Sowers And Reapers:
John 4: 34-35, “Jesus said to the disciples, “My meat (food) is to do the will of Him (The Father) that sent me, and to finish His work. Say not you, there are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”
John 4:36-37-38, “And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labor = (have not labored:) other men labored, and ye are entered into their labors.”
Harvest refers to the season of reaping and the gathering of crops, the crops were corn and various grains. This is a proverbial expressions. It refers to the turning of the labors of others to our own profit. We reap what others have sown.
Matthew 25:24-26, Jesus said, “Then he (the servants) which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed (scattered seed) and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, thou wicked and slothful (lazy) servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strewed.”
Luke 19:20-21-22, Jesus said, “Another = (servants) came, saying Lord, behold here is your pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin (handkerchief); For I feared thee, because you art an austere (severe) man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he (the nobleman) saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere (severe) man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow.”
Compare the obvious differences in Job 31:8, with Micah 6:15,
Job 31:8, Job said, “Then let me sow, and let another eat.”
Micah 6:15, “Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.”
After the harvest of the righteous, we shall be rewarded according to our works.
Galatians 6:7, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
And in a similar sense;
2 Corinthians 9:6, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully (with blessings) shall reap also bountifully.”
Our lesson today is the same lesson Jesus taught His apostles. Let the salvation of all men lie nearer to your heart than life itself. Let your work; your food and drink; your prayers and thoughts, be directed to the accomplishment of the Fathers will: Do the work of salvation, in this lies eternal life.
We must be imitators of the Lord. People perish because of the lack knowledge and understanding. We have been given the keys of the Kingdom, the knowledge of God’s word, and the Holy Spirit Himself. With these we can be the ministers of God’s word, leading men to the knowledge, and understanding of Jesus Christ.
Some 2000 years have past since Christ died for us. In this time others have planted seeds here and another there. The fields are white now, ready for that great harvest.
In Israel, the harvest did not begin until after the Pass-over, which was on the 14th of Nisan (March). Sometimes this extended into April. First the harvest of barley, after the wheat. Why was this harvest to be finished by Pentecost?
In the feast that occurred on Pentecost, the first-fruits of all the harvest were carried to the temple, and waved before the Lord. See Leviticus 23:11. The first-fruits belong to the Lord.
Jesus said in John 4:35, “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields: for they are white already to harvest.”
Jesus spoke, four months before the harvest of barley and wheat. It is estimated the month was January, on or about the 13th. It has been calculated that the pass-over would fall on March 28, and Pentecost May 17th.
As He spoke, many Samaritan men and women came into the town led by the woman of Samaria, she having received the light of the gospel from Jesus at the well.
Jesus knew that Gentiles would be brought into His fold, He comparing them to a field of wheat, a field ready for the harvest.
Jesus is that heavenly sower and reaper of the seed that had been sown. His wages, the gratification of saving men’s souls. The sower and the reaper are the same man, Jesus Christ. He saw both the seed time and the harvest time in the same day.
Verse 37, “Herein is that saying true, one soweth, and another reapeth.”
Jesus explains to us, I send you to reap, to preach my gospel, go, and gain converts. Go to places where you have not labored. Go now where the patriarch and prophets of old had labored, than will you have entered into the fruits of their labor. These same prophets in times past had announced the coming of Messiah as did the apostles and saints after them.
The announcement was sown in tears. They cried out, we have labored in vain. Yet we the apostles and saints after us reap in joy, saying, Thanks be to God, who always causes us to triumph.
We know this to be true, because the Samaritan women said to Jesus at the well, “We know that Messiahs cometh.” The woman was not a Jew, yet knew of Messiah’s coming. From those who had labored before us comes much good fruit this until Christ’s return.
The people of the land were excited, and longed for His appearing. We are to shout from the highest mountains, God has visited His people; He came to seek and to save the lost.
Matthew 9:37, “Then saith He = (Jesus) unto His disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few.”
When-ever the word harvest implies a cutting down, or one to be destroyed, it speaks of the tares and the thorns that were planted among the good seed.
Jeremiah 12:13, “They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: that they shall be ashamed of your revenues = (harvest) because of the fierce anger of the LORD.”
Revelation 14:15-16, “And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.”
Joel 3:13, “Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great.”
When the Lord returns for His bride will He find you filled with the Holy Spirit, or with the spirit of anti-christ? When He cries out, “Come up out of your graves, come up from your places of work, from your homes, from your earthly life, come and live with me forever, will you be ready?
Phillip LaSpino www.seekfirstwisdom.com