The Samaritans observe the Sabbath and the rite of circumcision. They do not observe

all the feasts of Israel, but do observe Passover; Unleavened Bread; Pentecost; The

Rosh hashanah the commencement of the civil year (Lev. 23: 24); Yom Kippur, the

Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Mount Gerizim is the holy place in the

estimation of the Samaritans, and it is spoken of with reverence, and always with some

such title as "the house of God", "the house of Jehovah", "the mountain of the world",

"God's mountain", "The Sanctuary", "The mountain of the Divine presence".  We can

perhaps the better understand the words of the woman of Samaria when she said "Our

fathers worshipped in this mountain". She had already claimed Jacob as her "father"

(John 4: 12), and knew the coming of the Messiah (John 4: 25).

Before discussing the relative merits of Samaria and Jerusalem as the "place" where

worship should be offered, the Saviour set both aside by saying,

By so replying, the whole matter was raised to a higher plane. It would have been

easy to have cited passages from the Old Testament to prove that Jerusalem had been

chosen by the Lord, but the Samaritan woman would have refused to accept this

authority--for her Bible consisted only of the five books of Moses. The Prophets and the

Psalms were rejected by the Samaritans. Here, in the Lord's attitude we have a divinely

given method when dealing with parallel problems. Think of the interminable debates

that the introduction of "British Israel" brings! The erections built upon such crazy

foundations as Berith-ish; of Isaac-son; of Union Jacks and Gates of enemies! Far

simpler and more in line with the Saviour's attitude is to turn at once to Phil. 3: there to

see that an undoubted Israelite, discarded undoubted blessings for the fullness to be found

in Christ. This being so it is vain to tempt one who after all may not be an Israelite to set

aside such superlative blessings for those discarded by Paul. The same principle is true in

dealing with such subjects as the gift of tongues, the various modes of observing the

Lord's supper, the controversies as to infant sprinkling 5: adult believer's immersion;

into these controversies we have no call to enter, they lie on the other side of Acts 28:,

have no place in the present dispensation, and are legitimate controversies only among

those that practice them.

However, after having taken this high ground, the Saviour can now descend to details

without adopting the attitude of a partisan.

In this utterance the Lord brings to light two essential elements in all true worship.

First "knowledge" which stands in severe contrast with blind tradition, superstition and

unreasonable practices. Now knowledge in such matters as worship must come as a

revelation, and while the Samaritans possessed the five books of Moses they were denied

the light and leading of the rest of the Old Testament. Here therefore emerges another