Joining Together in the Work of God

TITLE: Joining Together in the Work of God

TEXT: John 4.27-42.

LAST WEEK: John 4.1-26, Jesus and the Samaritan Woman

Jesus and his disciples left Judea and are heading to Galilee, and it was here that we saw that Jesus “had to pass through Samaria” (v.4). This was not a “had to” based on it being the easiest road to take. The other road, more often travelled by the Jewish people, went around Samaria.

John 4:9 “9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)”

The Jewish people and the Samaritan people were not friendly or cordial with one another. They despised one another. Though they came from the same root (The OT Law) they were a people divided for many centuries before this narrative occurred.

And yet… Jesus had to go through Samaria. WHY?

Jesus had to go through Samaria because it was the Father’s will for him to sojourn through a spiritually dry and weary land, and His people there were in need of the Living Water that truly quenches and satisfies.

John 4:13–14 ESV

13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

We concluded last week with a singular statement from Jesus that seemed to change everything in this woman’s mind. Though she and many others were looking forward to the coming Messiah, the one who would reveal all things, Jesus confirmed to her:

John 4:26 ESV

26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

THIS WEEK: John 4.27-42, The Samaritan Woman Part 2

INTRODUCTION: What do you see?

When considering this text, and specifically a certain portion of this text, I was reminded of these pictures (if you want to call them that) that require you to focus your eyes in a certain way in order to see the pictures that are hidden.

Full disclosure, I think all of these pictures are a scam and that everyone else is in conspiracy against me. But… let’s say they are real for this analogy. If we look at these images in a natural way, we do not see things clearly. In fact, everything is a blur.

In this passage following his primary interaction with the Samaritan woman, Jesus invites his new disciples to open their eyes and see what He sees - a spiritual harvest of lost souls ripe for reaping.

Main Idea:

The will of God is for the people of God to be redeemed by the grace of God so that we might see as He sees and join in the work of God.

PRAYER - Spirit’s help in discerning Truth

John 4:27–42 ESV

27 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him. 31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” 39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

An Invitation to Come (v.27-30)

John 4:27–30 “27 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him.”

At this moment in the narrative, Jesus’ disciples were just returning from the city where they went to buy food for their wearied teacher (v.8). Their return was at a crucial moment in Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman.

Jesus’ Declaration of Messiahship

John 4:25–26 ESV

25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

It is unclear whether the disciples heard this declaration from Jesus, but at the very least we know they witnessed Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman. Whether they heard this declaration or not, it did not matter because they were blinded by Jesus’ shameless interaction with this woman in public.

Not only was her being a Samaritan an issue for them, but Jesus as a Jewish man (and especially a rabbi) would have made this interaction very unusual and uncommon. More specifically, Jewish wisdom teachings later compiled in the MISHNAH (a collection of oral rabbinic teaching from AD 200) cautioned against speaking with women publicly for many reasons.

Radical Teaching

Have you ever noticed in the Gospels how Jesus’ ministry challenged many social and cultural norms, almost radically in some cases. WHY?

Was Jesus just looking to shake things up in Judaism… or were His words and actions purposeful?

Was Jesus resolute to just being a contrarian… or was the Son of God opening eyes to the truth?

Jesus’ ministry seemed socially, culturally, and spiritually radical to many because the people of Israel had strayed so far from the intention of the OT Law and the teachings of the Prophets.

And because of this, when He revealed Himself as the long awaited Messiah that has finally come, they were more concerned about His culturally taboo actions than the response of the woman to His proclamation.

Though they disagreed with his action, they respected Him too much to say anything.

The Water Jar

Mean while, the Samaritan woman leaves her water jar, even somewhat abruptly. Is there anything to learn from this?

Only this - She came seeking water at the middle of the day in her shame and she left joyful, casting aside this useless jar that could no longer draw anything that came close to the satisfaction that was found in Jesus.

Her physical life was dependent on the water from this well daily, but now the spiritual spring from her regenerate heart was welling up within her to a point of overflowing. Just as Jesus “had to” pass through Samaria… the Samaritan woman had to tell others whom had come to them.

APPLICATION: COME TO THE LORD

In a single moment, the priorities of the Samaritan woman changed. When she heard that the Messiah had come, the One who offers living water and who quenches our spiritual longing eternally, her need to share this with her fellow Samaritans (even those who may despise her) was urgent. She went to her people and declared COME!

You see… I think we often overcomplicate the commission we have been given. Let us be a people the simply cries… COME and SEE.

Not coming to see how great COTV is… or how loving our people are… or how great our community groups are… or how great our worship team is… NO!! The Samaritan woman proclaimed - Come and see the Christ! The One who knows all things and is whom we have been longing for.

Church Family… we do not have to impress the people of this world. We do not need to make ourselves or this church more attractive to the culture, but instead we cry:

Taste and See

Psalm 34:4–10 ESV

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. 8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! 9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! 10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come and Rest in Him

Jeremiah 6:16 ESV

16 Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.

The Samaritan woman encountered the Living God and everything changed. I pray the same for this church family. Not just in your regeneration and justification, but in our sanctification as well. When we open the Word of God or come before the Lord in prayer, may we stand in awe of whom He has revealed Himself to be and may we cry out “Who am I Lord, that you should have anything to do with me… a sinner?”.

And in doing so, may we marvel at riches of his grace which he lavished upon on in all wisdom and insight, and may we also proclaim as the Samaritan woman did to all nations… COME.

A Command to Look (v.31-35)

John 4:31–35 “31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.”

Meanwhile, the disciples are still consumed with their “important mission” of delivering food. They turn to our Lord Jesus and say “Rabbi, eat.” (v.31). Right off the bat, I am going to cut these disciples a little bit of slack, since what follows here from Jesus had to be a little confusing at first.

Also, given that that Word of God is spiritually discerned and understood, such things had to be a little confusing since that had not yet received the Holy Spirit.

Jesus follows here with:

John 4:32 ESV

32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.”

They all begin to look around saying… “Wait… did you… or you...? They are baffled!!! Who brought Jesus some food without them knowing about it, or was our Lord hiding a candy bar or the first century equivalent this entire time?

Jesus responds:

John 4:34 ESV

34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

ILLUSTRATION: Food Satisfies

The Lord God has blessed us immensely in this world with wonderful food to enjoy (plants, seeds, fruits, vegetables, meats). When I think of food that truly makes me say “WOW”, there only a few things that make the list.

David Beaman’s smoked chicken, Battered French Fries, Chocolate Milkshakes

Food satisfies an essential need in our lives, and without it long enough we will die. Food nourishes us, strengthens us, and gives us life in this world. Food satisifes us in so many ways and sustains us from day to day.

Jesus’ response - MY FOOD (the sustenance that truly satisfies) is the will and work of God.

Jesus is not denying that He was truly human. He was made like us in every respect (Heb 2.17), and even He felt hungry. Instead, Jesus is saying that far greater than the satisfaction of a full stomach was the satisfaction doing the will of the Father.

Cross reference to the words of Job:

Job’s Reply to his Friends

Job 23:11–12 ESV

11 My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. 12 I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.

What brought true satisfaction was walking in the purpose for which the Son of Man was sent. What satisfied was seeking and saving the lost (Luke 19:10), which is exactly where this command to “look” enters for the disciples.

John 4:35 ESV

35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.

Jesus likely quotes a common proverb or something similar here, pointing to the waiting period following a farmer’s planting. It takes time for the HARVEST to come forth, and even with the greatest detail and attentiveness to a crop, there is not much else to do but wait for the HARVEST.

LIFT UP YOUR EYES

Jesus uses this proverb to open their eyes beyond what they can physically see… Jesus calls them to see as He sees. Lift your eyes and see that “the fields” are ripe for harvest.

Jesus’ concern here was not the current harvest of the season (vegetables, fruits), but instead our Lord was speaking of the souls ready to be grafted into the family of God.

More specifically, word picture of a HARVEST is very fitting here for the necessity and urgency of evangelism. You see…anyone that has farmed at any level (big or small) knows there is a defined window where the fruit of the plant is ripe and ready to be brought in.

ILLUSTRATION: Strawberries at Nannies

I grew up working my grandparents garden in Huntsville, and there was one day that really highlights a similar point. In was strawberry season, and my grandmother and I began the harvest. The only problem was, a few minutes into picking it began to pour rain heavily.

A natural response would be what? Time to stop and go inside. Pick later. According to my grandparents, the time for harvest was immediate. More rain at this point for the plants would only rippen the fruit further bringing it close to rotting.

A similar idea is declared by our Lord to His disciples - the time for harvest (meaning to time for souls to be redeemed before the Father among the Samaritans) was now!

APPLICATION: When is the right time?

The time for Spiritual harvest is today and we do not have time to waste. As long as nations, tribes, and tongues of this world are unreached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ then the field are still white for harvest. And one day… on the day of the Lord… the harvest will spoil.

In order to live like this, we must first LIFT OUR EYES and begin to see the people around us and around our world as God - The crowning jewel of His creation, made in His image, who have all spurned and rejected His name in their sinfulness and all in need of salvation that only comes through the Son.

When we start seeing the world through this lens (which is shaped by the Word), our priorities in life and our prayer will shift more to look like our Lord.

Matthew 9:36–38 ESV

36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Let’s Pray - May laborers in the harvest be sent out from among us. AMEN.

A Call to the Harvest (v.36-38)

John 4:36–38 “36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.””

In the previous verses, Jesus opens their eyes to the harvest. The spiritual fields were already ripe with souls waiting to be redeemed! Such a reality was a by product of the Lord’s perfect timing in His coming and it remains a reality for us today. While the lost continue in their sin and with unreached peoples remaining, our work, the ministry of reconciliation, is not yet complete.

In these verses… Jesus invites them into the labor, into the work of God.

“Already...”

Jesus reveals to His disciples that the day of HARVEST, the day of salvation is not some point in the future. It is today, so get to work! The earthly ministry of Jesus had begun, and those joining in this mission with Him are gathering fruit for eternal life.

Furthermore, the wages of their labor are not monetary nor are they the praise of men, which is what the Pharisees and hypocrites of the day sought in their great displays of “faithfulness” for all eyes to see. NO… their wages are being called a son or daughter of the Most High God. Their wages are the inheritance that awaits them in heaven.

They join in the work of God for His glory among the nations, not their own.

The Sower and Reaper

This work of God, bringing about the salvation of undeserving sinners, began at the Fall (Genesis 3), and it continues today. And the beautiful thing about God’s sovereign control in all of this is that we are granted a small piece of time on this Earth where we actually join in this work with Him together.

More specifically here, we get a picture of the roles of the SOWER and the REAPER.

SOWING

The sower has the privilege of being at the beginning of the process of spiritual growth. Like one in the field who is scattering seeds for planting, the SOWER scatters the Word of God and the truth concerning Jesus and His gospel. He or she bears not the responsibility of the growth nor the harvest of the fruit, but simply the planting of the seed.

REAPING

The one who reaps gets the joy of seeing and harvesting the fruit produced. Like the one who brings in the fruit that has ripened, the one who REAPS walks with sinners into the truth of the Gospel and gets to witness dead hearts come to life.

APPLICATION: Sowing and Reaping in Unison

Jesus again points his disciples back to the prophet Job.

Job 31:8 ESV

8 then let me sow, and another eat, and let what grows for me be rooted out.

The point of this reference is this - the SOWING and REAPING within the work of God among the nations through His church are always happening in unison. The point of our sowing is not that we will get to take credit for the harvest, and the boast of the harvest is not that you are the one that planted the seed.

And in all of this, we are not actually the one that gives the growth! We, the church, are not the Living Water of John 4.

Disagreements in Corinth

1 Corinthians 3:5–9 ESV

5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

The disciples were being sent in to reap a harvest they did not prepare, a harvest they did not labor for. The sower that came before them, like JTB preparing the way of the Lord, had plant the seeds of Gospel truth that were now bursting forth and ready to be redeemed.

And in all of this, the point is God’s people rejoice together in the HARVEST because it is not about us. It is all about HIM!

We are a people redeemed from the pit of our sin, and are not called to join in the work of God together back among the harvest we came from. We must not be a people that refuse to join in this labor because it is tiresome and difficult.

Those things are true at times, but HE is worth our everything. The love and joy that are present by His Spirit in us today are solely because He set His affections on us, giving us the living water that fully satisfies, all by His grace.

Galatians 2:20 ESV

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

A Commitment to the Word (v.39-42)

John 4:39–42 “39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.””

So… the Samaritans were invited to COME to Christ… the disciples were commanded to LOOK and see through His eyes… and now they were CALLED into the harvest as co-laborers in His work.

Part 1 - Importance of Testimony

Here we finally see the narrative with the Samaritans continuing. The testimony of the Samaritan woman among them had proven fruitful. Many had come and many had believed! Her testimony evidenced His power and authority, for Jesus was unlike another or rabbi/teacher they had ever encountered.

The testimony of our conversion unto Christ is a very powerful tool in our evangelism. When we use our testimony to glorify the work of God in transforming us from death to life, instead of pointing to a decision we made to believe at some point in time, we walk in the footsteps of JTB who when He was growing in popularity proclaimed - I am not the One! He must increase, and I must decrease!

The testimony of the Samaritan woman was an introductory step that led the people to the person of Christ.

Part 2 - Encountering Jesus by the Word

After Jesus staying with the Samaritans for two days, their confidence in the Samaritan woman’s proclamation had only grown. WHY?

John 4:41 ESV

41 And many more believed because of his word.

The Samaritan woman brought the people to Christ and then let him and His word speak. This highlights the importance of the Word of God in our evangelism. The Gospel (the Good News of the Scriptures concerning Christ and His work of salvation at the cross) is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes.

People are not saved when we get them to the church gathering, but instead people are saved when they encounter the One and Only God through His Son, who is the Word.

They said “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe.” They are not discounting her testimony, but instead they are pointing to something much greater than her words. Jesus spoke with authority and power, proclaiming in Him alone would salvation be found.

She brought them to the Messiah and now they have heard His Word for themselves.

John 4:42 ESV

42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

APPLICATION: Going Forth with the Word

As we go forth into the harvest both near and far, we must go forth with the Word. We must be a people that knows and cherishes the Word of God, because only in it will we be equipped to discern sounds doctrine from false teaching. Only in the Word are we equipped to walk faithfully in the works God has prepared for us before the foundation of the world.

It was the words of our Lord that gave the Samaritans great confidence in Jesus as the Savior, and I am convinced that theological issues that plague the church (specifically What is the Gospel, Assurance of Salvation, and the Purpose of the Church) are largely because we shamefully do not know the Word of God.

I’m convinced that if the church dedicated itself to abiding in Christ, specifically through knowledge of Him through His Word, we would see an stark shift in the church’s commitment to training up and sending out laborers into the HARVEST.

A commitment to the Word of God as our utmost authority = A Commitment to the mission and work of God for His glory.

2 Corinthians 5:17–21 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The will of God is for the people of God to be redeemed by the grace of God so that we might see as He sees and join in the work of God.