Steve Ellison: Disciples Harvest

  • Saturday, August 29, 2015
  • Steve Ellison

In the fourth chapter of the gospel of John, Jesus met a woman alone at Jacob’s well in Samaria. The woman was an outcast among her people because of her immorality.  While Jesus was talking with this woman, his disciples went into town to buy food. Jesus chose this woman to entrust the gospel to.  Jesus talked with her about her sin and told her in clear and unmistakable terms that He was the promised Messiah, the Christ. 

John 4:27-42 continues the story, "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?" 28 So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, 29 "Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?" 30 They went out of the city, 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 were saying to one another, "No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?" 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, 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.  36 "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.  37 "For in this case the saying is true, 'One sows and another reaps.'  38 "I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor." 39 From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman. (NASU)

Jesus is Lord of all.  The mountains are His.  The seas are His.  He owns the animals.  The stars and planets are His.  They are valuable in His sight but they have no need of redemption.  Certainly they are cursed because of our sin but they have no sin to be atoned for.   In verse 34, Jesus plainly states that His hunger is appeased by His work in seeking and saving the lost.  He is satisfied when He restores lost sinners to the intended relationship with Him.  As believers in Christ, as disciples of Christ, as Christians we ought to be satisfied with the same work.  Real disciples harvest.  They lead people to Christ.  They share the good news about forgiveness in Christ.  They introduce people to their new Friend.  The Samaritan woman did exactly that.

Verse 38 is a mighty sad verse.  Jesus told the disciples a blunt and painful truth.  These 12 men who had walked and talked with Jesus had failed.  These twelve men who had sat at the feet of the Master had missed the point.  These twelve men who knew the Messiah well had forfeited their privilege of serving.  Jesus went straight to the heart of the matter.  He told them that He had sent them into town to harvest a crop of souls and they returned empty-handed.  The woman was not released into town to witness of Christ until the disciples returned.  Verse 39 tells us that the woman harvested a mighty crop.  May God have mercy on us today who fail in exactly the same way as the disciples.

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pastorsteve8800@gmail.com

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