“But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
John 4:23–24
A body is a set of limits. Our height determines the limit of what we can see standing in a crowd. Our mass determines the limit of how much water we will displace when we step into a swimming pool. Genetics—or more properly, God—determines our arm-span and the size of our shoes. By tethering our spirits to a body, God decrees that we will be present where we are present, and nowhere else. Yet God, who is spirit, is able to be everywhere fully present.
In John 4, Jesus holds a well-known conversation with a Samaritan woman, which points out the difference between God and man in matters of place. The woman says to Jesus, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain [Mt. Gerizim], but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship” (v. 20, ESV). She is asking Jesus to clarify which location is the true habitation of God. Jesus responds that “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth” (v. 24, ESV). God, who does not have a body, is not bound by place. He is everywhere, and can therefore be worshiped anywhere. Jesus echoes the thoughts of his ancestor, King Solomon, at the dedication of the temple: “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27, ESV).
God, unbound by a body, is not limited to one place. He is not merely big, he is uncontainable, able to be present everywhere.
Reflect:
Read John 4:19–24.Do you find it difficult or natural to think of God as unbounded by physical limitations? Why?
Pray:
With God, think through the various locations you tend to go each week. With each one you identify, specifically thank God for being present with you there.
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