Three Harversters/A Chartered Certified Qualified Harverster

Linberg Wong

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John 4:27–42

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introduction

Chartered Engineer/chartered accountant.

Andrew Chai’s picture on the swimmer - the qualified swimmer is the one who is ready to swim, rather than the one who is fully equipped.

story on farmers who sow and harvest／Andrew Chai’s picture on the swimmer - the qualified swimmer is the one who is ready to swim, rather than the one who is fully equipped.

be a chartered certified qualified harvester.

what would you do if you want to harvest something?

three kind of spiritual harvester

the disciples - equipped lukewarm follower

v27 surprised/shocked/astonished/marveled/amazed - why? because of the kind of woman that their master was talking to. Jewish tradition forbid a man to give a woman any greeting, or talk with a woman on the street, including his own wife. what more to say that this woman is a Samaritan. The roots of the animosity between Samaritans and Jews go deep into history. In the eighth century bc when the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians, the majority of the population was carried into exile. To repopulate the area the Assyrians brought in peoples from other parts of their empire, and these intermarried with those still left in the land, resulting in a mixed race of peoples later known as the Samaritans. In the sixth century bc the southern kingdom of Judah was overrun by the Babylonians, and many of its people were taken into exile in Babylon. Later the Babylonian kingdom fell to the Persians, and Cyrus, king of Persia, allowed exiles from Judah to return to Jerusalem, where they began to rebuild the temple and later to repair the walls of Jerusalem. Those returning to rebuild were now called Jews; the Samaritans offered to assist them in rebuilding the temple but their offer was rejected. Having been rebuffed the Samaritans built their own rival temple on Mount Gerizim in Samaria. The Jews regarded the Samaritans as ethnically impure and repudiated them, and in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah marriages that had been contracted between Jews and Samaritans were broken up. can you imagine the facial expression those disciples have on looking at that woman? What is our tradition that has stop us from reaching out to someone else? M group?

The roots of the animosity between Samaritans and Jews go deep into history. In the eighth century bc when the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians, the majority of the population was carried into exile. To repopulate the area the Assyrians brought in peoples from other parts of their empire, and these intermarried with those still left in the land, resulting in a mixed race of peoples later known as the Samaritans.

Rabbinical scholastic prejudice. “According to Jewish Rabbinical ideas the female sex was incapable of religious instruction.

Rabbinical scholastic prejudice. “According to Jewish Rabbinical ideas the female sex was incapable of religious instruction. reflects their conformity to the sexual prejudices of their society

v27 surprised - why?

reflects their conformity to the sexual prejudices of their society

In the sixth century bc the southern kingdom of Judah was overrun by the Babylonians, and many of its people were taken into exile in Babylon. Later the Babylonian kingdom fell to the Persians, and Cyrus, king of Persia, allowed exiles from Judah to return to Jerusalem, where they began to rebuild the temple and later to repair the walls of Jerusalem. Those returning to rebuild were now called Jews; the Samaritans offered to assist them in rebuilding the temple but their offer was rejected. Having been rebuffed the Samaritans built their own rival temple on Mount Gerizim in Samaria. The Jews regarded the Samaritans as ethnically impure and repudiated them, and in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah marriages that had been contracted between Jews and Samaritans were broken up.

Milne, B. (1993). The message of John: here is your king!: with study guide (p. 86). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Lange, J. P., & Schaff, P. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: John (p. 163). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

v27 none bother to find out more - what do u want with her? why do u speak to her? (what kind of tone is this? - doubt?)

v27 none bother to find out more - what do u want with her? why do u speak to her? (what kind of tone is this? - doubt?) When the disciples rejoined Jesus, they did not dare ask Him about His conversation with the Samaritan woman but rather inquired about His physical well-being. Perhaps they thought hunger had deprived Him of the sense necessary to know better than to talk with such a woman. sometimes, we might be thought by others as insane, when we are passionate to preach gospel. Last time i always heard people saying in foochow, “believe is enough, dont believe until too deep”. They were beginning to know him; and they had already arrived at the conclusion that however surprising his actions were, they were not to be questioned. It is a great step towards real discipleship to learn to say: ‘It is not for me to question the actions and the demands of Jesus. My prejudices and my conventions must go down before them.’

Kruse, C. G. (2003). John: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 4, pp. 138–139). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.can you imagine the facial expression those disciples have on looking at that woman? What is our tradition that has stop us from reaching out to someone else? M group?

When the disciples rejoined Jesus, they did not dare ask Him about His conversation with the Samaritan woman but rather inquired about His physical well-being. Perhaps they thought hunger had deprived Him of the sense necessary to know better than to talk with such a woman

They were beginning to know him; and they had already arrived at the conclusion that however surprising his actions were, they were not to be questioned. It is a great step towards real discipleship to learn to say: ‘It is not for me to question the actions and the demands of Jesus. My prejudices and my conventions must go down before them.’

v27 none bother to find out more - what do u want with her? why do u speak to her? (what kind of tone is this? - doubt?)

White, J. E. (1998). John. In D. S. Dockery (Ed.), Holman concise Bible commentary (p. 472). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Barclay, W. (2001). The Gospel of John (Rev. and updated., Vol. 1, p. 189). Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press.

v31 concern about physical food - troubles by living. concern about physical hunger - outward satisfaction. In the mean while (χρόνῳ understood)—while the men of Sychar were coming across the green corn-fields in excited and eager longing for the bread of life and the water of life eternal—his disciples besought him; rather, were entreating him—the verb ἐρωτάω is used for question and interrogation, and is generally used of one who feels on terms of equality with the person addressed on the matter in hand (cf. ch. 14:16; 15:7; 16:19, 23; 17:15, for its distinctness from αἰτεω)—saying, Rabbi, eat. Have we not gone to Sychar to find provisions for thee? Do not despise our effort. how about us? Are we concerning more on the spiritual hunger of the soul or the physical pleasure in the church?

v32-33 do not understand the will of God. Jesus said, My food … is to do the will of Him who sent Me. This does not mean Jesus had no need of physical food, but rather that His great passion and desire was to do God’s will (cf. 5:30; 8:29). He knows that man does not live by bread alone, but “by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (). His priority is spiritual, not material. It is the Father’s work which must be done

v34 empty waiting (4 months until harvest). habitual, influenced by how the world works (are you not in the habit of saying “four months, and the harvest will come”?). Four months more and then the harvest was probably a local proverb. But in the spiritual realm there is no long wait. Jesus has come so now it is the day of opportunity. All that is needed is spiritual vision and perception. If the disciples would look around, they would see people with spiritual hunger. The Samaritans in their white garments coming from the village (v. 30) may have visually suggested a wheat field ripe for harvest.

v35 spiritually blind (open your eyes/wake up/look around you). The disciples went into the village to get food for themselves, but they did no evangelizing. The woman took their place! No doubt the disciples had said, as they approached the city of Sychar, “There can be no harvest here! These people despise us Jews and would have no use for our message.” But just the opposite was true: the harvest was ready and only needed faithful workers to claim it. For some reason, when it comes to witnessing for Christ, it is always the wrong time and the wrong place! It takes faith to sow the seed, and we must do it even when the circumstances look discouraging

the woman - unequipped passionate new believer

v28 leave her water jar - she intended to come back again with others; she was eager to enjoy the new and living water. it also shows her eagerness to bear witness before the townspeople whom she had previously had reason to avoid.

eagerness to bear witness before the townspeople whom she had previously had reason to avoid

she intended to return soon and was not completely put off by the disciples’ negative attitudes. she did not care how people look at her. What the woman did is strange in terms of the culture of the day. Women normally did not converse with men in public, only in the privacy of the home, and certainly they would not mention in public private marital experience or sexual affairs. It was Jesus’ supernatural knowledge of her personal life that had impressed the woman

What the woman did is strange in terms of the culture of the day. Women normally did not converse with men in public, only in the privacy of the home, and certainly they would not mention in public private marital experience or sexual affairs. It was Jesus’ supernatural knowledge of her personal life that had impressed the woman

Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel according to John (p. 228). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans. to speak of the truth.

Kruse, C. G. (2003). John: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 4, p. 138). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

v28-29 went back to town and invite people to come and see. Look at the way she share. she exhorts them, Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. she acknowledge her messy and sinful personal life. the townspeople were as impressed by her excitement and candour as by her argument. At any rate, they decided to see for themselves, and began the walk to Jacob’s well while Jesus was still conversing with his disciples. How excited we are with our transformed life in Christ? A Man who told me everything I ever did, were bound to stir interest. Perhaps in that village some who heard her had been partners in her past life. Perhaps they wondered, Could this One also know about us? This very desire to tell others of her discovery killed in this woman the feeling of shame. She was no doubt an outcast; she was no doubt a byword; the very fact that she was drawing water from this distant well shows how she avoided her neighbours and how they avoided her. But now she ran to tell them of her discovery. Some people may have problems which they are embarrassed to mention and which they try to keep secret, but once they are behind them they are often so ﬁlled with wonder and gratitude that they tell everyone about it all. People may hide their sin; but once they discover Jesus Christ as Saviour, their ﬁrst instinct is to say to others: ‘Look at what I was and look at what I am; this is what Christ has done for me.’

This very desire to tell others of her discovery killed in this woman the feeling of shame. She was no doubt an outcast; she was no doubt a byword; the very fact that she was drawing water from this distant well shows how she avoided her neighbours and how they avoided her. But now she ran to tell them of her discovery. Some people may have problems which they are embarrassed to mention and which they try to keep secret, but once they are behind them they are often so ﬁlled with wonder and gratitude that they tell everyone about it all. People may hide their sin; but once they discover Jesus Christ as Saviour, their ﬁrst instinct is to say to others: ‘Look at what I was and look at what I am; this is what Christ has done for me.’

she exhorts them, Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did—which may be hyperbole, but quietly attests how central her messy and sinful personal life was to her own thinking

the townspeople were as impressed by her excitement and candour as by her argument. At any rate, they decided to see for themselves, and began the walk to Jacob’s well while Jesus was still conversing with his disciples.

Could this be the Christ? she asked them. More literally, her question was, “This couldn’t be the Messiah, could it?” The question expected a tentative negative answer. She framed the question this way, in all probability, because she knew the people would not respond favorably to a dogmatic assertion from a woman, especially one of her reputation. Just as Jesus had captured her attention by curiosity, so she raised the people’s curiosity. They decided to investigate this matter.

Barclay, W. (2001). The Gospel of John (Rev. and updated., Vol. 1, p. 191). Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press.

Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel according to John (p. 228). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans.

we might be hinder by a few factors. First, our understanding on God. Second, our concern about our popularity/reputation. v29 not too sure about what she experienced (could this be the Messiah). v30 Despite her likely unpopularity, due to her questionable character, they are moved to investigate (30). it does not matter who we are in the past, leave it to the Lord, just like how the woman left her water jar, the object of her visit to the well, to the Lord. Third, like the woman, we might doubt if anyone would believe what we are to share with them. The testimony of a woman had little weight, and this particular woman’s reputation would have further weakened the credibility of her witness. Also, she framed her declaration in a hesitant, negative way that did not invite a positive response to Jesus (see note on ). That “many of the Samaritans believed” despite these obstacles underscores the divine work in preparing the harvest. Forth, our water jar. something that slow down our pace in telling others about Christ. the woman left her water pot so that she was able to wholly take up with better things - good tidings.

Observe her zeal and wisdom. She came to draw water, and when she had lighted upon the true Well, she after that despised the material one; teaching us even by this trifling instance when we are listening to spiritual matters to overlook the things of this life, and make no account of them. For what the Apostles did, that, after her ability, did this woman also. They when they were called, left their nets; she of her own accord, without the command of any, leaves her water pot, and winged by joy performs the office of Evangelists. And she calls not one or two, as did Andrew and Philip, but having aroused a whole city and people, so brought them to Him. She supposed that Jesus, when he had dined, would go forward in his journey, and therefore hastened to tell her neighbours, that they might come quickly. She worried that Jesus will leave very soon, and the people will not get the chance to know Christ.

Observe too how prudently she speaks; she said not, “Come and see the Christ,” but with the same condescension by which Christ had netted her she draws the men to Him; “Come,” she saith, “see a Man who told me all that ever I did.” She was not ashamed to say that He “told me all that ever I did.” Yet she might have spoken otherwise, “Come, see one that prophesieth”; but when the soul is inflamed with holy fire, it looks then to nothing earthly, neither to glory nor to shame, but belongs to one thing alone, the flame which occupieth it.

Despite her likely unpopularity, due to her questionable character, they are moved to investigate (30)

“Is not this the Christ?” Observe again here the great wisdom of the woman; she neither declared the fact plainly, nor was she silent, for she desired not to bring them in by her own assertion, but to make them to share in this opinion by hearing Him; which rendered her words more readily acceptable to them. Yet He had not told all her life to her, only from what had been said she was persuaded (that He was informed) as to the rest. Nor did she say, “Come, believe,” but, “Come, see”.; a gentler expression than the other, and one which more attracted them. Seest thou the wisdom of the woman? She knew, she knew certainly that having but tasted that Well, they would be affected in the same manner as herself. Yet any one of the grosser sort would have concealed the reproof which Jesus had given; but she parades her own life, and brings it forward before all men, so as to attract and capture all. We too should find way to invite people to come and see, rather than come and believe. let them to know God themselves.

sometime

How she minded her errand to the town, for her heart was upon it. She went into the city, and said to the men, probably the aldermen, the men in authority, whom, it may be, she found met together upon some public business; or to the men, that is, to every man she met in the streets; she proclaimed it in the chief places of concourse: Come, see a man who told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ? Observe,

(1.) How solicitous she was to have her friends and neighbours acquainted with Christ. When she had found that treasure, she called together her friends and neighbours (as Lu. 15:9), not only to rejoice with her, but to share with her, knowing there was enough to enrich herself and all that would partake with her. Note, They that have been themselves with Jesus, and have found comfort in him, should do all they can to bring others to him. Has he done us the honour to make himself known to us? Let us do him the honour to make him known to others; nor can we do ourselves a greater honour. This woman becomes an apostle. Quae scortum fuerat egressa, regreditur magistra evangelica—She who went forth a specimen of impurity returns a teacher of evangelical truth, saith Aretius. Christ had told her to call her husband, which she thought was warrant enough to call every body. She went into the city, the city where she dwelt, among her kinsfolks and acquaintance. Though every man is my neighbour that I have opportunity of doing good to, yet I have most opportunity, and therefore lie under the greatest obligations, to do good to those that live near me. Where the tree falls, there let it be made useful.

(2.) How fair and ingenuous she was in the notice she gave them concerning this stranger she had met with. [1.] She tells them plainly what induced her to admire him: He has told me all things that ever I did. No more is recorded than what he told her of her husbands; but it is not improbable that he had told her of more of her faults. Or, his telling her that which she knew he could not by any ordinary means come to the knowledge of convinced her that he could have told her all that she ever did. If he has a divine knowledge, it must be omniscience. He told her that which none knew but God and her own conscience. Two things affected her:—First, the extent of his knowledge. We ourselves cannot tell all things that ever we did (many things pass unheeded, and more pass away and are forgotten); but Jesus Christ knows all the thoughts, words, and actions, of all the children of men; see Heb. 4:13. He hath said, I know thy works. Secondly, The power of his word. This made a great impression upon her, that he told her her secret sins with such an unaccountable power and energy that, being told of one, she is convinced of all, and judged of all. She does not say, “Come, see a man that has told me strange things concerning religious worship, and the laws of it, that has decided the controversy between this mountain and Jerusalem, a man that calls himself the Messias;” but, “Come see a man that has told me of my sins.” She fastens upon that part of Christ’s discourse which one would think she would have been most shy of repeating; but experimental proofs of the power of Christ’s word and Spirit are of all others the most cogent and convincing; and that knowledge of Christ into which we are led by the conviction of sin and humiliation is most likely to be sound and saving. [2.] She invites them to come and see him of whom she had conceived so high an opinion. Not barely, “Come and look upon him” (she does not invite them to him as a show), but, “Come and converse with him; come and hear his wisdom, as I have done, and you will be of my mind.” She would not undertake to manage the arguments which had convinced her, in such a manner as to convince others; all that see the evidence of truth themselves are not able to make others see it; but, “Come, and talk with him, and you will find such a power in his word as far exceeds all other evidence.” Note, Those who can do little else towards the conviction and conversion of others may and should bring them to those means of grace which they themselves have found effectual. Jesus was now at the town’s end. “Now come see him.” When opportunities of getting the knowledge of God are brought to our doors we are inexcusable if we neglect them; shall we not go over the threshold to see him whose day prophets and kings desired to see? [3.] She resolves to appeal to themselves, and their own sentiments upon the trial. Is not this the Christ? She does not peremptorily say, “He is the Messiah,” how clear soever she was in her own mind, and yet she very prudently mentions the Messiah, of whom otherwise they would not have thought, and then refers it to themselves; she will not impose her faith upon them, but only propose it to them. By such fair but forcible appeals as these men’s judgments and consciences are sometimes taken hold of ere they are aware.

the Lord Jesus -

v34 do the will of God as his food

v34 finish the work of God as his food . Jesus was saying that the most satisfying thing for him, his ‘food and drink’ as it were, was doing his Father’s will and completing his work. Satisfaction for us, as for Jesus, comes more from pursuing the will of God than from meeting our various physical needs (important as they are

Satisfaction for us, as for Jesus, comes more from pursuing the will of God than from meeting our various physical needs (important as they are

Kruse, C. G. (2003). John: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 4, p. 140). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.Satisfaction for us, as for Jesus, comes more from pursuing the will of God than from meeting our various physical needs (important as they are

Jesus, though doubtless still thirsty (v. 7) and probably hungry, is apparently dwelling on the conversation he has just had with the Samaritan woman

Kruse, C. G. (2003). John: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 4, p. 140). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Jesus, though doubtless still thirsty (v. 7) and probably hungry, is apparently dwelling on the conversation he has just had with the Samaritan woman

Jesus’ attitude to women was different from that of his disciples. He initiated a long and meaningful conversation with the Samaritan woman in public, unconcerned about other people’s prejudices. He reached out to everyone, be it the one with high social status or the one who is publicly despised. in the previous chapter, he has a conversaton with Nicodemus, a Jewish male, a highly learned teacher, a Pharisee scrupulous in his adherence to all the tenets of the law, and as a member of the Sanhedrin a person of considerable public repute and authority. His new conversation partner by contrast is a Samaritan female, illiterate (necessarily so since women were shut out from educational opportunities), with a lifestyle in flagrant contradiction to the law, and therefore publicly despised and ostracized. Yet, ‘both needed Jesus’.

The popular portrait of the woman in as a woman of dubious morals, guilty of aberrant sexual behavior, derives from a misreading of . In these verses, the Samaritan woman tells Jesus she has no husband (4:17). Jesus responds to the woman’s words by telling her the story of her life (4:18). The text does not say, as most interpreters automatically assume, that the woman has been divorced five times but that she has had five husbands. There are many possible reasons for the woman’s marital history, and one should be leery of the dominant explanation of moral laxity. Perhaps the woman, like Tamar in , is trapped in the custom of levirate marriage and the last male in the family line has refused to marry her. Significantly, the reasons for the woman’s marital history intrigue commentators but do not seem to concern Jesus. Nor does Jesus pass moral judgment on the woman because of her marital history and status. we should not be judgemental as well.

O’Day, G. R. (2012). Gospel of John. In C. A. Newsom, J. E. Lapsley, & S. H. Ringe (Eds.), Women’s Bible Commentary (Revised and Updated, p. 521). Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

What is also striking about the two dialogues is Jesus’ remarkable ability to be ‘at home’ with each (both Nicodemus and Samaritan woman) and to present the good news of salvation meaningfully and attractively to them, through the topic that is relevant to them. for the woman, Jesus used the water. Jesus’ request was a simple and sincere one; he was thirsty (7). Not for the first time Jesus’ point of contact with a ‘seeker’ was a confession of personal need (cf. ; ). The living water which Jesus holds out to the woman was a particularly vivid image in an arid country like Palestine.

What is also striking about the two dialogues is Jesus’ remarkable ability to be ‘at home’ with each and to present the good news of salvation meaningfully and attractively to them

Milne, B. (1993). The message of John: here is your king!: with study guide (p. 83). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Jesus’ request was a simple and sincere one; he was thirsty (7). Not for the first time Jesus’ point of contact with a ‘seeker’ was a confession of personal need (cf. ; ). The living water which Jesus holds out to the woman was a particularly vivid image in an arid country like Palestine

Jesus, meanwhile, shares with the disciples some basic realities of his mission. He talks about its essential character (34) as an act of obedience, the doing and completing of all the Father had called him to do. He speaks of the consuming satisfaction of his mission (34). The service of the kingdom is like a food which sustains and fulfils. He observes his mission’s urgent opportunity (35–36)

Our Lord did not look on the Father’s will as a heavy burden or a distasteful task. He viewed His work as the very nourishment of His soul. Doing the Father’s will fed Him and satisfied Him inwardly. “I delight to do Thy will, O my God; yea, Thy Law is within my heart” (). The Samaritan woman was now doing the Father’s will and finding excitement and enrichment in it.

Christ’s discourse with his disciples while the woman was absent, v. 31–38. See how industrious our Lord Jesus was to redeem time, to husband every minute of it, and to fill up the vacancies of it. When the disciples were gone into the town, his discourse with the woman was edifying, and suited to her case; when she was gone into the town, his discourse with them was no less edifying, and suited to their case; it were well if we could thus gather up the fragments of time, that none of it may be lost. Two things are observable in this discourse:—

1. How Christ expresses the delight which he himself had in his work. His work was to seek and save that which was lost, to go about doing good. Now with this work we here find him wholly taken up. For,

(1.) He neglected his meat and drink for his work. When he sat down upon the well, he was weary, and needed refreshment; but this opportunity of saving souls made him forget his weariness and hunger. And he minded his food so little that, [1.] His disciples were forced to invite him to it: They prayed him, they pressed him, saying, Master, eat. It was an instance of their love to him that they invited him, lest he should be faint and sick for want of some support; but it was a greater instance of his love to souls that he needed invitation. Let us learn hence a holy indifference even to the needful supports of life, in comparison with spiritual things. [2.] He minded it so little that they suspected he had had meat brought him in their absence (v. 33): Has any man brought him aught to eat? He had so little appetite for his dinner that they were ready to think he had dined already. Those that make religion their business will, when any of its affairs are to be attended, prefer them before their food; as Abraham’s servant, that would not eat till he had told his errand (Gen. 24:33), and Samuel, that would not sit down till David was anointed, 1 Sa. 16:11.

(2.) He made his work his meat and drink. The work he had to do among the Samaritans, the prospect he now had of doing good to many, this was meat and drink to him; it was the greatest pleasure and satisfaction imaginable. Never did a hungry man, or an epicure, expect a plentiful feast with so much desire, nor feed upon its dainties with so much delight, as our Lord Jesus expected and improved an opportunity of doing good to souls. Concerning this he saith, [1.] That it was such meat as the disciples knew not of. They did not imagine that he had any design or prospect of planting his gospel among the Samaritans; this was a piece of usefulness they never thought of. Note, Christ by his gospel and Spirit does more good to the souls of men than his own disciples know of or expect. This may be said of good Christians too, who live by faith, that they have meat to eat which others know not of, joy with which a stranger does not intermeddle. Now this word made them ask, Has any man brought him aught to eat? so apt were even his own disciples to understand him after a corporal and carnal manner when he used similitudes. [2.] That the reason why his work was his meat and drink was because it was his Father’s work, his Father’s will: My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, v. 34. Note, First, The salvation of sinners is the will of God, and the instruction of them in order thereunto is his work. See 1 Tim. 2:4. There is a chosen remnant whose salvation is in a particular manner his will. Secondly, Christ was sent into the world on this errand, to bring people to God, to know him and to be happy in him. Thirdly, He made this work his business and delight. When his body needed food, his mind was so taken up with this that he forgot both hunger and thirst, both meat and drink. Nothing could be more grateful to him than doing good; when he was invited to meat he went, that he might do good, for that was his meat always. Fourthly, He was not only ready upon all occasions to go to his work, but he was earnest and in care to go through it, and to finish his work in all the parts of it. He resolved never to quit it, nor lay it down, till he could say, It is finished. Many have zeal to carry them out at first, but not zeal to carry them on to the last; but our Lord Jesus was intent upon finishing his work. Our Master has herein left us an example, that we may learn to do the will of God as he did; 1. With diligence and close application, as those that make a business of it. 2. With delight and pleasure in it, as in our element. 3. With constancy and perseverance; not only minding to do, but aiming to finish, our work.

2. See here how Christ, having expressed his delight in his work, excites his disciples to diligence in their work; they were workers with him, and therefore should be workers like him, and make their work their meat, as he did. The work they had to do was to preach the gospel, and to set up the kingdom of the Messiah

Milne, B. (1993). The message of John: here is your king!: with study guide (p. 84). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Conclusion

To be a chartered certified christian, u have to be a either a sower or a harvester.

Milne, B. (1993). The message of John: here is your king!: with study guide (p. 83). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

v36 we can be either the sower or the reaper. Both get wage and be glad. Competitiveness is not to be tolerated in the service of God. we run Alpha at three different places, not to compete, but to reap more.

reap what others have sowed, sow so that others might reap. Harvesttime in the ancient world was a time of joy (, ; ). There is also great joy at the time of salvation (cf. , , ). The disciples had the greater joy of seeing the completion of the process (). A sower has a harder time because he sees no immediate fulfillment. But do not give up, we might be the sower, not the reaper

v39-41 both our testimonies and God’s word save . today, they know God through your story; tomorrow, they know God through God’s story. Jesus refers to the necessary partnership of his mission: One sows and another reaps (37). Jesus is probably thinking specifically of John the Baptist, who had ministered recently in this area (3:23). His point is that there is a partnership in mission; none is sufficient to him or herself; we need each other; it is the church that can reach the world.

The witness of the woman led to the Samaritans’ personal confrontation with Jesus. He stayed with them two days. The word “stayed” (from menō, “to remain, to abide”) is a favorite Johannine theological term (cf. 3:36; 6:56; 15:4; etc.; and comments on 1:38). Because of His words many more became believers. “Words” is singular in Greek (“His word”). His message was the cause of their faith. Personal testimony plus the message of Jesus is still God’s means of salvation. our role is to bring them nearer to the word.

Jesus refers to the necessary partnership of his mission: One sows and another reaps (37). Jesus is probably thinking specifically of John the Baptist, who had ministered recently in this area (3:23). His point is that there is a partnership in mission; none is sufficient to him or herself; we need each other; it is the church that can reach the world.

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