OPEN YOUR EYES
John 4:27-38
Key Verse 35
Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.
Introduction
After one and a half year pandemic lockdown, college and university campuses will have in person classes from this coming fall semester. As we pray as harvester workers according to our Lord Jesus Christ, we would like to follow His example in terms of His spiritual view and prayer topic. May the Lord help us to accept one word through this passage so that we may be ready as harvest workers and participate in campus outreach ministry all together no matter where we are and no matter what we do. May the Lord help us to open our eyes so that we may see harvest fields like our Lord Jesus Christ.
Read verses 27-30. What was Jesus doing when His disciples returned? (27a) How did the disciples respond? (27b) What did the Samaritan woman do? (28-29) How did the townspeople respond to the woman’s testimony? (30)
1-1, Read verses 27-30.
Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
1-2, What was Jesus doing when His disciples returned? (27a)
Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman.
1-3, How did the disciples respond? (27b)
But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
Jesus’ disciples returned from a town of Samaria and found that Jesus was talking with a woman. According to the culture of those days, it is unusual for a Jewish man to talk with the Samaritans, much less a Samaritan woman.
Jesus must have forgotten that he was hungry. His heart must have been filled with joy because of a deep spiritual dialogue with her.
Because of Jeroboam’s sins in history, the northern kingdom was fallen in idol worship and Assyrian invasion.
According to 1Kings 16:32, Ahab set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. So this place became the hub of idol worship.
But Jesus never gave up on anyone. Rather he had to go through this land to meet a spiritually thirsty woman in Samaria.
He even lost His physical hunger to engage in a serious one to one Bible study with her. Praise Jesus who dedicated Himself to share God’s truth with her. It was God’s wisdom to egg on spiritual revival in Samaria by serving her first.
In contrast, His disciples were wrapped up in their own physical hunger and thirst and did not know where Jesus came from although they were His companions.
Jesus valued one to one study and in such a gentle way Jesus had a compassionate heart toward a thirsty & very vulnerable soul.
At the same time she was a wonderful candidate like Cinderella in a heavenly banquet who would be a beautiful bride of a prince in the coming Kingdom! Praise Jesus Christ and His heavenly wisdom and counsel to save one soul.
We can learn from Him about how to serve a young soul on college campuses no matter how they looked indifferent and wounded inside.
May the Lord help us to grow as mighty warriors, I mean, to trust in the Lord our Almighty God who has already given us the strength like Gideon.
We are invincible soldiers of Christ because we have the same heart that Jesus had shown to a thirsty soul in Samaria. All we have to do is to go and meet one soul at a time through fishing and feed them with God’s words.
Then the Holy Spirit will work powerfully more than we can possibly imagine. God will raise 30 disciples through 300 one to one battles in this fall semester among us according to our day and night prayer.
1-4, What did the Samaritan woman do? (28-29)
Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”
She left her water jar. It means that she forgot why she came to the well. After meeting Jesus, she became changed into a different person because of the Holy Spirit filled in her heart and she was truly satisfied.
She must have been exploring throughout her lifetime. Especially her insatiable desire to meet a charming prince in this world were never fulfilled.
But now because Jesus became her true husband and the object of worship, she was now joyful and fully satisfied. Leaving her water jar strongly meant that she was not a thirsty woman any longer.
She ran back to the town from which she came and said to the people. “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”
Her testimony was dynamic and real. Her testimony became sensational news in the town. It must have become like a smoldering fire spiritually.
1-5, How did the townspeople respond to the woman’s testimony? (30)
They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
What a powerful ripple effect it was! God blessed her more than we can possibly imagine. In fact, it was what Elijah was eagerly waiting for since he served Israel. But Jesus suffered a lot in order to go through this land and finally saved the people through God’s heavenly wisdom to help a soul.
That is why we really focus on campus one to one even in the midst of all sufferings and pains even arising in our family as we bring our children up.
May the Lord help us to humbly learn of Jesus’ wisdom, dedication, and willingness to seek God’s kingdom on earth until we may share His joy! May the Lord help us to open our eyes to see a great vision in Jesus Christ no matter how dark our generation becomes!
Read verses 31-34. What did Jesus say when His disciples urged him to eat something? (31-32) What did Jesus say about His food? (33-34) What can we learn from His response?
2-1, Read verses 31-34.
31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
2-2, What did Jesus say when His disciples urged him to eat something? (31-32)
Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
2-3, What did Jesus say about His food? (33-34)
2-4, What can we learn from His response?
33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
Jesus pointed out, “my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” Of course Jesus meant a spiritual food related to the task or mission given by His Father in Heaven.
Nothing was more important than fulfilling His salvation work on earth. In such a way he set a good example for us to follow with all our hearts.
His food has to do with the will of God. The will of God was to save souls as many as possible. God so loved the world that He sent His One and Only Son Jesus to die on the cross to save us all.
God had in mind to finish His work in and through Him. Jesus was asked to fulfill God’s work in a limited time. Suppose he was distracted with so many things such as social work, it would never be accomplished.
We are living in a world where people are very busy doing something else. But above all they are restless wanderers if they can not find the true task.
God wants each of us to set our first priority in terms of our spiritual food, that is to participate in the salvation of souls in this passing world.
Read verses 35-38. What else did Jesus mention? (35) How can Jesus’ words be applied both personally and collectively? Based on what Jesus said, how should we view our role at the time of harvest? (36-38)
3-1, Read verses 35-38.
35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I 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.”
3-2, What else did Jesus mention? (35)
35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.
3-3, How can Jesus’ words be applied both personally and collectively?
No doubt Jesus is mentioning spiritual harvest rather than agricultural one. Since we have been limited due to Covid 19 pandemic since March 2020, we are still in pandemic although we have been largely relieved thanks to vaccination.
Delta variant surge is still threatening to those who are unvaccinated. Still we felt as if we better wait at least four more months before going out fishing. They say that we better wait more until the time when recalcitrant people get vaccinated.
But in this coming fall semester, almost all campuses will open in person classes. Students will be flooded into the beautiful campuses.
Personally and collectively we are eager to engage in so-called, in person fishing and one to one Bible study again. Maybe those who are fully vaccinated can go out campus first and bring joy.
We inevitably face many issues such as child education, finances, and so on. So we are tempted to say that it is not the right time to engage in campus fishing and Bible study by inviting students to add suffering.
But Jesus promised that everything will be given as well, as long as we seek first His kingdom and righteousness. Praise Jesus who has been faithful!
Matthew 18:2-5 reads, “He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Unless someone understands little children-like people, cares for them, and fights for them, their lives under oppression will come to ruin, marred by wounds and neglect.
As followers of Christ, we are called to engage with the needy as if they are Christ himself. Far too often, we choose to be comfortable in our distance from them rather than to be loving in our compassion for them.
Until greatness reflects our love for those who need our help, we will live in poverty of soul, always reaching for Christ but never finding him. (Excerpt from recent daily bread comment)
Like Jesus, we put our priority on seeking little children like souls who may also be the sick, marginalized, lost, poor, imprisoned, and condemned.
“Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” Who knows? There are more thirsty souls on campus than ever before due to troubled conditions by the prolonged pandemic.
3-4, Based on what Jesus said, how should we view our role at the time of harvest? (36-38)
36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I 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.”
Working together is the point here. When we go out fishing on campus with the belief that God already prepared the hearts of souls. Now is the harvest time for them to repent of their sins and turn back to Jesus.
We can become the reapers or the sowers. From an overall picture from God’s point of view, we are on the same page to seek the lost. God will surely fulfill His work in and through us and our obedient steps.
One sows and another reaps! I 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.
Praise God who called us into campus outreach to simply reap the souls for God’s glory. May the Lord help us to change our view so that we may see what God sees. May the Lord help us to simply trust and obey God’s visionary words.
One word: Open your eyes!
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