God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
"God is spirit" sounds abstract at first, but Jesus says it to correct a very concrete argument — the Samaritan woman had just asked him where the correct mountain for worship was supposed to be, hers or the Jews'. She was asking a location question. Jesus answers with something that dissolves the whole premise: God isn't confined to a mountain, a building, or a nationality, so worship isn't either.
Spirit and truth — not the right zip code, not the right ethnic pedigree, not even the right religious institution. Something more internal and more universal than any of that. This conversation happens, notably, with a woman with a complicated past that the town already knew about, at a well, at noon, when she'd normally have avoided the crowd.
If you've assumed real faith requires the right background, the right building, or belonging to the right group first, this verse — spoken to exactly the kind of person who had none of that — suggests otherwise.
If you've assumed you'd need the right background before approaching God, this conversation happened with someone who had none of it.
A short video on this is coming soon — for now, read on.