Mike
Scriptures: Matthew 23:37- 39 Matthew 24:1-14 John 4:3-24 Isaiah 26:20-21
Jesus knew from the prophets that the 490 years given to the nation for them to return to the God of Israel was nearing an end. How sad is His lament over Jerusalem, just as a hen that would gather her chick at the first signs of danger, so was the everlasting love that longed to gather His people and avoid the impending judgment. After striving to save them, the world’s Redeemer was allowing His people to bear the results of their sin.
As He departed the temple for the last time, His disciples came to Him and pointed to the temple building. Jesus warned them not to focus on what was visible, these were temporary and would not last.
On the Mount of Olives, He went on to explain things that would have to happen before His return. He warned that things would get worse, false prophets, iniquity would become wide spread and it is going to cause many to fall away. Matthew 24:11-13 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
So how do we endure to the end? In the book of John, we are given the testimony or the witness of Jesus Christ which presents believers around the world principles by which we can find a pathway for end times survival.
In John 4 it is recorded that Jesus had to pass through Samaria on His way to Galilee. The Samaritans were the remnant of the northern Jewish kingdom who had intermarried with foreigners after being carried into exile. They had built a separate worship place on Mount Gerizim and chose to reject most of the Old Testament, there was no love lost between the Jews and the Samaritans.
Jesus came to the city of Sychar, and was by the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. It was about noon and Jesus was tired from His journey so He sat by Jacob’s well. As He sat there a woman from the city came to the well, we deduce from the scripture that she was almost certainly an outcast of society due to her promiscuous lifestyle.
Jesus asked her for water to drink, which was a great surprise to her, but the conversation came around to the conflicting claims of Jerusalem and Samaria being the places of worship.
“Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” The Samaritan woman reminds Jesus that their fathers had worshipped on Mount Gerizim. They had been very sincere in their worship. They had been faithful to worship God in a particular place. She seemed to have a sense of pride in the fact that generations of Samaritans had been faithful in worshipping God.
As the woman began to discuss these differing claims which were centred around physical places, Jesus replied in a manner which was not expected, saying to her: “the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, give worship to the Father.”
Jesus revealed that there was a change coming, a time when believers would not be bound by a physical location to worship the Father. Events would come which would change the course of history; the cross and the sacrifice that would be made for the sins of mankind; the veil of the temple that would be rent from top to bottom allowing believers access to the Holy of Holies, where they could worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth.
The Samaritan woman was focused on the mountain as the only place of worship. She believed that if she did not worship there, then she couldn’t worship, but Jesus explained that worship is not defined by a particular place, but rather the condition of the heart of believers.
Jesus knew that within a short time the people of the prince would come against Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed. The final transfer from a physical location to a spiritual condition, where all believers would worship in Spirit and in Truth.
Prayer: Father God, places, circumstances and world issues that we know are wrong are, for the most part, the work of our adversary and beyond our control. May we listen to You, Lord, through the words of the prophet Isaiah. who invites us to be gathered under Your wings: “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.” Amen
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