The earliest Christians followed a Jewish tradition of pausing to pray, preferably together, first thing in the morning, about mid morning, at noon, about mid afternoon, and in the evening. “Just a Note” posts are brief observations made from Scripture readings not related to a lectionary. If I have one to post, it normally appears about 9:00 in the morning, at “the hour of prayer.”
In the oft-quoted narrative of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well, we find a great many ideas worthy of consideration. I’d like to focus on just one for today. In John 4:20-24 the woman, realizing that Jesus is some sort of a prophet, makes a statement of her opinion about how true worship happens. The Samaritans have a particular mode of worship and the Jews have a different one. The woman seems to imply that it is all equivalent. Worship is good.
Jesus points out quickly that the Samaritans are worshiping something in ignorance and the Jews are worshiping in truth. He distinguishes between truth and error. He also adds that God the Father wants to find true worshipers, those who worship according to the truth.
The Bible makes very particular claims about the nature of God. It is very clear that the only way to approach God is by faith in Jesus, God the Son. It is very clear that salvation is by grace through faith, not any other means. When different religious views come into conflict, the Scripture is clear that there is right and wrong. I’d rather be found right than diplomatic.
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