“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
John 4:21-24

The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 
John 10:3

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple? Don’t you know that God’s Spirit lives among you?
1 Corinthians 3:16 

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On a recent trip to Japan, our local tour guide explained the rituals at the many temples and shrines scattered around the country. Historically, Shinto and Buddhism are the prominent religions with 8 million gods of varying degrees of power and importance. Followers visit the shrine of the god who can help them and then engage in a series of rituals—including clapping their hands to wake up the god they are beseeching—hoping the god they are seeking help from will hear them, see them and know who they are. All so that if the god should choose to respond to their request, the god will be able to find them.  

After hearing and witnessing some of these rituals, so many Bible verses resonated with me in a deep and powerful way. The Bible clearly describes our God as strong and loving (Psalm 145:20). There are verses that declare my God knows my name, catches every tear I’ve cried, and has numbered the hairs on my head. My God is omniscient and never sleeps. He knows not only where I live but is always aware of my location (Psalm 139:8). He looks on me with Fatherly love and knows all my needs, dreams, and desires (Matthew 6:8). 

In the Old Testament, God’s people went to the temple to worship Him and make their requests known. But now, in Jesus, we are a temple of God’s Spirit and can speak to Him continuously. We do not need any ritual or human intermediary to access Him. These are huge and weighty ideas that I often take for granted because I have heard them for years. But now, afresh, I can rejoice in our awesome, all-powerful, intimate God.  

Next Steps

God’s presence used to be housed in the temple in Jerusalem, so worship was centered there. Now, we can worship anywhere because the Holy Spirit is with us wherever we go. Where do you feel closest to God? 

Are you curious about the temple and its biblical history? Here is a quick and beautiful animation by The Bible Project.