Seeking Jesus First Feb. 11, 2026
I Who Speak to You Am He
Today’s Reading: John 4:19–26
(Read the full passage before reflecting below.)
“Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’” (John 4:26, NKJV)
After Jesus gently exposes the truth about her life, the Samaritan woman shifts the conversation to worship. It is not deflection—it is awakening.
“Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet,” she says. Then she raises the historic divide between Jews and Samaritans: Where is the proper place to worship? On this mountain? Or in Jerusalem?
This question had divided generations. Temples, locations, traditions, and inherited arguments stood between her people and the Jews. Yet Jesus does not engage in debate over geography. He lifts her eyes higher.
“Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.”
Jesus is announcing something profound: worship is about to be untethered from location and rooted in revelation.
“You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.” Here, Jesus affirms covenant order. The Messiah comes through Israel. Redemption unfolds through the promises given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Yet He does not stop there.
“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”
This is one of the most revealing statements in all of Scripture: the Father is seeking worshipers.
Worship is not performance. It is not ritual precision. It is not cultural alignment. True worship flows from spirit and truth. It is inward and real. It is formed by revelation, not routine.
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Because God is Spirit, worship cannot remain external. It must arise from the inner man—made alive by the Spirit of God. And because God is truth, worship cannot be shaped by imagination or preference. It must align with who He has revealed Himself to be.
The Old Covenant established worship through temple, priesthood, and sacrifice. The New Covenant brings worship into the heart through the indwelling Holy Spirit. The location changes because the dwelling place changes. The Father is not confined to mountains; He dwells within His people.
At this moment, the woman expresses a longing shared by many: “I know that Messiah is coming… When He comes, He will tell us all things.”
Then Jesus speaks plainly.
“I who speak to you am He.”
This is one of the clearest self-revelations in the Gospel of John. To a Samaritan woman—socially marginalized, morally broken, religiously divided—Jesus declares His identity as Messiah.
He does not reveal this first in Jerusalem’s temple courts. He reveals it at a well.
This tells us something about the heart of God. Revelation is given where hunger exists. The Father seeks worshipers, and the Son reveals Himself to those who are ready to hear.
The progression in this passage is beautiful and intentional. First, Jesus offers living water. Then He brings truth to light. Now He reveals His identity. Worship flows naturally from revelation.
We cannot worship what we do not know. And when we truly see Him, worship becomes response rather than obligation.
Today, let this truth settle in your heart: worship is not confined to a place—it is anchored in a Person. The Father is seeking those whose hearts are awakened by truth and made alive by His Spirit. And the Messiah has come.
The One who spoke to her
still speaks today.
And He is worthy of worship in spirit and in truth.