John 4:31-38

John 4:31-38

In the meantime, His disciples were asking Him while saying, “Rabbi, eat.”  And He said to them, “I have food to eat about which you have not known.”  Therefore the disciples were saying to one another, “Surely nobody brought something for Him to eat?”  Jesus says to them, “My food is in order that I should do the will of the one who sent me and that I should bring His work to completion.  Do you all not say that ‘it is four months even until the harvest comes?’  Behold, I say to you all, lift up your eyes and observe the fields since they are white for harvest.  Already the one who reaps receives wages and he is gathering fruit into eternal life in order that the one who sows and the one who reaps should rejoice together.  In this the saying is true that one is the one who sows and another is the one who reaps.  I sent you all to reap that for which you all had not labored.  Others have labored and you all have come into their labor.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus teaches His disciples the difference between physical nourishment and spiritual nourishment – even if they don’t understand Him at first.  Jesus teaches them that what really feeds Him is to do the will of the Father and to bring to completion the work that He was sent to accomplish.  This is a fairly profound thought.  I’m willing to bet that most of us think of eating with happy thoughts.  We have favorite foods.  We have comfort foods.  But I wonder how many of us think about God’s work in the same way?  I’m sure that I can say that on many occasions I’m not overjoyed to do the work that He has set before me.  Sometimes the work is tough and not all that enjoyable.  That is definitely true for Christ as He looks toward the cross and His death – bringing His work to completion.  Yet even the tough work feeds Him.

Are you fed by anything in God’s kingdom?  Are you fed more by the easy tasks or the difficult ones?  Why do you think this is so?  Why do we often think about being spiritually fed when others teach us (consumers) instead of being fed by what God has called us to do (producers)?  Are you a consumer or a producer?

Second Thought:

Jesus then talks about the harvest.  Jesus knows the condition of the world.  He knows our human focus on sin.  He also knows that there are people who are frustrated with the human condition and who are looking for something else.  He knows that there are people in the world who will receive salvation and respond to God’s call.  He knows all of these things even before His disciples are truly ready to make disciples themselves.  The disciples may not be ready to harvest – hence the comment about “four months” – but Jesus is saying that the harvest is still ready.

What does the harvest look like around you?  Do you think that you are ready to harvest – that is, to make disciples?  If not, what needs to happen so that you are ready?

Third Thought:

Finally, Jesus talks about sowers and reapers.  The truth is that often the one who sows does not reap.  Especially in today’s world where it is easy to move from one locale to another, we often find ourselves in a position of sowing into someone who goes elsewhere for another to reap.  But we also find ourselves in a position of reaping what others have sown.  This is a natural reality that we find in the work of God.  We should be happy to sow even if we do not reap, because it is the work of God.  We should be happy to reap, not because it is more satisfying but because it is the work of God.

When have you been able to sow?  When have you been able to reap?  Who has sown into your life without seeing the fruit of their sowing?  Who has been able to reap out of your life without being a part of the sowing?  How do you feel about this line of thinking?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 4:39-42