ARAMAIC WORD STUDY – UMBILICAL CORD – SHERARA’  שררא   Shin Resh Resh Aleph

John 4:24: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” 

Jesus is speaking to a Samaritan woman.  The Samaritans were from the Northern district of Palestine which was once the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  The Jews were taken into captivity by the Assyrians.  Later the Southern Kingdom of Judah was taken into captivity by Babylon who had conquered the Assyrians. The Jews were allowed to return to their homeland during the Persian Empire. Those that were from the Northern Kingdom returned to the Northern territory but started to assimilate into the population of foreigners who moved in when the Jews were taken captive.  Thus, while the Southern Kingdom of Judah remained relatively pure in their race the Northern Jews began to intermarry and adapt their Jewish beliefs into that of the foreign gods.  Yet, they still maintained much of their Jewish beliefs, only it became a hodgepodge of other religions.  As a result, they were barred from worshipping in the temple located in the Southern Judean area.

Thus, the Northern group just built their own place of worship. There was much debate among the Samaritans as to whether this was proper for a Jew to worship at this other site as they did recognize that Hebrew law specifically called for just one place of worship.  Thus, the Samaritan woman asked which place of worship was acceptable to God. This question showed she had a sincere desire to connect with the God of her people.  

Following Jesus’s  theme that the laws, temple and worship were all matter of the heart He said that she did not understand what worship was, for worship is not a place or a physical act, it is an act of the heart and spirit.  God is a spirit you worship him in spirit and in truth.  

Commentators can wax lyrical on what it means to worship in the spirit but they devote very little time to this worshipping in truth. They simply say that it means to understand what true worship is. Some say to worship with correct doctrine.  Other say it is to just worship God and no other god along side the true God which would fit for the Samaritans who clung to their belief in God Jehovah but also inserted worship with other gods just to be on the safe side.

If worship is not a physical action, then much of what we call worship is not worship. This playing music, singing, dancing and shouting praisealleluia is not praise and worship.  These are merely manifestations of praise but they are not praise in themselves  True praise is a matter of the spirit. 

In the Aramaic the word for spirit rauch which is a reference to the Holy Spirit.  There is the preposition Beth which indicates in, on or through.  Literally Jesus is saying all worship must be led by the Holy Spirit.  So, the pastor does not lead in worship, the worship leader or worship team does not lead in worship, it is the Holy Spirit that leads the worship service. If the Holy Spirit leads you to sing, you sing, if He leads you to shout, you shout, if He leads you to dance you dance. If He leads you to quietly meditate, you meditate. 

But what if the worship leader instructs everyone to sing but you don’t feel led to sing?  Let me ask you a question.  If you don’t feel led to stand or sing but you do anyways, why do you do it?  Only you can answer, but I dare say many do it because they are told to and they don’t want to disappoint the pastor or worship leader.  Some may do it so people will not question their spirituality.  Some may do it because they want to show they are truly loyal members of this congregation. I have heard of Pastors who would call members of his church into his office and warn them that they must follow his or the worship leaders lead  in worship, if they don’t and they do their own thing in worship different form the rest of the congregation,  they are not welcomed in the church.  The pastor wants unity and to him unity is everyone doing the same thing.  Do you ever wonder why, when you see Jews praying or otherwise worshipping God they wear a prayer shawl?  They do that so they are not influence by other worshippers.  They worship as a body because they can feel that unity of the body, but they realize worship is still a very personal and private matter so they wear the prayer shawl to worship God privately, yet in a group.  

When people worship according to the instruction of a worship leader or pastor they really needs to ask themselves are they doing it because they are told to and want to please their leaders?  If that is the case, then they are not worshipping God because they are not worshipping in sherara’.

In Aramaic this word for truth is sherara which is a word for an umbilical cord.  The umbilical cord is what is directly attaches the mother to the baby. It is through that umbilical cord that the baby is nourished and even given life by the mother.  When we don’t follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, but seek to please a pastor, worship leader or even fellow believers in our worship we have detached ourselves from the umbilical cord that which connects us to the spiritual nourishment from God. Since we are trying to please a leader we are receiving the spiritual nourishment from that leader.  Because what we really want is their approval over God’s approval. 

One must examine their own hearts in this matter, but I often wonder how much of our worship services are really a worship to God.  If we do not worship in sherara’ truth, our worship becomes an abomination to God. 

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