Jesus repeats the previous statement for emphasis. But I also believe there is more to it than that. Remember, Jesus is talking about what is at the core of worship. He is separating the act of worship from the location where worship takes place. Jesus is further clarifying that it is what is inside the worshipper that matters to God and not so much the setting in which the worship takes place.
The reason for this emphasis on the intangible is clearly
stated here—God is spirit. He exists in
a spiritual realm. We obviously spend
most of our time in the material world, where things, objects, and possessions
are admired and valued. Churches,
mosques, temples, and cathedrals are monuments to the inability of man to capture
God. God cannot be contained. Even the desert tabernacle that exhibited his
presence, did not house the Almighty. He
once again repeats the dual elements of worship: spirit and truth.
Without annulling the previous statements regarding the
spirit of seeking The Truth being at the center of worship, Jesus expresses it
differently here. Worship is my
spiritual search for something—actually someone greater than me. It is the opportunity for me to be lifted
above the mundane and ordinary of life into the extraordinary realm of the divine
and supernatural. Only as I am willing
to lose myself in a spiritual experience that seeks to connect with a Truth
greater than what I can grasp through natural means can I truly experience
worship. Worship is not a theory to be
understood, it is an encounter to be experienced. I have to chew on this for a while. Is there a whole other dimension that God is
inviting me to enter where I can experience God and not just learn about
Him? I wonder what the woman is
thinking right about now. She’s still
listening. So am I.
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