The Disciples Join Jesus Again

²⁷ Just then Jesus’ disciples returned. They were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want from her?” No one asked, “Why are you talking with her?”

²⁸ The woman left her water jar and went back to the town. She said to the people, ²⁹ “Come. See a man who told me everything I’ve ever done. Could this be the Messiah?” ³⁰ The people came out of the town and made their way toward Jesus.

³¹ His disciples were saying to him, “Rabbi, eat something!”

³² But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

³³ Then his disciples asked each other, “Did someone bring him food?”

³⁴ Jesus said, “My food is to do what my Father sent me to do. My food is to finish his work. ³⁵ Don’t you have a saying? You say, ‘It’s still four months until harvest time.’ But I tell you, open your eyes! Look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest right now. ³⁶ Even now the one who gathers the crop is getting paid. They are already harvesting the crop for eternal life. So the one who plants and the one who gathers can now be glad together. ³⁷ Here is a true saying. ‘One plants and another gathers.’ ³⁸ I sent you to gather what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work. You have gathered the benefits of their work.”

Many Samaritans Believe in Jesus

³⁹ Many of the Samaritans from the town of Sychar believed in Jesus. They believed because of what the woman had said about him. She said, “He told me everything I’ve ever done.” ⁴⁰ Then the Samaritans came to him and tried to get him to stay with them. So he stayed two days. ⁴¹ Because of what he said, many more people became believers.

⁴² They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said. We have now heard for ourselves. We know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”