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John 4:23-24 – In Spirit and Truth
While Gerizim “was right from the Samaritan’s perspective” Jesus says it was not from knowledge. There is more than one contrast being spoken of in this text. There is the contrast between what was and what now is, and a contrast between where the Jews worshiped and where the Samaritans worshiped. Therefore this is not an “either-or,” but a “both-and.”
“Truth” can apply to promise versus fulfillment (shadow vs. reality); and “truth” can apply to the Jewish system being “truth” compared to the Samaritan system.
Look at it like this – here is a working thought – The temple is prominent within John. Jesus is the true temple compared to the Jewish temple, but the Jewish temple is the true temple compared to Samaritan temple. How do I make this comparison? Jesus said, (John 4:22 HCSB) You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. Truth comes from knowledge. What is not from knowledge is not truth and does not produce salvation.
The true temple of reality comes from the true temple of shadow. Since Jesus could not come from the Samaritans, He could not come from their temple. That makes their temple false. Therefore since salvation is from the Jews, the Samaritan temple and religion is not the shadow or the reality. It is wrong.
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