Book of Common Prayer
18 What is happening here is that the previous commandment is being set aside. It was, after all, weak and useless; 19 the law brought nothing to perfection, did it? Instead, what appears is a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
The permanent priesthood of Jesus
20 This is all the more so when you consider that an oath was sworn. The Levitical priests, you see, become priests without an oath, 21 but the Messiah attains his priesthood with an oath, through what was said to him:
The Lord has sworn and will not repent;
you are a priest forever.
22 Jesus has thus, additionally, become the guarantee of a better covenant.
23 There needed to be a large number of Levitical priests, since they stop holding office at death. 24 But since he continues as a priest forever, his priesthood is permanent. 25 That’s why he is able to save those who come to God through him, completely and forever—since he always lives to make intercession for them.
26 It was appropriate that we should have a high priest like this. He is holy, without blame or stain, separated from sinners, and elevated high above the heavens. 27 He doesn’t need (like the ordinary high priests do) to offer sacrifices every day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people. He did this once for all, you see, when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints ordinary, weak, mortal men as high priests; but the word of the oath, which comes after the law, appoints the son, who has been made perfect forever.
Sower and reaper rejoice together
27 Just then Jesus’ disciples came up. They were astonished that he was talking with a woman; but nobody said “What did you want?” or “Why were you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water-jar, went into the town and spoke to the people.
29 “Come on!” she said. “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! You don’t think he can be the Messiah, do you?”
30 So they left the town and were coming out to him.
31 Meanwhile the disciples were nagging him.
“Come on, Rabbi!” they were saying. “You must have something to eat!”
32 “I’ve got food to eat that you know nothing about,” he said.
33 “Nobody’s brought him anything to eat, have they?” said the disciples to one another.
34 “My food,” replied Jesus, “is to do the will of the one who sent me, and to finish his work! 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘Another four months, then comes harvest’? Well, let me tell you, raise your eyes and see! The fields are white! It’s harvest time already! 36 The reaper earns his pay, and gathers crops for the life of God’s coming age, so that sower and reaper can celebrate together. 37 This is where that saying comes true, ‘One sows, another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap what you didn’t work for. Others did the hard work, and you’ve come into the results.”
39 Several Samaritans from that town believed in Jesus because of what the woman said in evidence about him, “He told me everything I did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them. And he stayed there two days.
41 Many more believed because of what he said.
42 “We believe, too,” they said to the woman, “but it’s no longer because of what you told us. We’ve heard him ourselves! We know that he really is the one! He’s the savior of the world!”
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.