does not mean that gathered, corporate worship may be taken lightly.
• Forms of worship: Both free, praise-centered worship and traditional liturgical worship (which follows a fixed order and form) appeal to this passage for support. For this reason it is frequently mentioned in the worship music debate.

In Korean Churches

The petition "Grant that we may worship in spirit and in truth," using the older wording sillyeong-gwa jinjeong-euro, is a common expression in representative prayers (prayers offered on behalf of the congregation) and in prayers that open a worship service. Even after the publication of the New Korean Revised Version, this older rendering remains widespread in the language of prayer.

Related Passages

• John 4:24
• John 2:19–21
• Philippians 3:3
• Hebrews 12:28
• Romans 12:1