John 4:23–38

23 But an hour is coming, and is now here,af when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth.* Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit,ag and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.”ah

25 The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiahai is coming” (who is called Christaj). “When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

26 Jesus told her, “I, the one speaking to you, am he.”ak

THE RIPENED HARVEST

27 Just then his disciples arrived, and they were amazed that he was talking with a woman. Yet no one said, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

28 Then the woman left her water jar, went into town, and told the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”al 30 They left the town and made their way to him.am

31 In the meantime the disciples kept urging him, “Rabbi,an eat something.”

32 But he said, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.”

33 The disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought him something to eat?”

34 “My food is to do the will of hima who sent meb and to finish his work,”c Jesus told them. 35 “Don’t you say, ‘There are still four more months, and then comes the harvest’? Listen to what I’m telling you: OpenC your eyes and look at the fields, because they are readyD for harvest. 36 The reaper is already receiving pay and gathering fruit for eternal life,d so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together. 37 For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’e 38 I sent you to reap what you didn’t labor for; others have labored, and you have benefited fromA their labor.”