Jesus shifts the focus from where to worship to how to worship. He’s not just saying the locations will become irrelevant, but that the very nature of worship is about to expand beyond any single mountain or city, revealing God as a Father accessible to all, not confined by earthly boundaries.
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 worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus has just revealed to the Samaritan woman that he knows her past, including her five husbands and current cohabitation. This revelation prompts her to recognize him as a prophet, leading her to bring up the long-standing religious dispute between Samaritans and Jews regarding the proper place of worship. She points to their tradition of worshipping on Mount Gerizim, contrasting it with the Jewish insistence on Jerusalem as the only valid site.
Jesus is talking about worship, but He's about to shatter a deeply held assumption. What was once tied to a specific location is about to be liberated.
The woman Jesus speaks to is caught in a debate as old as time: where is the right place to worship God? Samaritans had their mountain (Mount Gerizim), and Jews had their temple in Jerusalem. Both had historical and religious claims. But Jesus, with divine insight, pivots the conversation entirely. He states that the hour is coming when neither location will be the defining factor for worship. This isn't to say sacred places are unimportant, but the emphasis is shifting from the where to the who. True worship is not bound by geography; it's about a connection with God the Father, a relationship that transcends physical boundaries.
Jesus uses a specific word for God here that holds profound implications. It's a title that redefines who God is and who we are in relation to Him.
Jesus introduces the title 'the Father' in this context. This isn't just a generic term; it's a revelation of God's intimate, relational nature. For the Samaritans and Jews, their worship was tied to specific traditions and rivalries. But Jesus reveals that God desires to be known and worshipped as 'the Father' – a relationship of love, provision, and belonging. This title emphasizes that God isn't distant or impersonal, but intimately involved with humanity, especially those who approach Him through faith in Jesus. The worship that Jesus inaugurates is one where people, regardless of their background or location, can approach God as their Heavenly Father.
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Understand the original words
gynai · Greek Noun
In a biblical context, this is a respectful but direct address used to signify a serious conversation, often used by Jesus when delivering significant theological or revelatory truths.
hōra · Greek Noun
A pivotal theological term referring to the divinely appointed time for the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan, particularly centered on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
proskyneō · Greek Verb
The act of showing reverence, adoration, and submission to God; it involves the total posture of the heart and life toward the Creator.
patēr · Greek Noun
The fundamental relationship between the Creator and the believer, emphasizing God's role as the provider of life and the recipient of filial reverence and obedience.
sōtēria · Greek Noun
The comprehensive work of God to deliver humanity from the penalty and power of sin, fulfilled supremely in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
alēthinos · Greek Adjective
Authentic, sincere, and divinely enabled worshippers who relate to God not merely through ritual or location, but through an internal transformation by the Holy Spirit.
pneuma · Greek Noun
Referring to the mode of worship that transcends external ordinances, facilitated by the Holy Spirit, who enables believers to connect with God in the inward man.
alētheia · Greek Noun
Refers to worship that is consistent with God's revealed character and the reality of Christ, devoid of hypocrisy, and aligned with the objective revelation of Scripture.
Jesus' words transcend the immediate Jewish-Samaritan conflict over worship sites, pointing toward a future where true worship is not bound by geographical location or ethnic identity, but by a spiritual connection to God as Father.
c. 722 BC
Assyrian Exile of Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern kingdom of Israel, deporting many of its inhabitants and resettling the land with foreigners. This event led to the formation of the Samaritan people and their distinct religious practices.
c. 5th Century BC
Temple Built on Mount Gerizim
Following the exile and Samaritan interactions with Jerusalem, a rival temple is constructed on Mount Gerizim, solidifying the religious schism between Samaritans and Jews. This became the center of Samaritan worship.
c. 129 BC
Destruction of Gerizim Temple
John Hyrcanus, the Hasmonean ruler, destroys the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim. Despite its destruction, the mountain remains a sacred site for Samaritans, who continue their distinct worship there.
c. 27-30 AD— this verse
Jesus Encounters Samaritan Woman
Jesus, traveling through Samaria, stops at Jacob's Well near Sychar and speaks with a Samaritan woman, leading to this profound theological discussion about the nature of worship.
c. 30-33 AD
Destruction of Jerusalem Temple
Although the temple in Jerusalem still stands at the time of Jesus' conversation, its eventual destruction by the Romans in AD 70, and the abolition of sacrificial worship, would ultimately fulfill Jesus' prophecy of worship independent of a specific geographical location.
This passage lays the groundwork for a central place of worship chosen by God, which is the very concept Jesus is moving beyond in John 4, showing the shift from a fixed geographical location to a spiritual one.
Malachi 1:11This prophecy speaks of worship offered to God in 'every place' from the rising to the setting of the sun, foreshadowing the universal and spiritual nature of worship that Jesus reveals to the woman.
Isaiah 2:2-3This prophecy describes the nations flowing to the 'mountain of the LORD's house,' indicating a future where God's worship is not confined to a single ethnic or geographical boundary.
Acts 17:24-25Paul echoes Jesus' teaching by explaining that God, who made the world, does not live in temples made by human hands and is not in need of anything, emphasizing God's transcendence over specific locations for worship.
Romans 12:1Paul calls believers to present their 'bodies as a living sacrifice,' shifting the focus of worship from a physical place to the transformed lives and devotion of individuals.
calvinJohn 4:16-21: "Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither."
- Jesus saith to her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. 17. The woman answered, and said to him, I have not a husband. Jesus said to her, Thou hast well said, I have not a husband; 18. For thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband; in this thou hast told the truth. 19. The woman saith to him, Sir, I see that thou art a Prophet. 20. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and you…
cambridgeJohn 4:21: "Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father."
21 . believe me ] This formula occurs here only; the usual one is ‘I say unto you.’ the hour cometh ] No article in the Greek; there cometh an hour . Christ decides neither for nor against either place. The utter ruin on Gerizim and the glorious building at Jerusalem will soon be on an equality. Those who would worship the Father must rise abov…
Jesus shifts the focus from where to worship to how to worship. He’s not just saying the locations will become irrelevant, but that the very nature of worship is about to expand beyond any single mountain or city, revealing God as a Father accessible to all, not confined by earthly boundaries.
Jesus has just revealed to the Samaritan woman that he knows her past, including her five husbands and current cohabitation. This revelation prompts her to recognize him as a prophet, leading her to bring up the long-standing religious dispute between Samaritans and Jews regarding the proper place of worship. She points to their tradition of worshipping on Mount Gerizim, contrasting it with the Jewish insistence on Jerusalem as the only valid site.
Jesus has just revealed to the Samaritan woman that he knows her past, including her five husbands and current cohabitation. This revelation prompts her to recognize him as a prophet, leading her to bring up the long-standing religious dispute between Samaritans and Jews regarding the proper place of worship. She points to their tradition of worshipping on Mount Gerizim, contrasting it with the Jewish insistence on Jerusalem as the only valid site.
"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 i…" — Jesus shifts the focus from where to worship to how to worship. He’s not just saying the locations will become irrelevant, but that the very nature of worship is about to expand beyond any single…
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Last reviewed October 2026
