But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him.
the hour.
John 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
John 12:23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
true.
Isaiah 1:10-15 Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah…
Isaiah 26:8,9 Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee…
Isaiah 29:13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
in spirit.
Romans 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
Romans 8:15,26 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father…
Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
in truth.
John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Joshua 24:14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
1 Samuel 12:24 Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
the Father seeketh.
Psalm 147:11 The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.
Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
Song of Solomon 2:14 O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
when the true worshipers
The term "true worshipers" distinguishes those who genuinely seek God from those who merely follow religious rituals. This echoes the call for sincerity in worship found throughout the Old Testament, such as in Isaiah 29:13, where God criticizes those who honor Him with their lips while their hearts are far from Him.
will worship the Father
The focus on "the Father" highlights the personal and relational nature of worship in the new covenant. This relationship is made possible through Jesus Christ, who reveals the Father (John 1:18) and provides access to Him (John 14:6). It underscores the shift from a distant, ritualistic worship to an intimate, familial relationship with God.
in spirit and in truth
Worship "in spirit" refers to the inner, heartfelt devotion that transcends physical locations and rituals. It aligns with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who enables believers to connect with God on a spiritual level (Romans 8:9-16). "In truth" emphasizes worship that is grounded in the reality of who God is, as revealed in Scripture and through Jesus Christ, who is the truth (John 14:6). This dual emphasis ensures that worship is both sincere and doctrinally sound.
for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him
This phrase reveals God's active desire for genuine worshipers. It reflects His initiative in salvation, as He draws people to Himself (John 6:44). The idea of God seeking worshipers underscores His love and grace, as He desires a relationship with humanity. It also connects to the broader biblical narrative of God calling a people for Himself, as seen in passages like 1 Peter 2:9.
Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that a brand-new era of worship is breaking in right before her eyes.
• Old-covenant sacrifices centered on Jerusalem were about to give way to the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ (John 2:19; Hebrews 10:19-20).
• “The fullness of time” had arrived with the incarnation (Galatians 4:4-5).
• Promises of a new covenant written on hearts were being fulfilled (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
Because Jesus is present, the future has already begun; worship is no longer tied to a mountain but to the Messiah standing at the well.
The Lord draws a line between outward religion and genuine devotion.
• Many honored God with lips while their hearts were far from Him (Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8-9).
• True worshipers are those whose hearts have been changed, not merely those who follow rituals (Romans 2:28-29).
• Authenticity matters: God knows the difference between performance and devotion (1 Samuel 16:7).
Two inseparable qualities mark acceptable worship.
• In spirit
– Empowered by the Holy Spirit, not confined to a place or ceremony (Philippians 3:3; Romans 8:15-16).
– From the depths of a redeemed heart, expressing love, repentance, thanksgiving, and trust (Psalm 51:17).
• In truth
– Grounded in the revelation of God’s Word (John 17:17; Psalm 119:160).
– Centered on Jesus, “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).
Practical outworking:
• Engage Scripture so thoughts align with God’s truth.
• Sing songs that reflect biblical doctrine.
• Pray honestly, guided by the Spirit rather than rote formulas.
• Obey what God has said; lived truth is worship (Romans 12:1).
God is not passive; He actively pursues people who will respond to His grace.
• The Son “came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
• Believers are chosen and adopted for the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:4-6).
• Our love is a response to His first loving us (1 John 4:19).
This divine initiative means everyone—Jew, Samaritan, or Gentile—may become a true worshiper through faith in Christ. The Father delights in hearts that echo His own holiness and truth.
John 4:23 announces the dawning of the new covenant: with Jesus’ arrival, worship is no longer about sacred sites but about sacred hearts. God now gathers people who, by the Spirit and anchored in Scripture’s truth, adore Him genuinely. He Himself seeks such worshipers, inviting all who believe in Christ to draw near and glorify Him with authenticity and fidelity.
(23) But the hour cometh.--Better, as in John 4:21, but there cometh an hour. He adds to this thought, what He could not add to the previous one, "and now is." Local worship was not yet giving way to spiritual; but a band of true worshippers was being gathered, and some were then following Him.The true worshippers.--Her distinction of place was of the accident, but the essence was the nature of the worship. What could any worship be to a God who saw the impurity of the heart, and the contradiction of thought and word? What could she know of the worship of which she speaks? Yes; and the temple at Jerusalem was a house of merchandise, instead of one of prayer; what did priest and Levite, scribe and Pharisee, know of true worship?
In spirit and in truth.--The link between human nature and the divine is in the human spirit, which is the shrine of the Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 6:19). All true approach to God must therefore be in spirit. (Comp. Romans 1:9, and Ephesians 6:18.) Place, and time, and words, and postures, and sounds, and all things from without, are important only in so far as they aid in abstraction from the sensible world, and in elevation of the spirit within. The moment they distract they hinder true worship. Ritual cannot be discussed without risk of spiritual loss. The words "in truth," already expressed in true worshippers, and repeated in the following verse, are more than "truly." Sincerity is not a test of acceptable worship, though it is a requisite. Bigots sincerely think they do God's service. Worship which is "in truth" is in harmony with the nature of the God whom we worship. To think of God in hearing His truth, to kindle the soul by hymns of praise, to realise the earlier portions of collects and prayers which utter His attributes, are necessary to the truth of the petitions, and thanksgivings, and adorations of worship. The model prayer of Christianity brings home to the heart the Fatherhood of God in its first words.
For the Father seeketh such to worship him.--Better, for such the Father also seeketh His worshippers to be. The word "such," i.e., of this character, is emphatic. The "also" expresses that the worship, on the part of the true worshippers, is in accordance with the divine will: "the Father also (on His part) . . ." The reader will not fail to note the emphasis in this reply on the word "Father" (John 4:21 and twice in this verse). This name of God, which we teach children to lisp in earliest years, came to her, it may be, now for the first time. He is not Vengeance to be appeased, nor Power to be dreaded, but Love to be received. (Comp. Note on John 3:16.) It is when men learn to think of God as Father that merely local and material worship must cease. The universal desire and practice of worship is the witness to a universal object of worship. The yearning of the human spirit is that of a child seeking the author of his being. The seeking is not human only. The Father also seeketh His child, and seeth him when he is a great way off (Luke 15:20). . . .
Verse 23. - But the hour cometh, and now is - already the day has dawned, the new conception is breaking like "awful rose of dawn" upon the minds of some - when the veritable worshippers - those who answer to the idea of worshippers, those who actually draw near to the Father in living fellowship and affectionate appreciation of his eternal Name - shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. An old misreading of this text, accepted by some Fathers, and based upon the idea expressed in John 16:13, has found expression in the Sinaitic Codex, "in the spirit of the truth." But "spirit" here does not refer to the Holy Spirit, but to the spirit of man - that part of man's constitution through which he most especially bears the image of God, and with which the Divine Spirit deals, and in which he dwells (Romans 8:26). The worship in spirit is worship contrasted with all mere carnal concomitants, all mere shadows of the good things to come, all mere ritual, all specialties of place, or time, or sacrament, or order. It need not be in despite of a genuine reverence for days, or seasons, or postures, or washings, but in absolute independence of them, and they, without this, will be actually valueless. And in truth; i.e. as dealing with reality, the adequate and veracious expression of genuine desires and veritable emotions; καὶ γὰρ, nam et (ver. 9). For indeed also the Father seeketh such to be his worshippers. Luthardt and Meyer differ as to the emphasis. Meyer insists that the καὶ γάρ lays stress on the word which immediately follows, and he refers to 1 Corinthians 14:8 as not contradicting the rule. He would render, "For the Father also on his part seeketh," etc. Luthardt says that the new thought is to be found in ζητεῖ, and therefore upon this the emphasis is laid. Westcott, by many passages, such as Matthew 8:9; Matthew 26:73; Mark 10:45; Luke 6:32, etc., urges that καὶ γὰρ "alleges a reason which is assumed to be conclusive from the nature of the case." The whole sentence is therefore covered by the expression, "For the Father also on his part seeketh those as worshippers of him who worship him in spirit and in truth." A slight contrast is felt between the regimen of προσκυνεῖν with accusative, here again introduced, following upon that with dative in the first clause. Moulton would render the first clause, "offer worship to the Father," and the second by "worship him." The Father is now seeking, by the ministry of his Son, by the gift of his Spirit, for those who approach him with deeply felt need and true affection, in spirit, not in ceremony, in truth, not in hypocritical or heartless profession. This is another indication of the high truth taught in the prologue (John 1:4, 9; John 3:21; John 18:38, see notes) that there are vast differences among men, even anterior to their reception of the perfect revelation of the Father's heart in Christ Jesus. "The life is the light of men." There are those who "do the truth" and are "of the truth," who "worship God in spirit and in truth." The whole gospel dispensation is a search for these.