Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I tell you, raise your eyes and observe the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps may rejoice together. For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have come into their labor.” (vv. 34-38)

In the passage, the Samaritan woman mentions the Mount Gerizim. Joshua divided the Israelites into two groups and gave them blessing and cursing according to God’s instruction (Joshua 8:33). It appears that the Samaritans believed that the Mt. Gerizim was the source of God’s blessing.

And it shall come about, when the LORD your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, that you shall place the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. (Deuteronomy 11:29)

As I’ve previously explained, true worship of God is not about where we worship. Worship must be based on the true knowledge of God. And without true faith, we cannot please God. The apostles repeatedly mentioned that only the Son made the Father known to us. He also gave us true faith. Therefore, we cannot worship God without knowing God. Whoever has the knowledge of God knows the Father and the Son.

Christ said, “We worship we do know”.

You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. (v. 22)

Christ preached to the Jews first. And He was born as a Jew. But here, He did not talk about the Jews as a whole. He talked about the (invisible) church starting from the Jews. Jerusalem was indeed the place of worship designated by God at that time. But Jerusalem was only shadow of the real Jerusalem, the holy city, which is the church. Christ made this church because He is the true temple. There are many Christians who believe the city Jerusalem has some kind of spiritual power. Some even believe that the Israelites are the chosen people. Christ came and denied all. So, the Jews hated and still hate Him. I do not know much about dispensationalism, but I heard the dispensationalists believe that the Israel nation has some special relationship with God. I disagree. The saints are from different nations and tribes. The Israel nation in the OT was only shadow of the real kingdom. Although the Jews do not accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God, we do not go against them or any unbelievers. We make peace with everyone as much as we can (Romans 12:18). We never know if some of them may turn to God. Our job is to hold onto true faith in God and preach the good news. The knowledge of God strengthens faith. Hence, it is crucial that all believers study and learn God’s words.

I am coming quickly; hold firmly to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. (Revelation 3:11)

The invisible church is true Jerusalem. Each member of the holy, catholic church is God’s priest. Therefore, the new kingdom is the kingdom of priests. The Levites were taken as the first-born child of each household in the OT. They were the designated people to serve God day and night. The saints are the new and eternal priests. God loves each one of us and calls us by name. He feeds and trains us in this life for the kingdom. We are the temple of God on the earth because Christ is in us.

I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. (Revelation 21;22)

Many Christians believe that their ministers are the new priests and try to serve them. They are not fed but they do not know that they are given rotten food by their ministers. They are harassed but want to remain as their slaves. I believe many of the ministers are not true Christians. A lot of them speak lies at the pulpit and are not ashamed when people serve them. They put long robes and speak many words when praying in public to look noble, but they are full of vileness and vanity. On the other hand, the saints appear to look poor and even cursed by God. Christ went through the same humiliation and suffering because He knew we would be treated just like Him. We worship God in spirit and truth. We are the new creation and the eternal priests along with our eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ.

Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2)

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)

Christ, while on the earth, was strongly opposed by the Jews who put their faith in the temple in Jerusalem. They crucified Him because of His teachings concerning the temple. Stephen was also put to death for the same reason. Christ is the true Tabernacle. He made us united with God.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt (tabernacled) among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1;14)

The understanding of the new temple, city, and kingdom is rooted in one truth. That is: we are one with Christ and the Father. As a temple, each saint has the privilege of praying to God directly. Our prayers were like the babbling of infants at first. But as we grow up, we confess what we know and understand.

Christ redeemed us with His blood and made us the children of God. By faith, we declared righteous and are one like God. Adam tried to become like God by eating the forbidden fruit, but he lost his uprightness and became separated from God.

Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26)

Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out with his hand, and take fruit also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— (Genesis 3:22)

It is God’s will that the saints who are made in His image become like Him as John 17 explains. However, this blessing is not given to those who try to gain it by their own works. Christ gives this blessing to His chosen people for free. However, those who are not chosen can neither hear nor understand God.

Jesus said to her, “I am He, the One speaking to you.” (v. 26)