John 4:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."

NIV: Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something."

NASB: Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, 'Rabbi, eat something.'

CSB: In the meantime the disciples kept urging him, "Rabbi, eat something."

NLT: Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, 'Rabbi, eat something.'

KJV: In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.

NKJV: In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”

The disciples had gone into town to buy food (John 4:8). Jesus had stayed behind at the well outside of town to rest (John 4:6). Naturally, when the disciples returned, their primary concern was Jesus' hunger and thirst. That the men were "urging" Jesus to eat suggests that He was not accepting whatever food they had offered. Jesus, as was typical, takes the opportunity to make an everyday event into a profound spiritual lesson.

Virtually all English translations of John 4:31 use the word "meanwhile," or "meantime." This comes from an entire phrase in Greek, en tō metaxy. This explicitly means that there has been a passage of time. The prior verses described the Samaritan woman returning to town, telling others about Christ, and asking them to see Him. This verse implies that while all of this was going on, the disciples are trying to get Jesus to eat, and He is not interested in physical food. It's entirely possible He was waiting for the events described in verses 39–42, to make His upcoming lesson more meaningful.

The term "Rabbi" means "teacher," and was a title of respect. This was the same term used even by the Pharisee Nicodemus in reference to Jesus (John 3:1–2).

John 4:27–45 is an object lesson for the disciples. Jesus has just finished a conversation with a Samaritan woman, while the disciples were in town buying food. As it turns out, this supposedly unclean woman will bring many people to meet Christ. The disciples have brought no one. Jesus explains that some work to plant spiritual seeds, while others collect the harvest. Both are valuable and we should be ready for opportunities in either case.

Jesus speaks to a Samaritan woman who is drawing water from a well. He confronts her about sin, yet He also comforts her with the truth of the gospel. Even though He knows her sins, He still seeks after her, and those like her. The woman returns to town, eventually bringing many people to meet Jesus. The disciples, meanwhile, are reminded of the purpose of their mission. Jesus also heals the son of a government official in a way that demonstrates the importance of trusting faith, rather than reliance on spectacle.

John chapter 4 continues the use of contrast. Jesus goes from conversing with an educated, powerful, prestigious man (John 3:1–2) to talking to an outcast, unlearned, self-conscious woman. The combination of this passage, along with Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus, makes an important spiritual point: the gospel is for all people, in all places, and all times. Christ can reach each person exactly where he or she needs to be reached.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.