God is about the spiritual, not the physical (John 4(7-24))

(refer John 4: 7-24)

Observations:
(1) We care about the physical, god cares about the spiritual.

In the passage referred to above, which describes a conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan woman at a well, we see two good examples about how the nature of our focus differs from that of god.

In short, we tend to focus predominately upon the physical world, whereas god is far more concerned about spiritual matters than concerns of a physical nature.

The first example of this refers to the realm of drinking, water and nourishment. The conversation commences when Jesus asks the woman for a drink, but it soon becomes clear that the woman and Jesus are on completely different wavelengths, and their focus is worlds apart.

The primary focus of the woman is on the physical aspects, both in terms of the physical process of drawing the water from the well and in terms of the physical benefit which water provides in terms of temporary refreshment.

In contrast, Jesus was merely using the water as a metaphor from which to teach the woman a lesson. His focus was concentrated upon spiritual needs, about he (subsequently through his death and resurrection on the cross), and only he, could fill our needs on a permanent basis from a spiritual basis.

The second example concerns the realm of worship, a topic to which the conversation progresses after the initial conversation about water.

Here the primary focus of the woman is based around the physical aspects of worship, in particular the appropriateness of the location in which it takes place. Again in contrast, the concerns of Jesus revolve primarily around spiritual aspects. He makes it clear that god is much more concerned the state of our heart during worship, and the extent to which worship is conducted in a manner of genuine sincerity or public show.

Don’t get me wrong, I am certainly not saying that god ignores or is not aware of the physical world, and countless of examples of how Jesus provides for our needs in a physical sense abound throughout the gospels, with the feeding of five thousand or the healing of Lazarus being two good examples.

Nevertheless, it is also made clear throughout the gospels that the physical world is not his primary focus, with the passage referred to above being a prime example, along with the conversation which follows the feeding of the five thousand in John Chapter 6.

Bottom line – we focus on the physical, but god cares about the spiritual.


Prayer:
Lord, our feeble minds are so small, we can only understand what we see around us.

Lord, we thank you that you take care of our physical needs. But lord help us to lift our hearts far above the physical attributes of this world, and set our hearts above and let thoughts of your magnificent greatness permeate from the core of our very inner being.

Lord, when we come to worship, let us not be concerned about physical aspects, such as the location in which the worship takes place. Rather, lord, let us set our hearts upon you, and upon the praising and honoring of your great name in a true spirit of wonderment and awe.

In your great name I pray.

Amen