16-18 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19-20 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”

21-24 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

27 Just then his disciples came back. They marvelled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” 28 -30 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” They went out of the town and were coming to him. John 4:16-30 English Standard Version

There's always been much confusion in the world about who God is and how God should be worshipped. We see that in the Samaritan woman's comment in vs 19-20. In recent days we see how foolish the situation has become in the UK where some people want to create a 'gender neutral' God and banish words like 'Father' and 'He' when referring to the Almighty. But what is the important truth that Jesus says about God in vs 21-24?

God is spirit. The fact that we address Him as Father is not based on His sex, but on how He has made Himself known through the ages. Man derives his image and terminology from God, not God from man. And related to that important truth is the fact that true worship doesn't depend on outward forms, ceremonies and places, but on a living relationship with God, and believing the truth about Him. People lost that relationship when our first parents believed the lie Satan told about God, and God's word.

What is another important truth we learn about God in vs 16-18?

There are no secrets we can hide from Him. This woman was living a lie. She had religion, but she did not know the truth about God. But that's true of every one of us as long as we are outside of Christ. Sadly, even when we come to know Him as Saviour there may be things in our life we don't care to reveal to others. But here's the good news. Note how gently Jesus dealt with this woman. He showed her that He knew there was sin in her life, but He speaks to her about the Father, and tells her that He is indeed the Messiah. She is left with feelings of hope rather than condemnation and rushes off to invite her neighbours to come and meet Him.

At that stage of her life it seems she still had questions rather than full conviction about Jesus, and that can be true of many people even today. Can Jesus be the one born of a woman promised by God who would crush Satan and bring salvation to the world? Did He reveal the only true God? What about other religions and the gods they speak of? So much confusion in the world.

Once again I remind readers that it was to bring an end to such confusion that John wrote this gospel. The disciples had already realized Jesus was unique, and that's why none of them questioned the surprising things He did. (vs 27) And as I said in the last post, John told us that “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31) He makes the true God known to all who believe in Him.