"But the time approaches, indeed it is already here, when those who are real worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth" (John, 4:23).
These are words from Jesus in conversation with the Samaritan woman on the religious dispute whether God should be worshiped in Samaria or in Jerusalem. Jesus provides two reasons why real worshipers should worship the Father in spirit and in truth. "Such are the worshipers whom the Father wants. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23-24).
How should we understand worshiping God in spirit and in truth? As we are composed of body and soul, both of them should find place in our worship. As God is spirit and our soul too is spirit, the communion between the two is of the essence of worshiping in spirit. However, we cannot neglect the external manifestation of worship by using our body to praise and thank God and being related to others. The conformity between the internal and the external is guaranteed by worshiping in truth. Mere rituals and uncommitted words used in prayer to God do not contribute to worshiping in truth. As a clear example of worshiping God in spirit and in truth, let us examine the style of life Jesus led here on earth.
1. Jesus was consumed by the firm determination to do the Will of his Father in heaven. As a consequence, his dealings in the world and his relationship to everyone including Mary, his mother, was secondary because he had to be busy with his Father's concerns (Luke, 2: 49; John, 2: 3-4). Jesus was completely detached from the concerns of this world and yet was ready to take care of the needs of the people around him(John, 2: 3-10). Our involvement in the world with an attitude of detachment, not indifference, is essential for worshiping God in spirit and in truth. (See our Post on 'Detachment').
2 Jesus went to the Jerusalem Temple, especially during festivals, to teach people the ways of God without dissuading them from offering ritual sacrifices. Clearing the Temple of those who turned it into a marketplace was to remind them that it was meant to be a house of prayer (Matthew, 21: 12-13, Mark, 11: 15-17; Luke, 19: 45-46; John, 2: 13-17). Worshiping God in spirit and in truth is reflected in our personal and social attitudes.
3. Jesus overturned every rule that demeaned people upholding, in the process, the dignity of human beings above every other concern. The best example for the same may be seen in the instances when Jesus seemingly violated the Law of Sabbath in order to heal the infirm and help the weak to regain their strength. In matters concerning laws and rules, Jesus set the priority right that was distorted by the authorities by declaring: "He also said to them: 'The Sabbath was made for the sake of man and not man for the Sabbath: therefore the Son of Man is sovereign even over the Sabbath'" (Mark, 2: 27-28). Safeguarding, therefore, the dignity of every human being, demolishing in the process every restriction against it, is the same as worshiping God in spirit and in truth.
4. Jesus was compassionate and his heart went out to people who suffered from indignities, illness, hunger, death of the loved ones etc. Actions out of compassion for people are examples of worshiping God, Who is compassion itself, in spirit and in truth. Jesus did not shy away from the social life of the times and got himself thoroughly involved with the problems of the people.
Worshiping God in spirit and in truth is the right means to surrender ourselves to the Will of God without, at the same time, compromising on the quality of our life in this world. For how do we pray always even as we are engaged in the activities of daily life? It is done through the spirit of prayer pervading our entire life. What is this spirit of prayer? Besides the usual timings and forms of prayer practiced by us, when our entire life is dedicated to the Will of God with a clean heart and unattached actions and relations in the world, we have the spirit of prayer. Without seeking our own name and fame for our good works if we offer them up for the glory of God alone, we worship God in the spirit.
What about worshiping God in truth? It should not be the case that we imagine our worship to be in spirit without any substance in it. Worshiping in truth is the remedy to this sort of malady seen in many cases. It is like checks and balances we exercise on our spiritual authenticity. Hollow and empty sounds produced in certain instances may help us psychologically and yet to benefit spiritually, our rituals, prayers, sacrifices etc. must have a correspondence between the internal and the external. What we express externally should be an outcome of our internal life and in the process we are thoroughly transformed into new people. Actions that follow from a transformed person are infused with spiritual vigor. Whatever is not conducive to our own transformation from the old ways of life to the new ones cannot be counted as woship in spirit and in truth. (See the next Post on 'Self-Transformation).
These are words from Jesus in conversation with the Samaritan woman on the religious dispute whether God should be worshiped in Samaria or in Jerusalem. Jesus provides two reasons why real worshipers should worship the Father in spirit and in truth. "Such are the worshipers whom the Father wants. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23-24).
How should we understand worshiping God in spirit and in truth? As we are composed of body and soul, both of them should find place in our worship. As God is spirit and our soul too is spirit, the communion between the two is of the essence of worshiping in spirit. However, we cannot neglect the external manifestation of worship by using our body to praise and thank God and being related to others. The conformity between the internal and the external is guaranteed by worshiping in truth. Mere rituals and uncommitted words used in prayer to God do not contribute to worshiping in truth. As a clear example of worshiping God in spirit and in truth, let us examine the style of life Jesus led here on earth.
1. Jesus was consumed by the firm determination to do the Will of his Father in heaven. As a consequence, his dealings in the world and his relationship to everyone including Mary, his mother, was secondary because he had to be busy with his Father's concerns (Luke, 2: 49; John, 2: 3-4). Jesus was completely detached from the concerns of this world and yet was ready to take care of the needs of the people around him(John, 2: 3-10). Our involvement in the world with an attitude of detachment, not indifference, is essential for worshiping God in spirit and in truth. (See our Post on 'Detachment').
2 Jesus went to the Jerusalem Temple, especially during festivals, to teach people the ways of God without dissuading them from offering ritual sacrifices. Clearing the Temple of those who turned it into a marketplace was to remind them that it was meant to be a house of prayer (Matthew, 21: 12-13, Mark, 11: 15-17; Luke, 19: 45-46; John, 2: 13-17). Worshiping God in spirit and in truth is reflected in our personal and social attitudes.
3. Jesus overturned every rule that demeaned people upholding, in the process, the dignity of human beings above every other concern. The best example for the same may be seen in the instances when Jesus seemingly violated the Law of Sabbath in order to heal the infirm and help the weak to regain their strength. In matters concerning laws and rules, Jesus set the priority right that was distorted by the authorities by declaring: "He also said to them: 'The Sabbath was made for the sake of man and not man for the Sabbath: therefore the Son of Man is sovereign even over the Sabbath'" (Mark, 2: 27-28). Safeguarding, therefore, the dignity of every human being, demolishing in the process every restriction against it, is the same as worshiping God in spirit and in truth.
4. Jesus was compassionate and his heart went out to people who suffered from indignities, illness, hunger, death of the loved ones etc. Actions out of compassion for people are examples of worshiping God, Who is compassion itself, in spirit and in truth. Jesus did not shy away from the social life of the times and got himself thoroughly involved with the problems of the people.
Worshiping God in spirit and in truth is the right means to surrender ourselves to the Will of God without, at the same time, compromising on the quality of our life in this world. For how do we pray always even as we are engaged in the activities of daily life? It is done through the spirit of prayer pervading our entire life. What is this spirit of prayer? Besides the usual timings and forms of prayer practiced by us, when our entire life is dedicated to the Will of God with a clean heart and unattached actions and relations in the world, we have the spirit of prayer. Without seeking our own name and fame for our good works if we offer them up for the glory of God alone, we worship God in the spirit.
What about worshiping God in truth? It should not be the case that we imagine our worship to be in spirit without any substance in it. Worshiping in truth is the remedy to this sort of malady seen in many cases. It is like checks and balances we exercise on our spiritual authenticity. Hollow and empty sounds produced in certain instances may help us psychologically and yet to benefit spiritually, our rituals, prayers, sacrifices etc. must have a correspondence between the internal and the external. What we express externally should be an outcome of our internal life and in the process we are thoroughly transformed into new people. Actions that follow from a transformed person are infused with spiritual vigor. Whatever is not conducive to our own transformation from the old ways of life to the new ones cannot be counted as woship in spirit and in truth. (See the next Post on 'Self-Transformation).
No comments:
Post a Comment