John Chapter 3-4
Home Group Meeting – February 1, 2006
The Living Water and Worshipping in Spirit and Truth
A. Review of last week’s meeting
Jesus is the Temple: [Now, salvation is through Him, not in a building built by men]
Jesus’ meets with Nicodemus and teaches: [“no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born again”]
John the Baptist’s meaningful statement: [“He must become greater; I must become less”]
B. The Living Water
Remember how thirsty you feel on a hot, dry day with no breeze stirring? How eagerly you drink a tall, cold glass of water! But how do you recognise your spiritual thirst and what will satisfy it?
Jesus offers the answer in a remarkable conversation that broke the social customs. In Jesus’ day, a Jew did not speak kindly to a Samaritan nor should a man speak to a woman publicly. Yet in this passage, Jesus does both.
Jews despised the Samaritans, as “half-breeds”, Jews who remained in Israel and intermarried with new settlers when most of the Jews were exiled to Babylon 500 years earlier. The Samaritans insisted that theirs was a pure religion derived from the Law of Moses.
Read John 4:1-26
1. To avoid Samaria, Jews travelling from Judea to Galilee often made a detour through the province of Perea. However, Jesus went straight through. Trace on a map the route Jesus follows on his journey.
2. Why does Jesus leave Judea at this time?
He was becoming too successful. Jesus wanted to stay away from the limelight, because if the Jews knew that he was the Messiah they would make him their earthly king. See also, last week, John 2:23 “many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men”.
At the end of the day, Jesus’ purpose on earth was to die for the sins of mankind so that we may have eternal life (John 3:16).
3. Why is it so surprising that Jesus would talk to this woman?
First, she is Samaritan. John in verse 9 says, “For Jews do not associate with Samaritans”. The reason for this is historical. After the death of King Solomon the Israel was divided and Samaria was taken over by the Assyrians in 722 – 721 BC. They resettled the area with foreigners (2 Kings 12:1-24) that meant loss of racial and religious purity.
The divide was deepened when the Samaritans built their own Temple at Mount Gerizim around 400 BC. And the Jews destroyed this 128 BC. Both actions increased hostility between the two.
Second, she is a woman. There was rule at the time that Jewish men must not talk to a woman on the street, not even to his own wife, let alone someone else’s wife.
4. When Jesus talks of the “Living Water” what does he mean?
Hint: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Starring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.
The living water refers to the Eternal Life. Jesus here is evangelising to this woman.
5. When Nicodemus was talking to Jesus about being reborn, he misunderstood what Jesus was talking about. Similarly, how does this woman misunderstand Jesus when he talks about the “living water”?
They both couldn’t understand that Jesus was using figurative speech, symbols. They thought He was talking literally. 3:4, Nicodemus thought that one had to physically re-enter the mother’s womb to be born again. Here the woman thought Jesus was talking about real water.
C. Worship in Spirit and Truth
6. What does “God’s worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24) mean to you?
Worship in spirit
To fully understand Jesus’ words here we must look to the context. When Jesus said we must worship in spirit this could mean several things. First, the location of where one worships is not important. Jesus said (in verse 23), “… a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem”. Therefore what this means for us is that you don’t need to be at church to worship nor is it done only on Sunday. You could be doing it at home on the weekend, or even on the way to work.
This teaching is also consistent with what Paul said in Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, … to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship”. As you may remember we covered this a few weeks ago. The important point about worship (or, being a “living sacrifice”) is that it is a continual thing. That is, to be done anywhere and everyday, not just at church on Sunday.
Second, when we become Christians, God fills us with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit first came to new Christians on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) just as Jesus promised. Now that we are with God in Spirit (unlike the Old Testament times), we should also worship in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As a result, we bear the fruits of the Spirit as we worship in spirit.
Worship in truth
This statement also has several layers of meaning.
First, we must again look at the context in which Jesus made this statement. When Jesus told the Samaritan woman to “Go, call your husband and come back” (verse 16), the Samaritan woman replied that she did not have a husband. She was telling the truth to Jesus that she replied that does not have a husband at that that moment, but the fact was that she was living in sin. The Jews believed that a woman should only marry at most three times. Furthermore, living together but not being married was not acceptable during that time. In this context, when Jesus says that we should worship in truth, it could mean that we should face God truthfully. That is, if we are presently living in sin (eg there is somebody we hate), or if we have not fully surrendered our lives to God (eg we can’t let go of materialism), this is not being true to God (or to ourselves). And accordingly, we are not worshipping in truth. Until we put our lives right and address our failures we cannot worship God in Truth. But this doesn’t mean that worship is for perfect people because of course, none of us is perfect. Rather what is important is that we worship with a genuine and humble spirit while addressing the sin.
Second, worshipping in truth also means that we should know what we worship. We shouldn’t worship who we imagine who God is! The God as revealed in the Bible is the true God. The God whom we imagine in our minds (without learning from the Bible) is a god created by our imagination. Again, looking at the context, Jesus said, “you Samaritans worship what you do not know …” (verse 22). Historically, the Samaritans were originally of Jewish descent but became mixed in ethnicity as a result of years of conquest by neighbouring nations. In addition, their faith also became distorted through the influence of foreign religions and idols. As a result, although they believed in God, their knowledge of God was distorted, that is, their faith presented an “untrue” God. Therefore, when Jesus commands us to worship in truth, we must learn who God is from the Bible and not from who we “imagine” God is.
The Living Water and Worshipping in Spirit and Truth
A. Review of last week’s meeting
Jesus is the Temple: [Now, salvation is through Him, not in a building built by men]
Jesus’ meets with Nicodemus and teaches: [“no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born again”]
John the Baptist’s meaningful statement: [“He must become greater; I must become less”]
B. The Living Water
Remember how thirsty you feel on a hot, dry day with no breeze stirring? How eagerly you drink a tall, cold glass of water! But how do you recognise your spiritual thirst and what will satisfy it?
Jesus offers the answer in a remarkable conversation that broke the social customs. In Jesus’ day, a Jew did not speak kindly to a Samaritan nor should a man speak to a woman publicly. Yet in this passage, Jesus does both.
Jews despised the Samaritans, as “half-breeds”, Jews who remained in Israel and intermarried with new settlers when most of the Jews were exiled to Babylon 500 years earlier. The Samaritans insisted that theirs was a pure religion derived from the Law of Moses.
Read John 4:1-26
1. To avoid Samaria, Jews travelling from Judea to Galilee often made a detour through the province of Perea. However, Jesus went straight through. Trace on a map the route Jesus follows on his journey.
2. Why does Jesus leave Judea at this time?
He was becoming too successful. Jesus wanted to stay away from the limelight, because if the Jews knew that he was the Messiah they would make him their earthly king. See also, last week, John 2:23 “many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men”.
At the end of the day, Jesus’ purpose on earth was to die for the sins of mankind so that we may have eternal life (John 3:16).
3. Why is it so surprising that Jesus would talk to this woman?
First, she is Samaritan. John in verse 9 says, “For Jews do not associate with Samaritans”. The reason for this is historical. After the death of King Solomon the Israel was divided and Samaria was taken over by the Assyrians in 722 – 721 BC. They resettled the area with foreigners (2 Kings 12:1-24) that meant loss of racial and religious purity.
The divide was deepened when the Samaritans built their own Temple at Mount Gerizim around 400 BC. And the Jews destroyed this 128 BC. Both actions increased hostility between the two.
Second, she is a woman. There was rule at the time that Jewish men must not talk to a woman on the street, not even to his own wife, let alone someone else’s wife.
4. When Jesus talks of the “Living Water” what does he mean?
Hint: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Starring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.
The living water refers to the Eternal Life. Jesus here is evangelising to this woman.
5. When Nicodemus was talking to Jesus about being reborn, he misunderstood what Jesus was talking about. Similarly, how does this woman misunderstand Jesus when he talks about the “living water”?
They both couldn’t understand that Jesus was using figurative speech, symbols. They thought He was talking literally. 3:4, Nicodemus thought that one had to physically re-enter the mother’s womb to be born again. Here the woman thought Jesus was talking about real water.
C. Worship in Spirit and Truth
6. What does “God’s worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24) mean to you?
Worship in spirit
To fully understand Jesus’ words here we must look to the context. When Jesus said we must worship in spirit this could mean several things. First, the location of where one worships is not important. Jesus said (in verse 23), “… a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem”. Therefore what this means for us is that you don’t need to be at church to worship nor is it done only on Sunday. You could be doing it at home on the weekend, or even on the way to work.
This teaching is also consistent with what Paul said in Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, … to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship”. As you may remember we covered this a few weeks ago. The important point about worship (or, being a “living sacrifice”) is that it is a continual thing. That is, to be done anywhere and everyday, not just at church on Sunday.
Second, when we become Christians, God fills us with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit first came to new Christians on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) just as Jesus promised. Now that we are with God in Spirit (unlike the Old Testament times), we should also worship in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As a result, we bear the fruits of the Spirit as we worship in spirit.
Worship in truth
This statement also has several layers of meaning.
First, we must again look at the context in which Jesus made this statement. When Jesus told the Samaritan woman to “Go, call your husband and come back” (verse 16), the Samaritan woman replied that she did not have a husband. She was telling the truth to Jesus that she replied that does not have a husband at that that moment, but the fact was that she was living in sin. The Jews believed that a woman should only marry at most three times. Furthermore, living together but not being married was not acceptable during that time. In this context, when Jesus says that we should worship in truth, it could mean that we should face God truthfully. That is, if we are presently living in sin (eg there is somebody we hate), or if we have not fully surrendered our lives to God (eg we can’t let go of materialism), this is not being true to God (or to ourselves). And accordingly, we are not worshipping in truth. Until we put our lives right and address our failures we cannot worship God in Truth. But this doesn’t mean that worship is for perfect people because of course, none of us is perfect. Rather what is important is that we worship with a genuine and humble spirit while addressing the sin.
Second, worshipping in truth also means that we should know what we worship. We shouldn’t worship who we imagine who God is! The God as revealed in the Bible is the true God. The God whom we imagine in our minds (without learning from the Bible) is a god created by our imagination. Again, looking at the context, Jesus said, “you Samaritans worship what you do not know …” (verse 22). Historically, the Samaritans were originally of Jewish descent but became mixed in ethnicity as a result of years of conquest by neighbouring nations. In addition, their faith also became distorted through the influence of foreign religions and idols. As a result, although they believed in God, their knowledge of God was distorted, that is, their faith presented an “untrue” God. Therefore, when Jesus commands us to worship in truth, we must learn who God is from the Bible and not from who we “imagine” God is.
posted by 潇湘客 @ 2:43 PM
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