But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.\u2019 The woman said to him, \u2018I know that Messiah is coming\u2019 (who is called Christ). \u2018When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.\u2019 Jesus said to her, \u2018I am he, the one who is speaking to you.\u2019<\/p>\n
Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, \u2018What do you want?\u2019 or, \u2018Why are you speaking with her?\u2019 Then the woman left her water-jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, \u2018Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?\u2019 They left the city and were on their way to him.<\/p>\n
Reflection<\/strong><\/p>\n Recently, a well-known scientist, writer and broadcaster asked a question on Twitter. It didn\u2019t go down well with thousands of people who felt the question shouldn\u2019t even have been asked. If you know anything about Twitter, you\u2019ll know it can be a hostile space. The scientist attempted to defend himself, saying he had merely asked a question, but his audience had heard something in his tone which seemed to indicate his mind was made up.<\/p>\n Similarly, Pontius Pilate responds to Jesus\u2019 defence with a question in John 18:37-38 (ESV): <\/p>\n Then Pilate said to him, \u201cSo you are a king?\u201d Jesus answered, \u201cYou say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world\u2014to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.\u201d<\/p>\n Pilate said to him, \u201cWhat is truth?\u201d<\/p>\n Genuine questions open doors of discovery, but in the cases of Pilate and the scientist, their doors seem to be firmly locked. Compare this with the woman in our reading. An encounter with Jesus, who proclaims his messianic role and miraculously tells her \u2018everything I have ever done\u2019, inspires her to tell her friends what she has witnessed. <\/p>\n \u2018He cannot be the Messiah, can he?\u2019 continues her journey of faith, and as she brings a crowd back with her to meet Jesus, perhaps they were devising lots of questions to ask him.<\/p>\n Prime Minister\u2019s Questions can be considered a national spectacle, where Opposition and Government spar with words, asking questions that are constructed to challenge, and often with answers that avoid the question altogether! Citizens can feel disconnected from the politics they see. The Joint Public Issues Team seeks to encourage \u2018a politics characterised by listening, kindness and truthfulness\u2019. Asking genuine questions of our elected representatives is an important part of our witness \u2013 if we can listen with kindness and urge truthfulness.<\/p>\n What questions are you asking today? And are you listening?<\/p>\n Prayer<\/p>\n Loving God, But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.\u2019 The woman said to him, \u2018I know that Messiah is … <\/p>\n
In a world of lies and half-truths,
doubt and misplaced trust,
help me today to listen
to the cry of the poor,
the angry, the voiceless,
and the call of Jesus
who hears each question
and answers with truthful love.
Amen
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"