BRINGING IN THE HARVEST
The word “harvest” means the gathering of crops; or the time of the season when crops are ripe; a crop or yield of one growing season. Crop harvest is about things like wheat, barley, olives, grapes, figs, corn, or potatoes. Any food that grows and has to be gathered in. There is a season for each crop to be brought in. The product being brought in must be ripe and ready before the harvester goes in to pluck it, cut it down, or dig it up, and bring it in.
There is another harvest that is coming. It is the harvest of souls. In John 4, we read about a Samaritan woman who was drawing water from Jacob's well when Jesus confronted about having been married several times and that the man she was living with at the time was not her husband. Jesus did not condemn this woman for her living arrangement (John 3:17; For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.) Instead, as He spoke with her, He simply stated facts. When the woman told Jesus, “I know the Messiah is coming, when He comes He will tell us all things,” Jesus responded with a very powerful declaration. He said, “I who speak to you am He.” This information was enough to make her run into the town of Samaria to spread the good news about this Man who knew everything about her. "Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?" (John 4:29)
As the disciples returned to Jesus, they questioned in their hearts why He would be talking with a Samaritan woman. In those days, the Jews were prejudiced against the Samaritans and a Jewish man would never have spoken a word to a Samaritan woman, not even if he was in desperate thirst. Also, men and women in those days did not speak to each other in public, and especially not if they were strangers.
The disciples must have thought the lack of food had made Jesus strange. Yet, instead of asking Him point blank about why He was talking with this Samaritan woman, they told Him to eat. I love His response, “I have meat to eat which you do not know” (John 4:32). Jesus’ food was to accomplish what God had sent Him here to do.
While Jesus spoke with His disciples in this manner, He looked over their heads and saw the Samaritans from the town approaching. They were dressed in their usual white coats, and that made Him think of a field white and ripe for the harvest. He quoted a proverb of the day, and added a twist to it. He said, “Do you not say, ’There are still four months and then comes the harvest?’ Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest” (John 4:35).
When Jesus walked the earth as a man, His ministry was teaching and preaching about the kingdom of God to come. He was telling the people about Himself. He was telling them that He was their salvation, any who came to Him would be saved from the penalty of sin, which is hell. Jesus was training harvesters to reap the crop that was being nurtured and watered.
Jesus said, “I am the Way the Truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Jesus is the open door to the kingdom of God. If you want to become part of this harvest, ask God to free you from sin. Then give your life to Jesus. If you need help with this, please ask me, or one of the other workers here. We can help you find the way.
Pastor Suzanne
