John 4:36-38
36Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. 38I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."
INTRODUCTION
Jesus taught the disciples some important principles of evangelism after sharing with the Samaritan Woman. He taught them about the urgency to reap the harvest, the reward of evangelism and working as a team.
THE SOWER AND REAPER ARE NECESSARY
36Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. John 4:36-37
Jesus used a farming illustration to explain to the disciples the urgency of reaping in the harvest. The farmer is already collecting his wages for reaping the harvest (John 4:36). The crop of the harvest is not wheat but eternal life. He wanted the disciples to know the harvest is here.
Further, Jesus explained to the disciples that the function of Sowers and Reapers are equally important. They each enjoy the rewards of their labor. At times, we only sow seeds in people lives other times we get to reap the harvest because someone has sown the seeds.
One of the blessings in sharing the gospel is seeing people turning to God and receiving eternal life. Let us work together as a team in the local church to harvest a crop for eternal life.
THE HARD WORK ARE DONE
38I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."John 4:38
Jesus explained to the disciples about the sowing done by people like John the Baptist and the Old Testament prophets about Himself. There are over 300 prophecies written about Christ in the Old Testament.
Jesus encouraged the disciples to be reapers and not just sowers because others have done the sowing in the past. Whenever I go and share the gospel at the university or in the shopping Mall, people often tell me that they have heard the gospel before.
I thank God for the Christian influences in our society particularly in the western world. These Christian influences make sharing the gospel much easier because we may not need to explain the existence of God. Thus, I often pray for God to send me people who have heard about Christ. These need only a little encouragement before they receive Christ.
CONCLUSION
The outcome of evangelism is witnessing people receiving Christ and becoming disciples. We need to work together to achieve this outcome. We have been called to be both Sowers and Reapers in the harvest field. We need to sow the Word of God and be ready to reap because others have done the sowing.
Share your experiences of sowing and reaping in evangelism?
How many time you heard about Christ before receiving Christ?
