I sent you to reap what you have not worked for(John 4b exposition)*

John 4:39-54

A.      The Samaritan woman’s joy (28-30)

A woman came to draw water at high noon because she was thirsty; however, after talking with Jesus, she found the way to God through him, the Messiah. In great joy and excitement, she left her water jar, forgetting what she came for, and went back to the town in order to share her joy in finding the Messiah. The main message she gave was the fact that Jesus had the power to know all of her past, which was suggestive of God’s power. As she said this to the townspeople, many came out of the town to see Jesus. They were eagerly waiting for someone to help them; they were thirsty and hungry, like this woman. As she was living in confusion on how and where to worship, the Samaritans as a whole were also confused and thirst for God’s love and truth.

B.      The disciples were oblivious to God’s works (27, 31-33)

The disciples returned with food from the town and found Jesus talking with a Samaritan woman. This was a surprise, or even a shock, for them, because it was totally unusual. In their minds, Jesus was talking with this woman because he needed something from her; otherwise, he should not talk with this woman. They saw and understood this situation from within their own mental context (i.e. his immediate need for food or drink), so they urged him to eat something. However, Jesus had already filled his need with food that they did not know anything about. He was refreshed in spirit and replenished in the flesh as he saw a large number of Samaritans coming towards him. Fulfilling God’s work of saving the lost was of the utmost importance to him, more important than food.

C.      Jesus’ food was to do and finish his Father’s work (34-35)

Food is used to sustain our life, giving us energy to go on. What gave Jesus such energy was to do his Father’s will. It was not enough for him to just obey God’s will but also to finish His work. The entirety of His work is pictured as being like farming, from sowing to harvesting. Therefore, the fulfillment of the Father’s work is seeing the crops ripen and become ready for the harvest. When, even at this time, so early in his ministry and long before his ultimate work of giving his life as a ransom for many on the cross, Jesus saw many Samaritans coming, led by the woman, and he recognized that the time of harvest had come. This was a glimpse of what his disciples would face in the future. This is why Jesus wanted his disciples to see and share in the joy of harvesting alongside him. For the disciples, they never expected or wanted to see such a larger number of Samaritans coming to follow Jesus, for these people were not Jews and were living in apostasy. In other words, having joy at seeing such a large number of Samaritans coming to see Jesus was a completely unexpected reaction among them. Nevertheless, Jesus wanted them to share in his joy by doing and finishing the Father’s will of harvesting people for the Lord.

D.       I sent you to reap what you have not worked for (36-38)

As the large crowd of Samaritans came to him, Jesus saw this and explained what was happening to his disciples, in the sense of God’s work, using the farming analogy of sowing and harvesting. Jesus, during the very earliest stage of his ministry, gave another parable about a farmer. The most typical example was the parable of the sower in Mark 4:1-20. Jesus, as the sower, is also mentioned in Matthew 25:14-30.

"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?” (Matthew 25:26).

Likewise, God’s work was to be viewed as similar to farming, with Jesus as the central figure, the farmer, who sows (Mark 4:1-20) and harvests (Matthew 25:14-30).

In farming, it is said that, from sowing to harvesting, it takes about 4 months. There must be enough time for the seed to sprout, grow, and bear fruits. This is the normal course of nature; there is no shortcut. However, in this event, that wasn’t the case; Jesus just sowed the seed, and already a large number of Samaritans were coming, the harvest. This was a great surprise or even a shock because Jesus had previously preached that there might be a long time for his disciples to wait before the harvest was ripe; many would not receive him until after his death, resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Pentecost coincides with the barley harvest, which was the first harvest celebration of the year. Although this was unlikely under the regular schedule for farming, Jesus immediately saw a harvest from what he had just sown and was extremely happy to see it. Eventually, his disciples were to become reapers. In this sense, even now, Jesus, the sower, and his disciples, the reapers, may enjoy this harvest of Samaritans and be glad together (v36). What this implies is found in v37-38. The primary purpose of Jesus saying this was for the disciples’ benefit. 'One sows and another reaps’ means that, even though they did not participate in the sowing, the disciples were able to enjoy reaping the harvest. As the Samaritans were coming to Jesus, he sent his disciples to welcome them and to enjoy the harvest of such a great crop.

One thing the disciples must realize was that, in this context, others, (probably meaning Jesus and the Samaritan woman) had worked to sow the seeds of faith in this multitude, and yet, even though the disciples had played no role in that first step, they were involved in the harvesting. What did this mean for the disciples?

·         Their work was harvesting; all of the hard work, such as sowing, cultivating, and pruning, had already been done by someone else.

·         What they were to do was harvesting. This perspective is so important for the completion of God’s work.

·         They must be thankful and joyful for the hard work of others, the benefit of others’ labor, and their own work of harvesting, seeing the crops, and gathering the ultimate fruit of so much labor.

In this perspective, our work must be carried out with great joy and thankfulness.

E.       We know that this man really was the Savior of the world (39-42)

On hearing the woman’s words, many came out to meet Jesus. After listening to him, they wanted him to stay for a few more days because they wanted to hear more of the truth from God’s word. The result was remarkable; many more became believers, not only because of the woman’s word but because they heard Jesus for themselves. So when you hear Jesus’ word, you will surely come to know him as the Savior of the world. This is especially noteworthy since the Jews in Jerusalem had seen Jesus’ miracles; however, their faith in him was not genuine, so he did not entrust himself to them (John 2:23-24). Therefore, there is a true value in the faith that believes Jesus is the Savior of the world, through hearing his word, and we must call for such faith from everyone with whom we come in contact. Jesus’ extreme joy over the Samaritans’ faith reveals that their faith was the kind of faith that he wanted to see among all people. In other words, their faith served as the measuring stick for the faiths of many who were yet to come.