In John 4, Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman at the well. He reveals to her that he is the Messiah and tells her that, despite how the Samaritans worship or how the Jews worship, God is spiritual and he desires those who worship him in both spirit and in truth.
What does that mean?
The Samaritans disobeyed the command for the temple and completely discounted one of the ten commandments to make room for that “law.” The Jews, hyper focused on the law, could never bend for any reason - even a matter of life and death. To me, these two groups serve as the two extremes. One believes the law can be discounted in favor of worship in the here-and-now. The other believes that what is written is everything and nothing is left undecided; it is all black and white. What God loves is one who understands both. One, like Mary, who spends time with Jesus as he taught instead of serving him. One who understands the priorities of the father and does them. One who sees that the law is given as a guide for us but also knows that a guide is not a complete work. The law was given to show examples of how a righteous person conducts themselves. While there are multiple direct commandments, there are also many things such as taking care of a neighbor’s ox when you see it hurt or lost. Those principles do not only apply to an ox! What about a sheep, a goat, a child! God teaches us in the law so that we understand his way of the world. Just as David understood that the showbread was holy, yet ate of it when he was withering away from starvation, God had a certain order of priority. Jesus criticizes the pharisees for tithing and, in so doing, neglecting their parents. This is exactly the idea of Spirit and truth. Both are good, but should priority be forced, life should always be the picked.
Links:
Pharisees “Do kings tax their sons or foreigners?” … “the sons are free” The woman at the well
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