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The Fields Are White: Training Disciples
John 4:27-42
Introduction: John has a twofold purpose in his gospel: (1) to present Jesus as the Son of God causing people to believe and continue to believe (true discipleship), and (2) to “give them life in his name” (John 20:30-31). The story of the woman at the well at Sychar has both of these ingredients. In this text we see both the woman and the city coming to faith in Jesus, but more importantly John uses a significant amount of text showing Jesus training his disciples.
Simply notice the words in verse 27, “They marveled that he was talking with a woman.” With this statement, John introduces what it means to truly be a disciple.
- Rabbi, Eat!
- It is so interesting to picture this particular afternoon. Jesus and his disciples arrived at Jacob’s well outside of Sychar after walking about 15 miles. They were all tired and hungry and Jesus sat down by the well as the disciples hurried into the town to buy food. As Jesus waited, a woman came to the well at midday so as to avoid the general populace. This woman was far from righteous, having an openly immoral lifestyle, and may not have been concerned about a Jewish traveler resting nearby.
- But when Jesus broke the silence and spoke to her, it was startling. I can hear her voice, somewhat direct, fearful, and off-putting: Why do you a Jew, ask a drink from me, a woman of Samaria? We have talked about the rest of the story, Jesus’ offer of living water, exposure of her sinful life, discussion about true worship, and finally admission that he is the Messiah.
- The picture of Jesus and the woman is interesting enough, but just as the conversation is winding down, the disciples return. Can’t you just see their astonished look as they exchange glances of bewilderment? Then immediately the woman left her water pot and went into the city. As she disappears, it is evident that Jesus is thinking about what was going to happen next. He would have been able to picture her in the city excitedly sharing her news and inviting the people to come and see the one she believed was the Messiah. The harvest had come and this was his purpose.
- But suddenly, breaking into his deep thought are the words of the disciples as they opened their bags of food, “Rabbi, eat!” But Jesus waves them off. “I have food to eat that you do not know about.”
- There are two contrasting pictures here. There is the material and secular and there is the spiritual and heavenly and both come from unexpected sources.
- First, there is an excited, happy woman who has realized she has found true life and is so preoccupied with that fact she forgets all about the water she came to collect and even leaves her water pot. At first, she thought only of physical water, but now cares only of the living water.
- Then there are the disciples of Jesus who are astonished that he is talking to a woman, thinking only of the material realm and unconcerned about her spiritual needs. The woman is gone, now let’s get back to the business of “real life” and eat lunch.
- The disciples have made a crucial mistake that happens to all of us. They have compartmentalized their life. The disciples clearly had their “spiritual” occasions, times in which they wanted to know more about deep theological questions and even times when they recognized the importance of teaching people. We also have those “times.” But as they traveled through Samaria, they obviously took a break from spiritual time and were in personal time. “After all, we aren’t in Samaria to teach people; we know that no one here would be interested.” In the meantime, they blocked out the working-for-the Lord part of their life. Do you relate to that? We all do, don’t we?
- “I Have Food to Eat You Do Not Know About”
- The emphasis in the Greek is on the “I” and “you.” Thus, I have something that you do not have. Jesus could have said, “I’ll have something to eat in a moment; I have some things to think about right now.” Instead, he challenges them to think about what he has that they do not have, to think like he is thinking and be filled with the “food” he is filled with.
- Just think what should have happened. What if the disciples had arrived on the scene as the woman was leaving and excitedly asked Jesus if he had been able to teach her? And with that, even rejoiced over the prospect of what was about to happen as she entered the city? That would have been spiritual thinking. But no, they ignore whatever has taken place between Jesus and the woman. Jesus knew that this kind of mentality must change if the kingdom message was going to grow.
- Do you remember Jesus’ words in Matt. 6:33? “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…” The kingdom of God is the kingship or reign of God. Earlier in the same text Jesus prayed, “Your kingdom come,” he was praying for the kingship of God to come into the hearts of men. This is what we are to “seek first” and this is what we are to pray for. But the disciples were not thinking this way, and so often, neither are we.
- “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”
- First consider that when Jesus came to this well “he was wearied from his journey,” he was thirsty and hungry. But he became so engrossed in the spiritual welfare of the woman and the people in the town of Sychar that he does not want to ruin the moment by eating!
- So what is the “food” that he is eating that they do not know about? When we think of eating spiritual food, what do we think about? We think about reading the scriptures and nourishing our spirits with word of God. While that is true, the spiritual food Jesus talks about is to do the will of the Father and accomplish his work.
- Charles Spurgeon, famous Baptist preacher of the 1800’s, said this in a sermon on this verse:
Some of you good people, who do nothing except go to public meetings, the Bible readings, and prophetic conferences, and other forms of spiritual dissipation, would be a good deal better Christians if you would … just tuck up your sleeves for work, and go and tell the gospel to dying men, you would find your spiritual health mightily restored, for very much of the sickness of Christians comes through their having nothing to do. All feeding and no working makes men spiritual dyspeptics. Be idle, careless, with nothing to live for, nothing to care for, no sinner to pray for, no backslider to lead back to the cross, no trembler to encourage, no little child to tell of a Savior, no grey-headed man to enlighten in the things of God, no object, in fact, to live for; and who wonders if you begin to groan, and to murmur, and to look within, until you are ready to die of despair?” - In other words, our spiritual sustenance does not only come from feeding on God’s word, but by actually serving Christ by caring about the spiritual well-being of others.
- Think also about this word “will.” “My food is to do the will of the Father.” This causes us to ask the question, “Where is my will? Where is my food?” This is where we should find our greatest necessity of growth: the denial of our desires for earthly food so that we can pursue the food of the Father’s will. Think about that word. It is not I should do the will of the Father or I need to do the will of the Father, it is the Father’s will is my food.
- “Accomplish his work” – If there is any doubt that Jesus is urging us to follow his desires and example of accomplishing the work of God, consider: The parables of the Laborers in the Vineyard and The Parable of the Tenants, the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, and Lost Sons.
- “Lift Up Your eyes, the Fields Are White for Harvest” (35-38)
- Jesus’ words, “There are yet four months…” indicates the seasonal nature of a literal harvest. But in the spiritual world, there is always a harvest. I remember when churches would do a “six-week” evangelism push. It always failed, which convinced people that trying to teach others would never work. But the work of saving others is only successful if it is always pursued. The work has a cumulative effect. As more and more hear, opportunities grow.
- Further, Jesus has proclaimed an urgency. The harvest is now, which means we cannot say we will get around to doing that later.
- Notice that there are also sowers and reapers. No one person does it all, nor does the sowing and reaping happen all at once. Verses 37-38 “One sows and another reaps. I sent you to reap for which you did not labor.” Never think that a positive response to the gospel must be immediate. You may sow what someone else will reap or you reap what someone else has sown.
- “The fields are white…” How often do we think the harvest is small, the opportunities are few? No, the fields are white; we simply are not lifting up our eyes; we are blind to the opportunities. I hear Christians say that people just aren’t interested any more. I’ve been hearing that all my life and I simply don’t believe it. There is still a harvest. If there weren’t, the end would have come.
- Finally, notice that the sowers and reapers rejoice together. That tells us something about where our heart is. In the Parable of Lost Things everyone rejoiced! Is that where our heart is?
Conclusion: Jesus has been training the disciples. John wrote it for us. “Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life.” I can’t help but think that Jesus is referring to the woman who was in the town “reaping” what Jesus had sown. Jesus had been the sower and she was now the reaper, and both would rejoice together. That was his call to the disciples. Join the harvest: “I sent you to reap.” And that is still the call of Jesus today. How is your “discipleship training going?”
Berry Kercheville