Get Ready To Garden - June 4

Read John 4:35-38

“Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

Reflect

How is evangelizing, or sharing your faith, like gardening?

I planted my first big vegetable garden this season. In the spring, I borrowed a tiller from a friend and plowed up a big patch in the backyard. Then, I invested in some good garden soil and several packets of seeds. The kids helped me spread the soil and dig rows for the seeds and cover them up. We planted sweet corn, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, green beans, and pumpkins.

Well, this year ended up being a good learning year. I learned that I didn’t do enough to prevent the weeds from springing up and they quickly got out of control! Because of this, while we had some success, we didn’t have nearly the harvest we could have had. Especially the pumpkins. Some of the weeds grew so tall they blocked the sun and stole a lot of water and nutrients from the pumpkins. Next year, if I want a better harvest, I’m going to have to be a better gardener.

In today’s passage, Jesus compared evangelism to agriculture. Spiritually speaking, harvesting means winning lost souls for Christ. When we share our faith, this is, of course, what we are all hoping for. I want to tell someone about Jesus and have them place their faith in Him immediately right on the spot. And sometimes, the field of someone’s heart is ripe for the harvest. They are ready to accept Christ right away.

In this instance, Jesus had been speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus’ disciples had been in town to buy food and when they returned, they found Him speaking with her. After her encounter with Jesus, she put her faith in Him and immediately went back into town to evangelize!

That’s when Jesus told His disciples to lift up their eyes! The fields were ready to harvest. Many Samaritans who had heard the woman’s testimony came out to meet Him to hear for themselves and many placed their faith in Him right then and there (John 4:39).

Dr. Wiersbe commented on this passage: “The disciples were learning a valuable lesson that would encourage them in the years to come. They were not alone in the work of the Lord, and they must never look on any opportunity for witness as wasted time and energy. It takes faith to plow the soil and plant the seed, but God has promised a harvest (Ps. 126:5-6); Gal. 6:9). In a few years, Peter and John would participate in another harvest among the Samaritans (Acts 8:5-25). Those who sow may not see the harvest, but those who reap will see it and give thanks for the faithful labors of the sowers” (The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, New Testament).

You see, sometimes, the fields are ripe for the harvest. We share our faith and someone accepts Christ right away! Praise God! But other times, we are just planting the first initial seeds in someone’s heart and mind. Or, we are watering the seeds that someone else planted or pulling out the weeds threatening to choke them out.

But, we are all called to participate in evangelism. Not all of us can be reapers all the time. In his book Tactics, Greg Koukl wrote: “Jesus himself talked about seasons of sowing that precede seasons of reaping. Before someone ever comes to Christ, there is always a period of time—a season, if you will—when they are thinking about the gospel, mulling it over, wondering whether it might be true…When I talk with people about spiritual matters, I’m not looking to close the deal with them. I’m just looking to do a little gardening in their lives. That’s all. I want to get them thinking. If I can do that, then I’m satisfied, since I know they are ultimately in God’s hands.”

God is the “Lord of the harvest” (Matthew 9:38) so the success of our gardening ultimately belongs to Him. Still, we are called to be faithful workers. Sometimes we till the dirt, sometimes we sow seeds, sometimes we water or weed, and sometimes we have the honor of reaping. But whenever a lost soul comes to Christ, all of us rejoice together!

Respond

Lord, thank You for the honor and privilege of participating in Your work. Help me to be a better gardener. Remind me that no opportunity for witness is ever wasted time or energy even if I never see the fruit of my labor. Use me however you see fit to grow Your kingdom. Amen.

Reveal

This week, spend some time in conversation with someone who isn’t a Christian. Ask friendly questions about what they do believe. Remember, you don’t have to worry about closing the deal, just try to form a better relationship with them and get them thinking about spiritual matters. Show them that you have an interest in them and in talking about these things with them.