Article March 19, 1904 Issue

Scientific Teaching

Alfred Farlow

Boston Times

In his conversation with the woman of Samaria at the well, Jesus not only revolutionized the Samaritan ideas of worshiping God in a particular mountain, but he also spoke in favor of a departure from the ancient Jewish custom of worshiping God at Jerusalem, offering as his reason therefor his clear and pointed definition of God as Spirit.

In the Twentieth Century New Testament this basic lesson of Christianity is put in the following language: "But a time is coming, and indeed is already here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father spiritually, with true insight; for such is the worship that the Father desires. God is Spirit; and those who worship Him must worship spiritually, with true insight."

Jesus was well aware that he was giving the Samaritan woman a new idea of worship; this understanding of the Being to be worshiped differed from hers as well as from that of the ancient Jews, and he indicated his realization that what he taught was new by the statement, "But the time is coming, and indeed is already here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father spiritually." The expression, "true insight," shows that he expected mortals to gain a new and more spiritual understanding of God. He knew that when such a knowledge came to mankind they would no longer believe that God was a limited person with a residence in some special locality, but would understand Him as infinite, everywhere present Being, who could be worshiped spiritually in one place as well as in another. Hence he said, "Neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem."

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