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)
The truly authentic worship God seeks isn't tied to a place or a ritual, but to the inner life of the worshiper. It's a profound engagement of the heart and mind with God, aligning with His very nature, rather than an external performance.
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 been speaking with a Samaritan woman, challenging her preconceived notions about where and how true worship is directed. He has revealed that he knows her past and present life, prompting her to recognize him as a prophet and to bring up the long-standing religious divide between Samaritans and Jews regarding the proper place of worship. Jesus then pivots to explain that the location of worship is becoming irrelevant, shifting the focus to the way people connect with God.
For centuries, worship was tied to specific places. But Jesus announces a radical shift. What does this mean for how we connect with God today?
Jesus tells the woman at the well that a new era of worship is dawning. It's not about where you worship anymore (like Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim), but how.
From Sacred Sites to Sacred Selves
Worship is now about the heart's engagement, the spirit's connection, and a life lived in alignment with God's truth, regardless of geographical boundaries.
Why the Change?
This shift is because Jesus Himself is ushering in a new covenant. He is the ultimate revelation of God, and through Him, God can be known and approached intimately by all people, everywhere.
Ask a follow-up
Jesus uses two key terms to define true worship: 'spirit and truth.' What do these powerful words truly mean for our connection with God?
Jesus’ declaration that true worship happens 'in spirit and in truth' gets to the core of genuine devotion.
Worship in Spirit
Worship in Truth
It's not just us seeking God; the verse reveals something astounding about God's own desire. What does it mean that God is actively looking for something specific in us?
The end of verse 23 holds a profound truth: 'for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.' This isn't a passive wish; it's an active pursuit.
God's Initiative
Why This Pursuit?
Understand the original words
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' conversation with the Samaritan woman occurs during a period of intense religious and political tension, particularly concerning the proper place and practice of worship. The historical context of the destroyed Samaritan temple and the functioning, yet soon-to-be-destroyed, Jewish Temple highlights the radical nature of Jesus' proclamation: worship is transitioning from a geographically bound, ritualistic practice to an internal, spiritual reality accessible to all.
c. 2nd century BC
Samaritan Temple on Mount Gerizim
The Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim, a center for their worship, was destroyed by the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus. This event deepened the animosity between Jews and Samaritans and created a context where worship locations became deeply contested.
Early 1st century AD
Jewish Temple in Jerusalem
The Second Temple in Jerusalem stood as the central site of Jewish worship, with its complex system of sacrifices and rituals prescribed by the Law of Moses. Its importance was deeply ingrained in Jewish identity and practice.
c. AD 27-30
Jesus' Ministry Begins
Jesus begins his public ministry in Galilee and Judea, preaching the coming of the Kingdom of God and calling disciples. His teachings often challenged established religious norms and practices.
c. AD 27-30— this verse
Jesus Encounters the Samaritan Woman
Jesus, traveling through Samaria, speaks with a Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well. This conversation leads to Jesus explaining that true worship is not tied to a specific location like Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem, but is offered 'in spirit and in truth.'
c. AD 30
Samaritans Believe in Jesus
Following Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well, many Samaritans in that region believe in Jesus based on his own words. This demonstrates the immediate impact of his teaching and its transcendency of ethnic and religious divides.
c. AD 70
Destruction of the Second Temple
The Roman army destroys the Second Temple in Jerusalem, ending the sacrificial system and the centrality of the Temple to Jewish worship. This event further underscores the shift Jesus spoke of, making worship in spirit and truth the only viable option for many.
This Old Testament passage prophesies a future time when worship offered from all nations will be pure and acceptable to God, directly paralleling Jesus' announcement of true worship in spirit and truth.
Psalm 50:23This Psalm declares that the one who offers praise glorifies God and shows the way to salvation, connecting the act of worship to honoring God and pointing towards spiritual truth.
Isaiah 58:2This verse critiques a generation that seeks God and inquires of Him while maintaining outward religious practices but lacking genuine heart devotion, highlighting the need for worship in 'spirit and truth' that Jesus speaks of.
Romans 12:1Paul calls believers to offer their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is a spiritual act of worship. This aligns with Jesus' teaching that true worship is a spiritual, internal offering, not just external ritual.
1 Corinthians 2:14This passage explains that the natural person cannot accept spiritual things, revealing the necessity of God's Spirit for true understanding and worship. This underscores Jesus' point that worship must be 'in spirit'.
calvinJohn 4:22-26: "Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews."
- You worship what you know not, we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24. God is a Spirit, and they who worship him ought to worship in spirit and in truth. 25. The woman saith to him, I know that the Messiah will come, w…
cambridgeJohn 4:23: "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him."
23 . the hour cometh ] As before, there cometh an hour . What follows, and it is now here , could not be added in John 4:21 . The local worship on Gerizim and Zion must still continue for a while; but there are already a few who are rising above these externals to the spirit of true worship, in which the opposition between Jew and S…
The truly authentic worship God seeks isn't tied to a place or a ritual, but to the inner life of the worshiper. It's a profound engagement of the heart and mind with God, aligning with His very nature, rather than an external performance.
Jesus has been speaking with a Samaritan woman, challenging her preconceived notions about where and how true worship is directed. He has revealed that he knows her past and present life, prompting her to recognize him as a prophet and to bring up the long-standing religious divide between Samaritans and Jews regarding the proper place of worship. Jesus then pivots to explain that the location of worship is becoming irrelevant, shifting the focus to the way people connect with God.
Jesus has been speaking with a Samaritan woman, challenging her preconceived notions about where and how true worship is directed. He has revealed that he knows her past and present life, prompting her to recognize him as a prophet and to bring up the long-standing religious divide between Samaritans and Jews regarding the proper place of worship. Jesus then pivots to explain that the location of worship is becoming irrelevant, shifting the focus to the way people connect with God.
"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." — The truly authentic worship God seeks isn't tied to a place or a ritual, but to the inner life of the worshiper. It's a profound engagement of the heart and mind with God, aligning with His very natu…
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Last reviewed October 2026