The Ripened Harvest
27Just then His disciples arrived, and they were amazed that He was talking with a woman. Yet no one said, “What do You want?” or “Why are You talking with her?”
28Then the woman left her water jar, went into town, and told the men, 29“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could this be the Messiah?” 30They left the town and made their way to Him.
31In the meantime the disciples kept urging Him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
32But He said, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.”
33The disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought Him something to eat?”
34“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work,” Jesus told them. 35“Don’t you say, ‘There are still four more months, then comes the harvest’? Listen to what I’m telling you: Open your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ready for harvest. 36The reaper is already receiving pay and gathering fruit for eternal life, so the sower and reaper can rejoice together. 37For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38I sent you to reap what you didn’t labor for; others have labored, and you have benefited from their labor.”
John 4:27-38 (December A.D. 27) Spiritual Food
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Other Resources:
Keeping God's Commandments John 4 https://virtualbiblestudy.com/john/4/
John 4:27-38
27 And upon this came his disciples; and they marveled that he was speaking with a woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why speakest thou with her?
The apostles were astonished because Jewish men did not speak to women in public. Jesus broke no law in doing this. Jesus always took every opportunity to talk with people about eternal life. The apostles did not ask Jesus about this because they knew he frequently did things that were unconventional.
28 So the woman left her waterpot, and went away into the city, and saith to the people,
When the disciples returned, the conversation with Jesus ended. The Samaritan woman hurried back to town to tell the people about the stranger at the well. She left her water pot at the well. From the context it cannot be ascertained if she forgot it, or left it intentionally.
29 Come, see a man, who told me all things that ever I did: can this be the Christ?
The Samaritan woman was like Andrew who sought out Peter to come meet Jesus. The woman is convinced Jesus is the Messiah; however, she states her conviction in such a way that the people will be interested in talking to Jesus and not turned off. She tells them Jesus revealed her whole life to her. Relating things of her life that no one else could know had convinced her that Jesus was who he professed to be. However, she does express her belief. She asked a question which demanded a "no" answer, but hoped for a "yes" answer.
30 They went out of the city, and were coming to him.
In response to her words and urging to come see Jesus, a great crowd went out to see this unusual stranger who was at Jacob's well.
31 In the mean while the disciples prayed him, saying, Rabbi, eat.
The apostles had returned with food. They urged Jesus to eat.
32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that you know not.
As explained by verse 34, Jesus meant that he had been so refreshed and invigorated by the opportunity of imparting spiritual help to a soul in need that he had forgotten about being hungry and thirsty.
33 The disciples therefore said one to another, Hath any man brought him aught to eat?
The apostles were like the Samaritan woman and Nicodemus. They did not understand what Jesus meant. They took it literally and thought someone else had brought Jesus food while they were gone.
34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to accomplish his work.
Jesus explains to his disciples that there is something more important to him than eating food and drinking water. The most important thing to Jesus is to do the will of God. Jesus drew his sustenance from doing the Father's will. To listen to the Father's voice and to do his will were the joy and strength of his life.
35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white already unto harvest.
At this time a great number of people were coming from town toward Jesus and the apostles. As one looked toward the town, he saw two things: First, the grain fields which would be ripe in about four months. Second, the multitude of people approaching Jesus and the apostles. Jesus seeks to draw the attention of the apostles to the great opportunity that lay before them. Jesus is urging the apostles to look and not see just the grain which will be ripe in four months, but look at a harvest that is ripe now, the multitude of people who are approaching them.
36 He that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal; that he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
The spiritual harvest is sometimes different from the natural harvest. Sometimes the time length between sowing (the word of God) and reaping may vary. Sometimes it is very short, as with the Samaritans. Other times it is longer. The order must be the same. One must sow the word of God before he can reap the harvest. The harvest in this case is the souls of men unto eternal life. Since both the sower and reaper are necessary, they can rejoice together in the salvation of souls.
37 For herein is the saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
This is the same principle that Paul wrote about in I Corinthians 3:6 when he said, "I planted, Apollos watered and God gave the increase." Sometimes the sower and the reaper are the same person. Other times one sows and another reaps. This is true today. Many times the one who sows is the same person that reaps. However, at other times, one sows and it may look as if there will be no harvest, but months or years later, another one reaps the harvest for the Lord.
38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye have not labored: others have labored, and ye are entered into their labor.
Jesus tells the apostles they are reaping the harvest which others have sown. Who are these others? They are Old Testament prophets, John the Baptist and Jesus himself.
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