GEJ 1.27

The woman replies quite tartly, ‘I have no husband!’ With a slight smile I then say to her, ‘Brief, good and correct; you have now spoken quite rightly.’

‘Look, My dear, you have already had five husbands, and because your nature did not accord with theirs, they soon became ill and died, for none lasted more than a year with you. There are harmful worms in your body, and whoever has dealings with you is soon killed by your worms. But the man you now have is not your husband, only your servant in lust, to his ruin and yours! Yes, yes, in this you have now indeed spoken rightly before Me.’

At this the woman is frightened inwardly, but does not wish to give herself away. After a while she nevertheless says, ‘Lord, I see that You are a prophet! Since You know so much, perhaps You also know what would help me?’

‘I do know that in such things God alone can help, but how and where should one worship Him for this? Our fathers say that one must worship God on Mount Gerizim, where the first patriarchs already worshiped God. But you say that Jerusalem is the proper place where one should worship God! Since You are plainly a prophet of God, tell me where one should actually worship God effectively! For look, I am still young, and people say I am a very beautiful woman. It would indeed be terrible if my worms were to eat me alive! Oh, poor, wretched woman that I am!’

I say, ‘Woman, I know your poverty, your distress and your diseased body well. But I also know your heart, which is certainly not the best, yet cannot be called bad either. And look, that is why I am now speaking with you. But where the heart is even somewhat good, every kind of help is still possible! Yet you are completely mistaken when you are uncertain where one should worship God worthily and effectively.

Look, I tell you: believe Me! The time is coming and is already here when you will worship the Father neither on the mountain nor in Jerusalem!’

At this the woman is frightened and says, ‘Woe to me, woe to the whole people! What will become of us? Then we too must have sinned terribly, like the Jews! But why did Jehovah send us no prophet this time to admonish us? You have now indeed come to us as a true prophet, but what use is that to us if You tell me that in future God will be worshiped neither on the mountain nor in Jerusalem? Does that not mean, as I read in Your face, which has suddenly become alarmingly grave, that God will entirely forsake His old people and take up His dwelling among another people? Where on earth will that be? Oh, tell me, so that I may go there and, as a true penitent, worship God the Father, that He may help me in my misery and not wholly forsake my people!’

I then say, ‘Listen to Me properly and understand what I tell you! Why do you doubt and tremble? Do you think God is as unfaithful in keeping His promises as people are toward one another?’

‘You do indeed climb the mountain and pray there, but you do not know what you are praying or whom you worship. It is the same with those who worship in Jerusalem. They run into the temple and make a dreadful clamor there, but they too do not know what they are doing or what they worship!

Yet nevertheless, as God has spoken through the mouth of the prophet, salvation comes not from you but from the Jews. Just read the third verse of the second chapter of the prophet Isaiah, and you will find it.’

The woman says, ‘Yes, I know very well that it is written there that the law goes forth from Zion, since it is also kept there in the ark. But how can You then say, “Neither on the mountain nor in Jerusalem”?’

‘You still have not understood Me properly. Look, God the Father from eternity is neither a mountain nor a temple, and is just as little at home in the ark! That is why I told you: the time is coming and is now already here before your eyes when the true worshipers (such as you see resting here in great numbers beneath the trees, some of whom you have already met in town buying food) will worship God the Father in spirit and in truth. For from now on the Father Himself wills that people should worship Him in this way.’

‘For look, God is a spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth!

And look, for this neither a mountain nor any temple is needed, but only a heart as pure, loving and humble as possible! If the heart is what it should be, namely a vessel of love for God, a vessel full of gentleness and humility, then full truth is in such a heart. But where truth is, there are light and freedom, for the light of truth makes every heart free. And if the heart is free, the whole human being is free as well.

Whoever therefore loves God with such a heart is a true worshiper of God the Father. The Father will always answer his prayer and look not at the place, which is of no consequence, whether mountain or Jerusalem, since the earth everywhere belongs equally to God, but only at the heart of each human being! I think you have now understood Me.’