It's Time To Reap The Harvest

It’s Time To Reap The Harvest

John 4:34-38

Pastor Greg Mc Donald

As we draw close to the end of this summer, we can see that the harvest time has come for the farmers. As we look at the farmers fields we see that most of the crops are ready for harvesting.

When we drive up and down the roads we can see people along the road sides selling corn. Just like the farmers need to go out and harvest their crops before they are damaged by the coming cold weather, the time has come for us as God’s worker’s to go out and gather the harvest.

If a farmer was to get lazy and let his crops go, they would die off and rot. He would miss out on his reward for the work he has done all spring and summer. The same principle applies to us as Christians. There are workers who have gone out and planted the seed’s and now the time has come for us to go out and reap the harvest.

This morning I would like to take a look at a scripture that talks about the harvest time. that scripture is found in John 4:34-38. But before we look at our main text for today, I want to share with you the event that took place up to this point.

In the beginning of chapter four Jesus had heard that the Pharisees had heard about him. You see at this point and time the Pharisees and the chief priests were very disturbed by the ministry of John the Baptist.

Crowds of people would flock around to hear him. John was telling them that One greater than himself is coming soon. So when the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was attracting even greater crowds they were upset even more.

Some might wonder how did the lord know what the religious leaders were thinking? Remember He was God in the flesh and he knew the thoughts of everyone heart. So of course knowing their thoughts, attitudes, and their jealousy Jesus decided to leave Judea and headed for Galilee.

Normally when this trip was made from Judea to Galilee, by the Jews but they would avoid Samaria. Even though going through was the shortest route for them to take, they despised the Samaritans ,So much that they would take the longer route, going through the Jordan River.

The Samaritans were despised by the Jews because of their mixed blood and their different worship, and because of this they were separate politically and religiously.

But Jesus was a different Jew. He had no hatred, no prejudice, or animosity toward any man, Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. And one of the points I feel he was showing his disciples was that God’s grace is for all who believe.

Charles Malik, Lebanese ambassador to the United Nations, asked in a speech: "What has been the greatest American contribution to the rest of the world? Has it been money? Has it been food? Has it been medical skill? Has it been military might?" Then he answered: "The greatest thing to come out of America has been American missionary effort: the quiet, selfless men and women who left the comfort and security of their homeland to bring the gospel of Christianity to less favored nations."

In verse four of the NIV it says "He had to go through Samaria." Jesus didn’t have to go though Samaria because it was shorter, but because there was a thirsty soul waiting to drink of the water of life, so Jesus carried the message of life to Samaritan woman.

Listen to what happened. It was at the sixth hour of the day and Jesus was tired from His journey, so he goes over and sets down by the well. While He was sitting there, a Samaritan woman came to draw water from the well.

Jesus knew all about this woman and he knew that the grace of God would fall upon her that day. One of the important things I believe that is important for us to recognize is, even though Jesus knew all about this woman, He did not start his conversation with her by rebuking or condemning her because of her ungodly living.

Jesus opened his conversation with her with just plain casual talk. He asked her to do him a favor, he said to her, "will you give me a drink?" With this request Jesus opened the door to a spiritual conversation which led to that woman’s conversion and a great revival among the Samaritans.

Without a doubt that woman was surprised that a Jew had spoken to her . Of course at the time she didn’t know who He was, just that he was a Jew and she was a Samaritan. At that time in history for a Jew to drink from a Samaritans vessel that Jew was considered unclean.