NIV Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition - Flipbook - Page 30
J ohn 4 : 2 4
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page 1806
is coming and has now come p when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the
Spirit q and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, r
and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) s “is coming. When he comes,
he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you — I am he.” t
Jesus Tells about the Spiritual Harvest (28 )
27 Just then his disciples returned u and were surprised to find him talking with a wom
an. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,
29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. v Could this be the Messiah?” w
30 They came out of the town and made t heir way toward him.
31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, x eat something.”
32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat y that you know nothing about.”
33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
34“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will z of him who sent me and to finish his work. a
35Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s s
till four m
onths until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes
and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. b 36Even now the one who reaps draws a
wage and harvests c a crop for eternal life, d so that the sower and the reaper may be glad
together. 37Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ e is true. 38I sent you to reap
what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped
the benefits of their labor.”
Many Samaritans Believe in Jesus (29 )
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town f believed in him because of the woman’s
testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” g 40So when the Samaritans came to him,
they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41And because of his words
many more became believers.
42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we
have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” h
Jesus Preaches in Galilee (30/ Matthew 4:12–17; Mark 1:14–15; Luke 4:14–15 )
43 After the two days i he left for Galilee. 44 (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a
prophet has no honor in his own country.) j 45When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans
welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festi
val, k for they also had been there.
4:24 “God is spirit” means that he is not a physical being limited to one
place. He is present everywhere, and he can be worshiped anywhere, at
any time. Where we worship is not what counts but how we worship. Is
your worship genuine and true? Do you have the Holy Spirit’s help? How
Mediterranean
Sea
N
GALILEE
Cana
Nazareth
Mount Ebal
SAMARIA
Capernaum
Sea of
Galilee
Jordan River
JESUS RETURNS
TO GALILEE
Jesus stayed in
Sychar for two days,
then went on to
Galilee. He visited
Nazareth and various towns in Galilee
before arriving in
Cana. From there
he simply spoke the
word, and a government official’s son
in Capernaum was
healed. The Gospel
of Matthew tells
us that Jesus then
settled in Capernaum (Matthew
4:12-13).
Mount Gerizim
Sychar
Jerusalem
JUDEA
IDUMEA
PE
RE
A
Dead
Sea
0
0
20 mi
20 km
4:23
pJn 5:25; 16:32
qPhp 3:3
4:24
rPhp 3:3
4:25
1:16
sMt
4:26
8:24; 9:3537
tJn
4:27
uver
8
4:29
17,18
12:23
vver
wMt
4:31
23:7
xMt
4:32
yJob 23:12; Mt 4:4
4:34
zMt 26:39; Jn 6:38
aJn 19:30
4:35
bMt 9:37; Lk 10:2
4:36
cRo 1:13
dMt 25:46
4:37
eJob 31:8; Mic 6:15
4:39
fver 5
gver 29
4:42
2:11; 1Jn 4:14
hLk
4:43
iver 40
4:44
13:57; Lk 4:24
jMt
4:45
2:23
kJn
does the Holy Spirit help us worship? The Holy Spirit prays for us (Romans
8:26), reminds us of the words of Jesus (John 14:26), cleanses our minds
and consciences (Titus 3:4-7), and tells us we are loved (Romans 5:5).
4:34 The “food” Jesus was speaking of was his spiritual nourishment.
His spiritual nourishment came from doing God’s will and, in this case,
helping to bring his work of salvation to this woman. For us, it includes
more than Bible study, prayer, and attending church. We are nourished
not only by what we take in but also by what we give out for God. Later,
Jesus referred to completing God’s work on earth (17:4).
4:35 Sometimes Christians excuse themselves from sharing their faith
by saying that their family members or friends aren’t ready to believe.
Jesus, however, makes it clear that around us a continual harvest waits
to be reaped. Don’t let Jesus find you making excuses. Look around. You
will find people ready to hear God’s Word.
4:36-38 The wages Jesus offers are the joy of working for him and
seeing the harvest of believers. These wages come to sower and reaper
alike because both find joy in seeing new believers come into Christ’s
kingdom. The statement “others have done the hard work” (4:38) may
refer to the Old Testament prophets and to John the Baptist, who paved
the way for the gospel.
4:39 The Samaritan woman immediately shared her experience with
others. Despite her reputation, many took her up on her invitation and
came out to meet Jesus. Perhaps you have past sins that make you
ashamed. But Jesus changes us. As people see these changes, they
become curious. Use stories of your experiences, including your past
mistakes, as opportunities to introduce others to the new life Jesus offers.