John 4:22-24
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. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus here highlights that while the Samaritans' worship was based on an incomplete understanding, the Jews, by possessing the Old Testament Scriptures, had a deeper, historically grounded knowledge of God and His plan. This isn't just about knowing of God, but knowing the God who had revealed Himself through covenants and promises, a knowledge that pointed directly to the coming Savior.
Jesus is explaining that true worship isn't tied to a specific location like Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem. He contrasts the Samaritan understanding of God, limited to the Pentateuch, with the fuller revelation available to the Jews through the rest of the Old Testament, including the prophetic writings. This leads him to declare that the promised salvation originates from the Jewish people, setting the stage for his own self-revelation as the Messiah.
Jesus draws a stark contrast between the Samaritan woman's worship and Jewish worship. What made the difference so profound?
Jesus confronts the Samaritan woman's worship head-on, stating, 'You worship what you do not know.' This isn't just about location; it's about knowledge of God. The Samaritans, limited to the Pentateuch and lacking the prophetic revelation, had an incomplete and therefore distorted understanding of God. They lacked the deeper knowledge of God's character, His promises, and His unfolding plan that the Jews possessed through the full Old Testament canon.
Jesus then identifies Himself with the Jews, saying, 'we worship what we know.' This 'we' is crucial. It signifies the people who have received God's revealed Word, including the prophets and the developing understanding of the Messiah. Their worship, while imperfect in practice for many, was rooted in a known God, revealed through covenant, law, and prophecy. This foundational knowledge made their worship, in principle, superior to the Samaritans' uncertain and incomplete practices.
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Jesus declares, 'salvation is from the Jews.' What does this incredible statement mean for us today?
This statement, 'salvation is from the Jews,' is a cornerstone of biblical theology. It doesn't mean salvation is exclusively for Jews, but that its source and lineage are divinely ordained through this specific people. God chose Abraham and his descendants to be the vessel through whom His redemptive plan would unfold.
Understand the original words
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.
theos · Greek Noun
The Supreme Being, personal and transcendent, who is not limited by physical constraints or material location.
This conversation takes place against a backdrop of centuries of religious and ethnic tension between Jews and Samaritans, highlighting Jesus' mission to bridge these divides and reveal that true worship transcends specific locations and ethnic boundaries.
c. 722 BC
Assyrian Exile of Northern Israel
The Northern Kingdom of Israel is conquered by the Assyrian Empire, and many Israelites are deported. Their places are filled by people from other lands, leading to a mixed population and religious practices in the region.
c. 538 BC onwards
Return of Some Exiles to Jerusalem
Following the Babylonian Exile, some Jews return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple and the city. This event sharpens the distinction between those who remained in the land and those who returned, further solidifying Jewish identity.
c. 4th century BC
Samaritan Temple on Mount Gerizim
The Samaritans build their own temple on Mount Gerizim, solidifying their religious separation from the Jews in Jerusalem. This act marks a significant religious and political schism.
c. 1st century BC - 1st century AD
Messianic Expectation Grows
A strong expectation for the coming of the Messiah circulates among Jewish people, fueled by prophetic writings and a sense of national hope for deliverance and restoration.
c. AD 27-30— this verse
Jesus Encounters the Samaritan Woman
Jesus, traveling between Judea and Galilee, stops at a well near Sychar in Samaria and speaks with a Samaritan woman. This conversation challenges deep-seated religious and ethnic divides.
This passage highlights that the Jewish people were entrusted with God's covenants, adoption, glory, and the Messiah, underscoring their unique role in God's plan, just as Jesus states salvation is 'from the Jews.'
Isaiah 2:3This prophetic word declares that the law and the word of the Lord will go forth from Zion (representing Jerusalem and the Jewish people), directly supporting Jesus' claim that salvation originates from the Jews.
Micah 4:2Similar to Isaiah 2:3, this prophecy foretells that nations will stream to Jerusalem to learn from the Lord, reinforcing the idea that divine truth and salvation are uniquely associated with the Jewish lineage from which the Messiah would come.
John 1:11This verse states that Jesus came to his own people, the Jews, who did not receive him, paralleling the idea that although salvation originated from the Jews, not all within that nation would accept it.
Acts 4:12Peter declares that 'there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved,' pointing to Jesus Christ, who, as stated in John 4:22, came from the Jews.
ellicottJohn 4:22: "Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews."
(22) For salvation is of the Jews. —This verse has sorely tried critics who seek to construct the Gospel out of their judgments of what it should be. It can be no difficulty to those who seek to form their judgments from the Gospel as it is. Assume that the Gospel belongs to the Greek thought of the close of the second century, and the verse must be omitted, though it is certainly part of the origin…
vincentJohn 4:22: "Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews."
Ye know not what (ὁ οὐκ οἴδατε)Literally, what ye know not. Rev., rightly, that which ye know not. Compare Acts 17:23, where the correct reading is ὃ, what, instead of ὃν, whom: "what therefore ye worship in ignorance." This worship of the unknown is common to vulgar ignorance and to philosophic culture; to the Samaritan woman, and to the Athenian philosophers. Compare John 7:28; John 8:19,…
Jesus here highlights that while the Samaritans' worship was based on an incomplete understanding, the Jews, by possessing the Old Testament Scriptures, had a deeper, historically grounded knowledge of God and His plan. This isn't just about knowing of God, but knowing the God who had revealed Himself through covenants and promises, a knowledge that pointed directly to the coming Savior.
Jesus is explaining that true worship isn't tied to a specific location like Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem. He contrasts the Samaritan understanding of God, limited to the Pentateuch, with the fuller revelation available to the Jews through the rest of the Old Testament, including the prophetic writings. This leads him to declare that the promised salvation originates from the Jewish people, setting the stage for his own self-revelation as the Messiah.
Jesus is explaining that true worship isn't tied to a specific location like Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem. He contrasts the Samaritan understanding of God, limited to the Pentateuch, with the fuller revelation available to the Jews through the rest of the Old Testament, including the prophetic writings. This leads him to declare that the promised salvation originates from the Jewish people, setting the stage for his own self-revelation as the Messiah.
"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…" — Jesus here highlights that while the Samaritans' worship was based on an incomplete understanding, the Jews, by possessing the Old Testament Scriptures, had a deeper, historically grounded knowledge…
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