Look on the fields

 

John 4v31-38 Discussion with the disciples about service              

As well as persuading the lost, Jesus turns to the needs of His disciples who would carry the message to the world.  They were concerned about Him not eating, being wearied with the journey as He was.  He instils into them matters which must be priority in their service for God.  He said “I have meat to eat that ye know not of…my meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work” -v32-34.  

A feature of service in the gospel must be, that to do the will of God is more important than daily food for our bodies.  We are here to do a work and it must be done God’s way.  He spoke of living water to the woman, now He speaks of living bread to the disciples.  Perhaps Jesus had in mind the words of Job-chapter v23v12 “Neither have I gone back from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.”  What we do know is that during the temptation in the wilderness, recorded in Matthew 4 and Luke 4, that the Lord Jesus refused to turn the stones of the desert into bread to satisfy His hunger, because there was no word from God for Him to do so.  He only acted according to the will of God. This is a pattern to be followed by all disciples.  This gave rise to the now famous quote from Deuteronomy 8v3 “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the word of God.”   There may be times when we need to practise this.  He made clear His mission was to “finish His work”.   Now He discusses some of the features of that work.

Viewing the work from nature (as He often did), He challenges the disciples to “Lift up your eyes and look on the fields”

 “Say not, there are yet four months and then cometh harvest.  Behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.  And he that reapeth receiveth wages and gathers fruit unto life eternal: that he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.  And herein is that saying true, one soweth and another reapeth.  I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured and ye are entered into their labours.”

The work is hard and constant labour    He uses the term labour in v38-the word means toiling hard.  Unlike in nature where there is a gap between sowing and reaping, in spiritual work the sowing and reaping are going on constantly.

He says the fields are already white to harvest   This is because others have laboured before us.  Jesus saved the woman, who has witnessed to her townsfolk, and many are seeking Jesus-v30 “Then they went out of the city and came unto Him.”

The work of the gospel brings eternal reward   v36

One sows another reaps v37    As in nature the sowers are different to the reapers.  There will be many who sow but never reap the harvest.  Others reap where they have not sown.  The work is one, the harvest is one; there must always be sowing if there is to be reaping.  In Acts chapter 2, Peter reaped the fruits of the labour of John the Baptist and others, and there are many such examples.

4v39-42   A rich harvest in Samaria       Almost as if to illustrate His point, here was a case of immediate reaping.  The woman testified to her folks and “many of the Samaritans of that city believed on Him for the saying of the woman…”.  Sometimes there will be a gap between sowing and reaping; other times there will be instant response.  As in nature, the farmer is not in total control of production and is dependent on unknown factors, the same in the spiritual realm.

“So, when the Samaritans were come down unto Him, they besought Him that He would tarry with them; and He abode there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.”                    

The word of one woman brought many, then more came when they heard His word.  They were convinced and declared that He is indeed the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. 

This is a remarkable portion of God's word, for, clearly, the Samaritans responded more than the Jews. This is generally true and, in the Gospels, and the Acts we find that non-Jews responded more to the gospel. The openness of the Samaritans contrasts with the hostility of the Jews. They invited him to remain with them; He stayed with them for two days.  Unlike the Jews, who required signs before they would believe, the Samaritans accepted the word of one of their own, and then the word of Jesus Himself.  The declaration that the Messiah was the Saviour of the world takes us back into history.  This is the area where the bones of Joseph were buried, and this is a reminder that Joseph was the Saviour of the world-Genesis 41v53-57.  The title conferred on him (Zaphnathpaneah-41v46) means “O saviour of the world”, we remember when the famine threatened the extinction of the entire area, Joseph provided life-giving bread, not only to Egypt but to the nations around.  What a picture this paints of Christ as world Saviour.  Contrast again with Jews who saw the Messiah as Saviour of the Jews, the Samaritans viewed Messiah as Saviour of the whole world.  Note the pattern in these chapters: chapter 2v23, the work in Jerusalem; chapter 3v22, the work in Judea; chapter 4v4, the work in Samaria.   Acts 1v8 delineates that very same pattern-Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth!  This is God in action to save the world.  This is the first instance of cross cultural evangelism recorded. Phillip later evangelised the same area with great success in Acts 8v4-8.