{"id":44478,"date":"2024-01-01T22:49:36","date_gmt":"2024-01-01T19:49:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=44478"},"modified":"2025-05-06T20:34:27","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T17:34:27","slug":"what-is-the-meaning-of-the-hour-is-coming-and-now-is-in-john-423","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2024\/01\/01\/what-is-the-meaning-of-the-hour-is-coming-and-now-is-in-john-423\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Meaning of \u201cThe Hour is Coming\u201d and \u201cNow Is\u201d in John 4:23?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In <\/span>John <\/span>4:<\/span>23<\/span><\/strong>, <\/span>Jesus <\/span>tells <\/span>the <\/span>Samaritan <\/span>woman <\/span>at <\/span>the <\/span>well:<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201c<\/span>But <\/span>the <\/span>hour <\/span>is <\/span>coming, <\/span>and <\/span>is <\/span>now <\/span>here, <\/span>when <\/span>the <\/span>true <\/span>worshipers <\/span>will <\/span>worship <\/span>the <\/span>Father <\/span>in <\/span>spirit <\/span>and <\/span>truth, <\/span>for <\/span>the <\/span>Father <\/span>is <\/span>seeking <\/span>such <\/span>people <\/span>to <\/span>worship <\/span>him.\u201d (<\/span>John <\/span>4:<\/span>23, <\/span>ESV)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

To <\/span>understand <\/span>this <\/span>statement, <\/span>let\u2019s <\/span>first <\/span>look <\/span>at <\/span>the <\/span>context, <\/span>beginning <\/span>with <\/span>John <\/span>4:<\/span>19-<\/span>22<\/span><\/strong>:<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201c<\/span>The <\/span>woman <\/span>said <\/span>to <\/span>him, \u2018<\/span>Sir, <\/span>I <\/span>perceive <\/span>that <\/span>you <\/span>are <\/span>a <\/span>prophet. <\/span>Our <\/span>fathers <\/span>worshiped <\/span>on <\/span>this <\/span>mountain, <\/span>but <\/span>you <\/span>say <\/span>that <\/span>in <\/span>Jerusalem <\/span>is <\/span>the <\/span>place <\/span>where <\/span>people <\/span>ought <\/span>to <\/span>worship.\u2019 <\/span>Jesus <\/span>said <\/span>to <\/span>her, \u2018<\/span>Woman, <\/span>believe <\/span>me, <\/span>the <\/span>hour <\/span>is <\/span>coming <\/span>when <\/span>neither <\/span>on <\/span>this <\/span>mountain <\/span>nor <\/span>in <\/span>Jerusalem <\/span>will <\/span>you <\/span>worship <\/span>the <\/span>Father. <\/span>You <\/span>worship <\/span>what <\/span>you <\/span>do <\/span>not <\/span>know; <\/span>we <\/span>worship <\/span>what <\/span>we <\/span>know, <\/span>for <\/span>salvation <\/span>is <\/span>from <\/span>the <\/span>Jews.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/em> (<\/span>John <\/span>4:<\/span>19\u2013<\/span>22, <\/span>ESV)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The <\/span>Samaritan <\/span>woman <\/span>was <\/span>referring <\/span>to <\/span>the <\/span>long-<\/span>standing <\/span>religious <\/span>debate <\/span>between <\/span>Jews <\/span>and <\/span>Samaritans <\/span>about <\/span>the <\/span>proper <\/span>location <\/span>of <\/span>worship\u2014<\/span>Mount <\/span>Gerizim <\/span>or <\/span>Jerusalem. <\/span>But <\/span>Jesus <\/span>redirects <\/span>the <\/span>conversation <\/span>to <\/span>a <\/span>deeper <\/span>truth <\/span>about <\/span>worship <\/span>itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

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1. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>The <\/span>hour <\/span>is <\/span>coming\u201d<\/span><\/strong> \u2013 <\/span>A <\/span>Future <\/span>Transformation <\/span>in <\/span>Worship<\/span><\/h3>\n

When <\/span>Jesus <\/span>says, <\/span>\u201c<\/span>the <\/span>hour <\/span>is <\/span>coming,\u201d<\/span><\/em> He <\/span>is <\/span>pointing <\/span>to <\/span>a <\/span>soon-<\/span>coming <\/span>change <\/span>in <\/span>the <\/span>way <\/span>people <\/span>relate <\/span>to <\/span>and <\/span>worship <\/span>God. <\/span>This \u201c<\/span>hour\u201d <\/span>refers <\/span>to <\/span>the <\/span>coming <\/span>of <\/span>a <\/span>new <\/span>covenant <\/span>reality, <\/span>made <\/span>possible <\/span>through <\/span>His <\/span>death, <\/span>resurrection, <\/span>and <\/span>the <\/span>outpouring <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>Holy <\/span>Spirit <\/span>at <\/span>Pentecost (<\/span>see <\/span>Acts <\/span>2:<\/span>1\u2013<\/span>4<\/span><\/strong>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Under <\/span>the <\/span>old <\/span>covenant, <\/span>worship <\/span>was <\/span>tied <\/span>to <\/span>physical <\/span>places <\/span>like <\/span>the <\/span>temple <\/span>in <\/span>Jerusalem, <\/span>and <\/span>it <\/span>was <\/span>mediated <\/span>through <\/span>priests <\/span>and <\/span>rituals. <\/span>But <\/span>Jesus <\/span>was <\/span>ushering <\/span>in <\/span>a <\/span>new <\/span>covenant<\/span><\/strong>, <\/span>in <\/span>which <\/span>worship <\/span>would <\/span>no <\/span>longer <\/span>be <\/span>restricted <\/span>to <\/span>a <\/span>specific <\/span>place, <\/span>but <\/span>would <\/span>be <\/span>spiritual <\/span>and <\/span>accessible <\/span>to <\/span>all <\/span>through <\/span>faith <\/span>in <\/span>Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n

This <\/span>new <\/span>way <\/span>of <\/span>worship <\/span>would <\/span>be <\/span>based <\/span>on:<\/span><\/p>\n