George Hutcheson
John 4:21. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe Me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
1. It is great wisdom, in discovering of errors and false ways, so to point them out that those who are misled are brought away from them – not to another way not much better, but to the right way.
Therefore Christ takes pains, in the first place, not only to draw her off Samaritanism, but from the Jewish way also – which was to be abolished – to Christianity.
2. There was a time wherein it was lawful and ordained that the public worship of God should be at one certain place, at Jerusalem, and that they should find out Christ under shadows.
For while He says, “The hour cometh” wherein it shall not be so, He implies that it was so before and that lawfully.
3. God may lawfully change the way of His worship when He pleases, seeing it is only because He appoints it that anything is worship and therefore lawful in it.
Therefore Christ foretells the Lord’s changing of the Jewish way of worship.
4. After Christ’s coming and death, the public worship of God is no longer ascribed to any certain place or nation, nor to be performed in types and shadows.
So much this assertion teaches us: “The hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship” (compared with v 23; see 1 Tim 2:8). It then became lawful to have gospel worship at Jerusalem, as the apostles had, but not there more than in another place; and many Jews were Christians and worshippers of God – not only they but Gentiles also. This partition-wall [between Jew and Gentile] began to be abolished by Christ’s doctrine in His ministry, and was quite abolished of right by His death, though the Jews had an indulgence for their way, till the honourable burial of the ceremonies in the destruction of the temple, which was the public place where most of these ceremonies, and the most solemn of them, were acted and gone about, and were restricted to it by divine institution.
5. True worship, as it must have God’s command, so it must be performed to Him as a Father, apprehended to be so through Christ, and must flow from a filial affection.
Therefore it is called a worshipping of “the Father”, implying the interest and affection which worshippers do at least pretend to have.
6. Such is the power of Christ accompanying gospel dispensations, as will not only discover the ill of contrary ways, but actually make them give place to those of the gospel.
So much are we taught when Christ assures not only that we should not, but shall not, so worship; and thus we have seen it accomplished.
7. Men are ordinarily so rooted in their opinions and errors which they have drunk in that it is very hard to drive them from them.
Therefore must Christ press this: “Woman, believe Me”.
8. As the way of salvation must be taken up by faith, and not by sense or reason, so Christ is worthy to be believed, and His word is a sufficient warrant for faith, however little He is credited.
For He says, “Woman, believe Me”.
9. Christ not only reveals ground sufficient for our faith, but such is His tenderness and respect to our well-being, that He will even entreat us to give Him credence, and plead with us to discharge our duty for our own good.
Therefore He entreats, “Woman, believe Me”.
1These are the “Doctrines”, or lessons, as edited, that Hutcheson (1626-74) draws from this verse, in his Exposition of the Gospel of John. Continued from last month.