The Disciples (4:31–38)

The Disciples (4:31–38)

The disciples were surprised to see Jesus talking to a woman, especially a Samaritan, when they got back from getting food. They didn't say anything, though. They were beginning to realize that their Master didn't need their advice because He knew what He was doing. But after the woman left, they told Jesus to eat with them because they knew He was hungry.

His answer was, "I have food to eat that you don't know about," and as usual, they didn't get it. They thought He was talking about real food and were curious about where He got it. Then He said that doing the Father's will, which in this case meant leading the woman to salvation, was what really fed His soul. The disciples were happy with bread, but He was happy with doing the work of the Father.

Our Lord did not see the Father's will as a heavy burden or an unpleasant job. He considered His work to be the food for His soul. Doing what the Father wanted made Him feel fulfilled inside and fed Him. "I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart." (Ps. 40:8). The Samaritan woman was now doing what the Father wanted and enjoying it.

After that, Jesus changed the picture from food to the harvest, which is where the food comes from. He said the well-known Jewish saying about waiting for the harvest, and then he pointed to the villagers who were even then coming out to meet Him at the well, thanks to the woman's testimony. The disciples went to the village to get food for themselves, but they didn't spread the word about Jesus. The woman took their place!

The image of the harvest is common in the Bible. It is often used to describe the work of bringing lost souls to Christ. The parable of the sower and the parable of the tares (Matt. 13:1–30) both deal with this idea, and Paul used it in his letters (Rom. 1:13; 1 Cor. 3:6–9; Gal. 6:9). We plant God's Word in the hearts of those who hear it and pray for that seed to grow with our love and prayers. That seed may bear fruit for the glory of God in due time.

The disciples probably said, "There can't be a harvest here!" as they got closer to the city of Sychar. These people hate us Jews and wouldn't care about what we have to say. But the opposite was true: the harvest was ready, and all it needed was honest workers to pick it. We often wrongly believe that it is always the wrong time and place to witness for Christ for some reason! We need to have faith to plant the seed, even when things don't look good. Take Ecclesiastes 11:4 to heart!

The Lord's harvest is not competitive. We all have a job to do, and we all help each other with our work (1 Cor. 3:6–9). One person plants, another person harvests, but each worker gets a fair reward for what they did.

John 4:38 says that other people worked in Samaria and got things ready for this harvest. We don't need to know who these faithful workers were because God will reward them. It's possible that some of these people had heard John the Baptist preach or that some of his followers had gotten into this hard field. Some archeologists have found "Aenon near Salim," where John baptized people (John 3:23), near the biblical Shechem, which is close to Sychar and Jacob's well. In that case, John the Baptist got the ground ready and planted the seed, and Jesus and the disciples picked the fruit. The woman herself planted some of the seed by talking to the men.

The disciples were learning something important that would help them in the future. They were not the only ones doing the work of the Lord, and they should never think that any chance to witness was a waste of time and energy. It takes faith to plow the ground and plant the seed, but God has promised a harvest (Ps. 126:5–6; Gal.
6:9). Peter and John would help with another harvest among the Samaritans in a few years (Acts 8:5–25). People who sow may not see the harvest, but people who reap will see it and thank the sowers for their hard work.

The Greek word that means "labor" in John 4:38 is translated as "wearied" in John 4:6. Sowing, cultivating, and harvesting are hard tasks, both physically and spiritually. Lazy people don't belong in the harvest. The work is too challenging, and there aren't enough workers.