19“I can see you're a prophet, sir,” the woman replied.
20“Tell me this: our ancestors worshiped here on this mountain, but you say that Jerusalem is where we must worship.”
21Jesus replied, “Believe me the time is coming when you won't worship the Father either on this mountain or in Jerusalem.
22You really don't know the God you're worshiping, while we worship the God we know, for salvation comes from the Jews.
23But the time is coming—and in fact it's here already—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for these are the kind of worshipers the Father wants.
24God is Spirit, so worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
25The woman said, “Well, I know that the Messiah is coming,” (the one who is called Christ). “When he comes he will explain it all to us.”
26Jesus replied, “I AM—the one who is speaking to you.”
27Just then the disciples returned. They were shocked that he was talking to a woman, but none of them asked “What are you doing?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
28The woman left her water jar behind and ran back to the town, telling the people,
29“Come and meet a man who told me everything I ever did! Could this be the Messiah?”
30So they went out of the town to go and see him.
31Meanwhile Jesus' disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, please eat something!”
32But Jesus replied, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
33“Did someone bring him food?” the disciples asked one another.
34Jesus told them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me, and to complete his work.
35Don't you have a saying, ‘four more months until harvest?’ Open your eyes and look around! The crops in the fields are ripe, ready for harvest.
36The reaper is being paid and harvesting a crop for eternal life so that both the sower and the reaper can celebrate.
37So the proverb ‘one sows, another reaps,’ is true.
38I sent you to reap what you didn't work for. Others did the hard work and you have reaped the benefits of what they did.”