The Field Are Ripe All Around Us

Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. John 4:35

When I was growing up, I didn’t think much about living in a farming community. I watched the annual cycle of planting, nurturing, and harvesting crops every year, but took it all for granted. Now I find joy in watching the fallow fields of winter develop into the budding fields of spring. Then I watch the growth of the crops as they grow and ripen. I judge every field of corn, asking myself, “Will it be knee high by the fourth of July?” Then I watch with awe when the combine lumbers through the fields. How does a whole stalk of corn go in the front of the combine and spit out just the kernels?

As harvest season approaches, I thought this might be a good time to discuss the harvest of the fields of souls that God has instructed us to gather. We might think it is a waste of time to share the gospel in our 21^st-century world of skeptics and the multitudes hostile to organized religion. However, the innate need for something greater than ourselves still drives us to seek to fill the God shaped void we all have.

Our passage today begins right after the well-known story of the woman at the well. When the disciples returned from buying food, they wondered why Jesus would speak to a Samaritan woman; in fact, he was not there for her. The Messiah came to lead the Jews to victory, not to build bridges with the Gentiles and Samaritans. They could not fathom the idea of people other than Jews being important to God.

         Things haven’t changed much since Jesus told His disciples two thousand years ago that, “Vast fields are ripening all around us and are ready now for the harvest” (John 4:35). All around us, people are pondering the question of God.  Some will come into church in search of answers, while others will look in places that promise answers but are merely seeking to manipulate and use people for their purposes. And still others have no idea where to turn.  There was a time when most people in America grew up in the church.  Even if they were not regular attenders, they at least knew the basics of Christianity. Now, there is a whole generation, perhaps two, that has not set foot in a church and doesn’t know the first thing about Christ, but they still sense that something is missing in their lives. 

         This passage takes place in Samaria, with the conversation between Jesus and the disciples happening while the woman at the well returns to the city to tell others about Jesus. Samaria was not a place where His disciples wanted to spend their time; yet, this is when Jesus tells them that the harvest is ripe. In verse 40, John writes, “When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay at their village. So, he stayed for two days, long enough for many of them to hear his message and believe.” (John 4:40) Given the history between the Jews and the Samaritans, I don’t believe the disciples would have considered these people worth their time if Jesus hadn’t willingly stayed and shared God’s hope with the villagers. And yet, they were much more responsive to the message than the Jews were. I can’t think of any Jewish village that asked Jesus to stay with them for a few days.

         Because the Samaritans were a mixed-race people who had rejected many Jewish teachings and practices, the disciples assumed they would not be receptive to teachings from the Messiah.  Sometimes we get caught up in that same way of thinking, believing that because the people are not coming into church, it means they are not interested in hearing about Jesus, but that isn’t true.  Many seek “the living water” that Jesus told the Samaritan woman about, but perhaps, like her, no longer believe it is something they deserve.  Or maybe they don’t know they are lost.

         John writes of Jesus’ teachings about the Holy Spirit, “But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and none of you has asked me where I am going.  Instead, you are very sad.  But it is actually best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Counselor won’t come.  If I do go away, he will come because I will send him to you.  And when he comes, he will convince the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.” (John 16:5-8)

         The Holy Spirit’s role today is the same as Jesus’ role in the first century. He is sowing the seed.  But as we all know, that is not enough to put bread on the table.  If the plant is not harvested, it will rot in the field and be of no use to anyone.  As people discover their need for someone or something beyond themselves, they will need someone to guide them to the answers.  That is what Jesus called His disciples to do then and what we are called to do now.

         If there weren’t such an innate desire in people to find that which offers satisfaction, then cults would not have the significant followings they do, and commercials wouldn’t be able to sell much of anything.  And the people around each of us are no different; every one of them, whether they will admit it or not, is seeking that which is missing in their lives.  We can’t excuse ourselves from witnessing because people don’t seem to be ready to believe. Jesus makes it clear here that there is a continual harvest all around us just waiting to be reaped.  But while the thought of evangelism seems scary to most people, including myself, Jesus promises that great “joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike”(John 4:36b)

         So, how do we harvest those around us?  That’s a tough question that I have spent a lot of time considering.  I don’t think there is any one way that works for everyone.  Probably, if every person shared how and why they came to know Jesus, each story would be a little different.  However, I believe some tried-and-true methods worked for Jesus and will work for us as well.

         We must be available to those seeking us; we must meet them where they are and share with them what we know about eternal life. Thirdly, we must try to love each person as God loves them. But most importantly, I believe we must spend time in prayer for others, asking God to convict them and open their hearts to His teaching. 

         Jim Cymbala, author of Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, suggests that the size of a church's prayer group can be used as a gauge for its strength. In my Evangelism class in seminary, I learned that there is a clear link between prayer and effective evangelism. For prayer to be most effective, it must be a priority and have a clear purpose.

         Paul told Timothy, “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people.  As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks.  Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity.  This is good and pleases God our Savior, for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” (1 Tim. 2:1-4)

            We must be intentional in our prayers; we must ask God for the wisdom to know whom to pray for. We should pray for any seekers who come to our church, and we should pray for both those who hinder evangelism and those who further it.

         There are several ways to pray intentionally for a harvest of souls. One method I use is setting my phone alarm for noon every day. When it rings, I pray that God will guide us to people who are seeking Him.

         Shortly after Dallas Seminary was founded in 1924, it faced bankruptcy.  All the creditors were going to foreclose at noon on a particular day.  That morning, the school's founders met in the president’s office to pray that God would provide.  In that prayer meeting was Harry Ironside.  When it was his turn to pray, he prayed in his characteristically refreshing manner: “Lord, we know that the cattle on a thousand hills are thine.  Please sell some of them and send us the money.

         While they were praying, a tall Texan came into the business office and said, “I just sold two carloads of cattle in Fort Worth.  I’ve been trying to finalize a business deal, but it’s not working out, and I feel that God is prompting me to donate this money to the Seminary.  I don’t know if you need it or not, but here’s the check.”

         A secretary took the check, knowing something of the financial seriousness of the hour, went to the door of the prayer meeting, and timidly tapped.  When she finally got a response, Dr. Lewis Chafer took the check out of her hand, and it was for the exact amount of the debt.  When he looked at the signature, he recognized the name of the cattle rancher.  Turning to Dr. Ironside, he said, “Harry, God sold the cattle!”

         God answers prayers.  He answered the prayers at Dallas Seminary, and He will answer our prayers here.  If we begin with prayer…I believe we bring hope to the lost…and as Jesus said, the joy will be felt by both the one who sows and the harvester.