Reaping the Harvest (John 4:27–42)

Series: John: Life in Christ’s NameText: John 4:27–42

By: Shaun Marksbury Date: February 12, 2023

Venue: Living Water Baptist ChurchOccasion: AM Service

Introduction

Last time, we noted that there are differing ideas in churches about evangelism. I remember listening to a sermon someone sent to me from perhaps the largest church in Savannah, one with multiple sites around the area. The pastor said that, when sharing the gospel, don’t tell people to repent. Instead, he said to just invite them to church. It’s not that the church would tell them to repent, either, but it was a sure-fire strategy for church-growth!

If one-on-one evangelism is so watered-down in Evangelical churches, then we shouldn’t be surprised that the same is true of missions. I was recently on a Zoom call with a missionary who was recounting the decades of decline in biblical missions. There are missions that we should think of, those that place the priority on preaching the gospel to the lost and planting expositional churches, but then there are those which have more of a holistic focus, such as feeding the hungry, digging wells, and the like. It’s not that those aren’t important needs, but those should be the byproduct of missions; instead, some missionaries don’t even open a Bible as part of their work.

While we applaud Christian efforts to help those in need, we understand them to arise as Christian charity, not mission. Missions and their missionaries should primarily be focused on the proclamation of Holy Scripture. If the Word does not go forth while we improve the lives of the needy, we may only be making them comfortable on their way to hell. We must let them know that there is a message of salvation for their souls.

We see that here this morning. This passage continues to show us subtle truths about Christ. We see His omniscience and sovereign control, for instance. Still, the message is more directed at the harvest of souls, which is where we will focus this morning. We’ll see that our passion in missions must be Christ, our profit in missions must be Christ’s harvest, and our proclamation in missions must be Christ’s word. Let’s consider the first point.

Our Passion in Missions Must Be Christ (vv. 27–30)

At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why do You speak with her?” So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.

We see that the disciples return right as Jesus’s conversation with the woman at the well draws to a close. Remember that they were away in the village buying foodstuffs (v. 8). Now, they walk up, stunned by perhaps two points.

First, we read that “they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman.” It’s not “the woman” as the KJV has, but “a woman.” Again, Jewish custom disdained public discourse with any woman, even one’s own wife. It’s not just the appearance of impropriety that was a concern; they feared discussion with women on important, theological matters might at best be a waste of time or worse, lead them into evil!

Thankfully, the disciples remained silent and didn’t interrupt Jesus about it. John was there, and he records here the questions they might have asked Jesus. Yet they didn’t, leading to a possible second reason they were marveling. They had arrived at the point when Jesus just confessed to being the Messiah to this Samaritan woman! Did they hear Him say that? That might be what shut their mouths and opened their ears.

Either way, the conversation was over. She left, leaving her waterpot behind. We’re not told why she did this, and there are many theories. It seems to me the most obvious is that she simply forgot why she had come there in the first place. She deviated to tell the others about Jesus. Perhaps she found that her thirst had already been quenched by a different kind of water, that “living water” (vv. 10–14)!

While she may have been avoiding her people before, now she’s seeking them in the town. Note what she says — “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done.” While she may have been trying to avoid having her sins discussed in the open, now she doesn’t avoid the possibility in her statement. Something within seems to have fundamentally changed.

Yet, she is not so excited that she is without her wits and crazed. She gives this measured word, not about Jesus being a prophet, but about His being the Messiah. She asks, “[T]his is not the Christ, is it?” She frames her question as though she expects a negative response in the original language, but not as sharply as she could have. It seems that she is still either deciding herself or speaking with tact, not daring to tell everyone what they should think just yet.

Her words about Christ were effective. We read that they “went out of the city” and “were coming to Him.” The state of that last verb suggests that they were continuing to come, almost as though she was telling others and more were sent on their way. Her passion was getting her fellow citizens to Christ.

Our passion must likewise be proclaiming Christ. We want the thirsty to drink of the spiritual well, not just a physical one. If we are not more passionate about people coming to Jesus, we should stop and reconsider what are priorities are in missions.

Indeed, this is Christ’s work anyway. That brings us to the second point:

Our Profit in Missions Must Be Christ’s Harvest (vv. 31–38)

Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”

As the woman is telling others about Christ, Jesus and His disciples remain at the well. Originally, He may have been left alone because of His fatigue while they bought their provisions. Now returned and alone with Him, they push all other questions such as His messianic declaration or why He would stoop to talking to a woman aside; they are concerned for His well-being. So, the text says they were continuing to beseech Him to eat something.

Jesus, on the other hand, seems to have found Himself rejuvenated and satisfied. So, He says (with some emphasis), “I have food to eat that y’all do not know about.” Of course, this confuses His disciples, who must have been looking around for some evidence of food like an empty bag of Doritos. They of course wonder where this food might have come from, asking, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” (for the Samaritans were not known for being hospitable to the Jews). However, Jesus was talking about a different source of satisfaction.

Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.” Of course, we have the benefit of the text before us, so we understand that He meant this spiritually — He finds His sustenance in doing the will of God. The disciples might have thought about this, too, if they backed up for a moment; Moses said in Deuteronomy 8:3 that God wants His people to understand that “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.” It’s not that Jesus is saying here that He (or we) will never need physical food again while harkening to the Father’s will, but we should never allow hunger pangs to rule our hearts and minds.

Remember, Jesus fasted in the wilderness for forty days, after which He resisted the temptation to step outside the Father’s will. Jesus said elsewhere that He came to do the Father’s will (John 5:30; 6:38). It’s not just that He doesn’t allow His physical hunger to control Him, but that He also finds such satisfying joy in doing God’s will that He can forget His hunger.

Jesus gives them two images to demonstrate this — the first is that of harvest. In v. 35, Jesus says, “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’?” The expression “do you not say” and the meter of the original language suggests He’s reciting a proverb, though we don’t have a record of that saying, and harvest usually takes more than four months. As such, it seems that Jesus is actually emphasizing their understanding — they would understand that the spring-time harvest is still four more months away from them.

Either way, Jesus tells them that harvest is already upon them. He says, “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.” Their eyes had been focused on earthly food, but the Lord is telling them about different fields, full of lost souls. Barley heads can appear white in the sun, and here approach men, perhaps with white turbans and wrappings, ready for spiritual life.

This is now. Some of your Bibles will have the word “already” included with this verse, though the NASB delays this word until the next verse. Remember that the original language didn’t have punctuation or verse numbers, leaving us with a bit of a question; is Jesus saying that that the fields are already white or that the reaper is already receiving? It seems, based on Jesus’s contrast between the four months and the now-approaching harvest which is white, that the word is better here. Jesus is telling them they don’t have to wait four months, that the harvest is already ripe for the reaping.

Since we’re reading the word “already” as part of v. 35, we begin v. 36 with “he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal.” Now, the harvester or reaper here is a preacher of the gospel, meaning first that Jesus is reaping souls and gathering fruit, as He is sovereign over salvation. This would seem to then extend to His disciples who Christ uses to proclaim the gospel; for instance, Paul calls the Romans fruit of his labors (Rom. 1:13). This crop is eternal, not one that lasts only for a season. It is a harvest of new believers, each of whom will have everlasting life with God as a result of gospel proclamation. Such a harvest should spark rejoicing, which leads us to Christ’s next image.

This second image is related to the harvest — that of the work of both the sower and the reaper. He says that this eternal harvest is “so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.” Jesus may be addressing a sentiment common to farming, that one person plants the seed, works the soil for months, only for the next person to come in harvest the crop, receiving the bounty. As Micah 6:15 says, “You will sow but you will not reap. You will tread the olive but will not anoint yourself with oil; and the grapes, but you will not drink wine.” Yet, here, the one sowing the seed and the reaper are both rejoicing.

He continues in v. 37, “For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ ” Jesus planted the seed with the Samaritan woman and a bountiful harvest is already springing up; later, they may plant seeds that others will harvest. Paul understood this in 1 Corinthians 3:6–8, where he says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.” We are all workers of God, sharing in the harvest that He has prepared.

It's important to take a moment to remember that the preaching of the gospel will not always immediately produce a harvest. Sometimes, it does, like with the Samaritans. Other times, there may indeed be another four months, figuratively speaking. Some seed may never come to fruition. However, we should see the preaching of the Word as essential, the labor God calls us to, even if there aren’t immediate results.

Incidentally, that’s one of the reasons we don’t do the kind of altar call here which has become popular over the past 200 years. They are not necessarily designed to wait on God, but often times to instead emotionally manipulate a person into making a decision before the harvest is ripe. Of course, I always extend the invitation for someone to come forward after the service for more counseling and prayer. Still, we must understand that God may take some time with people, preparing their hearts for the time of harvest. We will reap a harvest as God wills, and we must be content with the fact that we sometimes only plant seeds and water.

This is the kind of satisfaction or profit we should find in this ministry. Consider what Jesus says in v. 38 — “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.” In the case of the disciples, they haven’t labored one moment for the Samaritan harvest. Indeed, all their harvest in Israel will result from either Jesus, John the Baptist, Moses, or some other word that was already present there. They are simply continuing the work.

Now, even if they were expecting to be thrust into this work, they wouldn’t have expected it here in Samaria. Part of the problem with which the disciples must contend is their own narrowness. They are expecting the kingdom to be restored to Israel, but they were utterly ignoring the ministry that Christ will have in Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth. This is Christ’s harvest; they are simply the laborers.

Since it’s His harvest, we should do it the way He directs, bringing me to the last point:

Our Proclamation in Missions Must Be Christ’s Word (v. 39–42)

From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.”

Of course, the Samaritans came. But, the question is why? We read that many “believed in Him because of the word of the woman.”

This shows us the importance of words. There’s a quote often attributed to a monk named Francis of Assisi which says, “Preach the gospel at all times. And if necessary, use words.” Some doubt that he said it, or that he hasn’t been misquoted, but Francis did stand against the ostentatious displays of wealth often seen with the popes, cardinals, and bishops, calling on Christians to live simple lives which wouldn’t cause others to stumble. However, the quote is bandied about today by those who believe we can evangelize through our good works, sometimes never needing to use words — and that isn’t evangelism.

We see that talking, even communication from an obviously sinful woman, brings people to Christ. They even begged Him to stay, and He abided with them for two days. Some might say here, “Ah, see, we need incarnational ministry, we need to manifest Christ in our charity and care, and that’s what will bring them into the kingdom!” Yet, we see that “many more believed because of His word.”

His word is what the lost needs, which is an essential part of what abiding is. In John 15:4, Jesus tells His disciples, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” In v. 7, He then says, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” In v. 10, He says, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” The words or commandments of Christ should be presented to the lost if we want to help them abide in Christ.

And we see “many more” or, literally, “much by more” believed. We can’t fulfill the Great Commission in missions if we are avoiding making disciples (learners) and withholding what Christ taught (cf. Matt. 28:18–20). There are some big-name pastors like Andy Stanley today who say we need to unhitch from the Old Testament, that even saying “the Bible says so” is juvenile and not enough. Christians might think they’re clever in presenting a limited view of Christianity to the lost, but note what the Samaritans say — “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.” They heard what Jesus taught and therefore believed that Jesus can save all of them from their sins.

Conclusion

We can’t allow ourselves to be drawn into the Evangelical deception which avoids evangelism! Our heartbeat for the lost world must be to share Christ and His teachings. We should proclaim the word of Christ to the lost without apology. And if a missions agency isn’t making the proclamation of the Word primary, then we must question it.

It’s not that there is never a place where charitable work might be primary. There’s a doctor running a hospital in a Muslim country with permission to share Christ with his patients. There’s a pilot who ferries missionaries and others between remote locations. There are orphanages which rescue children and train them up in Christ’s ways. Those are obviously good endeavors which support the ministry of the word, but we should consider how much more we should support missionaries who proclaim Scripture and their church plants, churches which can train up local Samaritans to continue the ministry.

In the case of these Samaritans, the seed is sown and the harvest is gathered into the heavenly barns. In fact, the harvest will continue. As Matthew Henry notes here, “we find that four or five years after, when Philip preached the gospel in Samaria, he found such blessed remains of this good work now wrought that the people with one accord gave heed to those things which Philip spoke, Acts 8:5, 6, 8.” Of course, there were others deceiving people like Simon Magus, as there always are, but that’s a story for another day.

Let’s endeavor to be and to support ministry such ministry that makes Christ and His Word central, so that we may likewise share in the reaping of eternal life for years to come.