Jesus Brings Us Near
“Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” - John 14:6 CSB
When the Samaritan woman begins talking about worship, she is thinking about location. Which mountain? Which tradition? Which group has it right? But underneath that question is something much bigger. How do people actually come near to God? That is the real issue. Because if God is holy, and we are sinful, worship is not as simple as walking into the right building. We have a much deeper problem than location. We are separated from God.
And that is why Jesus coming to this woman matters so much. Look at the scene. She is a Samaritan. Jesus is Jewish. There is cultural distance between them. There is religious hostility between their people. And as the conversation unfolds, Jesus exposes brokenness in her personal life too. Yet Jesus is sitting beside her. Talking with her. Revealing truth to her. Inviting her toward the Father.
That is the gospel happening right in front of us. God came near to people who could not make themselves clean enough to come near to Him. And that is our story too.
Sometimes we can approach Christianity like the answer is trying harder. Read more. Pray more. Fix yourself. Clean things up. Be more religious. Then maybe God will accept you. But Jesus does not tell this woman to climb the right mountain. He points her toward something completely new. The hour is coming. And the One bringing that hour has already arrived. Jesus.
Later, Jesus will say it plainly: "I am the way." Not, "I will show you a path that you can climb if you work hard enough." He is the way. Our access to the Father is found in Christ.
That matters because sin is not a minor problem we solve through religious activity. Sin puts us in rebellion against a holy God. We have chosen our own way. We have worshiped created things. We have placed ourselves at the center. We have wanted God on our terms. And none of our religious activity can erase that guilt.
So Jesus did what we could never do. He lived the life of perfect obedience we have failed to live. He went to the cross. He carried the judgment sinners deserved. He died in our place. And He rose again. Through Christ, guilty people are forgiven. Through Christ, rebels are reconciled. Through Christ, people who were far from God are brought near.
That changes worship completely. We are not trying to worship our way into God's acceptance. We worship because Christ has opened the way to the Father. We are not singing so God might love us more. We worship because His love has already been displayed at the cross. We are not obeying to purchase grace. Obedience becomes the response of someone who has received grace.
Pause there. That means the gospel should produce worship. If you begin seeing what Christ has actually done for you, worship stops being another religious task. Gratitude starts making sense. Surrender starts making sense. Obedience starts making sense. Because Jesus did not merely give you better information about God. He gave Himself so that you could be reconciled to God.
So maybe today you feel far from Him. Maybe you think you need to clean yourself up before coming back. Look again at John 4. Jesus came to the woman at the well. And He has done something even greater for us. He came all the way to the cross. The way to the Father has been opened.
Come through Christ. Trust Him. Receive His grace. Then worship. Not to earn your way near. Because in Jesus, you have been brought near.
Reflection Question
Do you tend to approach God as though you need to earn your way back to Him? What would change in your relationship with God if you truly believed your access to the Father rests on what Christ has done rather than your performance?
We do not worship our way into God's acceptance. We worship because Christ has opened the way to the Father.
Prayer
Father, thank You for sending Jesus. I could never make myself worthy enough to come near to You. Thank You that Christ came for sinners, carried our guilt, died in our place, and rose again. Help me stop treating worship like a way to earn Your love. Teach me to worship from gratitude for the grace I have already received. Keep the cross in front of me and let the gospel shape everything I do. In Jesus' name, amen.
When the Samaritan woman begins talking about worship, she is thinking about location. Which mountain? Which tradition? Which group has it right? But underneath that question is something much bigger. How do people actually come near to God? That is the real issue. Because if God is holy, and we are sinful, worship is not as simple as walking into the right building. We have a much deeper problem than location. We are separated from God.
And that is why Jesus coming to this woman matters so much. Look at the scene. She is a Samaritan. Jesus is Jewish. There is cultural distance between them. There is religious hostility between their people. And as the conversation unfolds, Jesus exposes brokenness in her personal life too. Yet Jesus is sitting beside her. Talking with her. Revealing truth to her. Inviting her toward the Father.
That is the gospel happening right in front of us. God came near to people who could not make themselves clean enough to come near to Him. And that is our story too.
Sometimes we can approach Christianity like the answer is trying harder. Read more. Pray more. Fix yourself. Clean things up. Be more religious. Then maybe God will accept you. But Jesus does not tell this woman to climb the right mountain. He points her toward something completely new. The hour is coming. And the One bringing that hour has already arrived. Jesus.
Later, Jesus will say it plainly: "I am the way." Not, "I will show you a path that you can climb if you work hard enough." He is the way. Our access to the Father is found in Christ.
That matters because sin is not a minor problem we solve through religious activity. Sin puts us in rebellion against a holy God. We have chosen our own way. We have worshiped created things. We have placed ourselves at the center. We have wanted God on our terms. And none of our religious activity can erase that guilt.
So Jesus did what we could never do. He lived the life of perfect obedience we have failed to live. He went to the cross. He carried the judgment sinners deserved. He died in our place. And He rose again. Through Christ, guilty people are forgiven. Through Christ, rebels are reconciled. Through Christ, people who were far from God are brought near.
That changes worship completely. We are not trying to worship our way into God's acceptance. We worship because Christ has opened the way to the Father. We are not singing so God might love us more. We worship because His love has already been displayed at the cross. We are not obeying to purchase grace. Obedience becomes the response of someone who has received grace.
Pause there. That means the gospel should produce worship. If you begin seeing what Christ has actually done for you, worship stops being another religious task. Gratitude starts making sense. Surrender starts making sense. Obedience starts making sense. Because Jesus did not merely give you better information about God. He gave Himself so that you could be reconciled to God.
So maybe today you feel far from Him. Maybe you think you need to clean yourself up before coming back. Look again at John 4. Jesus came to the woman at the well. And He has done something even greater for us. He came all the way to the cross. The way to the Father has been opened.
Come through Christ. Trust Him. Receive His grace. Then worship. Not to earn your way near. Because in Jesus, you have been brought near.
Reflection Question
Do you tend to approach God as though you need to earn your way back to Him? What would change in your relationship with God if you truly believed your access to the Father rests on what Christ has done rather than your performance?
We do not worship our way into God's acceptance. We worship because Christ has opened the way to the Father.
Prayer
Father, thank You for sending Jesus. I could never make myself worthy enough to come near to You. Thank You that Christ came for sinners, carried our guilt, died in our place, and rose again. Help me stop treating worship like a way to earn Your love. Teach me to worship from gratitude for the grace I have already received. Keep the cross in front of me and let the gospel shape everything I do. In Jesus' name, amen.
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