John 4:20-36

²⁰But let me ask you a different question: Our ancestors worshipped God here on Gerizim mountain, but you Jews say that Jerusalem is the place where we must worship God. So who is right?”

²¹Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me when I say that there will be a time when it will not matter whether you worship God our Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem or somewhere else.

²²You people from Samaria do not know the one you are worshipping. But we (exc) Jews know whom we worship, because it is from us Jews that God has sent the one who will save people from the guilt of their sins.

²³However, there will be a time when those who genuinely worship God will worship him as God's Spirit directs and according to God's truth. In fact, that time is now. Those are the kind of worshipers my Father seeks.

²⁴God is a spiritual being. So it is necessary that those who worship him must worship him as his Spirit directs and according to God's truth.”

²⁵The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will tell us everything we need to know.” ('Messiah❜ and ❛Christ❜ both mean ❛God's promised king❜.)

²⁶Jesus said to her, “I, the one speaking to you, am the Messiah!”

²⁷Just then we disciples returned from town. Since it was contrary to our custom for Jewish religious teachers to converse with a woman they did not know, we were surprised that he was talking to a woman. However, none of us asked her, “What do you want?” and none of us asked him, “Why are you talking with her?”

²⁸The woman left her water jar there and went into the town. She said to the people there,

²⁹“Come and see a man who was able to tell me all about my past life HYP, even though I never met him before Could this man be the Messiah?”

³⁰So many people left the town and started going to where Jesus was.

³¹Meanwhile, we disciples were urging him, “Teacher, eat some of the food we brought!”

³²But he said to us, “I have food to eat that you do not know anything about!”

³³So we started saying to each other, “◄Surely no one has brought him any food when we were not here!/Has anyone brought him any food when we were not here?► RHQ”

³⁴Jesus said to us, “Doing what my Father who sent me wants me to do and finishing the work he gave me to do is ◄ what sustains me/like my food► MET.

³⁵At this time of the year you are saying (OR, your ancestors used to say), ‘There are four months left before we harvest the crops.’ But I say to you, look carefully at the non-Jewish people around here. God says, ‘They are ready to accept my message MET, like crops in fields that are ready for people to harvest.

³⁶If you help them to accept my message, I will reward you MET, as an owner of a field pays those who harvest the crops. Because of your work, people will gain eternal life.’ I have been telling people God's message. That is like MET a man who plants seeds. You will help people to accept my message. That will be like MET harvesting crops. When that happens, both you and I will rejoice.