John 4:36, commentary and pictures

He that reaps receives his reward by gathering people into faith and God's kingdom unto eternal life, and he that sows the truth and he that reaps its results rejoice together in one shared harvest even when one begins the work and another brings it to completion. Jesus spoke this at Jacob's well after His talk with the Samaritan woman, when her testimony at once brought her city to hear Him and many believed, so that seed-sowing and harvest stood side by side instead of months apart. The fields are already white to harvest now in locality after locality close at hand, not four months away nor only in distant lands, calling workers to lift their eyes and enter in without delay. God divides the work so some plow and sow amid opposition without seeing results while later messengers reap what was planted, each adapted to his place yet laboring unitedly without taking glory to himself, since God's agencies prepared the way before them. Faithful service is not measured only by visible results, for diligence matters while the harvest time is hid with God, and seed sown with weeping keeps its vitality and will at last rise with fruit revealed in the hereafter.

Setting at Jacob's Well

The saying was spoken at Jacob's well at noontide in the meeting with the woman of Samaria, after a long morning journey when He sat faint from hunger and thirst with cool refreshing water close by yet inaccessible because the well was deep and He had no rope nor water-jar.

Jews and Samaritans were bitter enemies who avoided all social dealing, borrowing, and kindnesses even of bread or water, though trade in case of necessity was counted lawful. As a Jew He broke that custom by asking the Samaritan woman for a drink rather than offering a kindness that might be rejected, seeking with tact born of divine love the key to her heart, since trust awakens trust. In the East water is the gift of God and giving drink to the thirsty traveler is a sacred duty, so He who made the ocean and controls the waters of the great deep and opened the springs and channels of the earth rested from weariness and became dependent on a stranger's kindness even for water, as the King of heaven come to an outcast soul asking a service at her hands. It stands where His mission work commenced, when as a Jew He asked drink of a class the Jews thoroughly despised and offered the gift of God, living water. It is one of His positive, authoritative invitations of mercy and goodness that cut away doubt about whether God will hear prayer and give mercy, favor, grace and salvation, crossing Jewish social and religious barriers with kindness to bring salvation to people whom the Jews rejected.

The gathering of fruit unto eternal life among the Samaritans was not done by creating barriers and constantly thrusting upon them that they were wrong. Though a Jew He mingled freely with them, setting at naught Pharisaic custom and prejudice, accepting their hospitality, sleeping under their roofs, eating at their tables food prepared and served by their hands, teaching in their streets and treating them with utmost kindness and courtesy. He drew their hearts by the tie of human sympathy and recognized the dignity of their humanity, while His divine grace and words fell on their thirsty souls with blessed, life-giving power, awakening new impulses and opening to these outcasts the possibility of a new life and bringing them the salvation the Jews rejected.

The setting illustrates His personal way of teaching, for He taught the woman of Sychar in private and treated her as an individual with a receptive heart, with joy felt when truth reached a soul. It shows His grace and gospel work were not limited to the Jews, for the message of salvation reached Samaritans as well as Jews who had some knowledge of God, and His ministry among them challenged the disciples' racial and religious exclusiveness. The familiar sight of sowers casting seed and reapers gathering the early grain side by side provided a visible reminder of the lesson He taught. Those who have never heard the truth have hearts more susceptible than those who have been in the truth and had the evidences of God's work yet remain in unbelief, as seen when His speaking to the Samaritan woman brought the Samaritans out to hear Him.

Meaning of Wages and Fruit

The one who reaps takes pay and gathers fruit for everlasting life, which is souls brought into faith and into God's kingdom to eternal life, and sower and reaper rejoice together in one shared harvest even when one begins the work and another finishes it. At Samaria the harvest came at once, for the woman carried the good news to her people and brought them to hear, and many believed because of her testimony and many more because of His own word that He is the Christ, the Saviour of the world. The same dividing of labor belongs to all gospel work, where faithful workers may sow amid opposition and discouragement without seeing an immediate harvest while others afterward reap what was planted, the seed sown in hardship remaining alive until later events recall the truth to the hearers. The disciples entered into the labors of prophets, teachers, John the Baptist in the wilderness, patriarchs and faithful people across generations, and of Christ Himself as the greater Sower who sowed in streets and synagogues throughout Judea, and their reaping would gather hungry souls among Jews and Gentiles unto the thousands converted at Pentecost, which they were not to claim as their own effort alone nor take the glory to themselves. Because the fields are already white there is to be no delay for a future harvest time, but new fields opened at once, workers added, and young men educated, educated, educated to labor.

Both sowing and reaping are work for God and both receive wages, and every one who receives the gospel is to serve as a living agent whether scattering seed or gathering harvest. God gives to every man his work, so that beginning it in any place can prepare the way for both sowers and reapers, and He can use each person's talents in either role. In soul-saving He uses some to plow and sow and others to reap, each adapted to a different line yet moving forward together harmoniously and unitedly as His instruments in the conversion of souls, from the lowliest worker to the most highly educated and efficient each having his distinctive place, and this is the way He has always worked. No worker is divorced from the work as it progresses but keeps an interest in it and is thankful others can carry it forward successfully, and those who do their best with the Lord with them will be prospered, for God gives the increase and causes both to rejoice together at harvest time. The appointed work of followers is sowing, reaping and gathering the harvest to bring people to knowledge of the truth.

Faithful service is not measured only by visible results, for diligence and faithfulness count and God's unseen power brings the harvest even when one labor prepares the way for another's success. The seed-time belongs to believers while the end of what is sown and the harvest time are hid with God beyond weak and dim vision, yet seed sown with weeping is followed by coming again with rejoicing bringing sheaves, and the seed of generous sacrifice is unforgotten where it lies and though seeming cast on the desert shall at last rise with bloom and fruit. Fruit left ungathered may be lost or spoiled, while even damaged fruit may still be gathered and shown as evidence of what could have been saved through earlier effort. Sowing and reaping of good work may be separated in time so that one labors while others later gather the fruit, much of it hidden from the worker in this life, but in the hereafter the results of faithful, unselfish labor will be revealed including its far-reaching effects and the shared joy of those who sowed and reaped.

Sowing now in word and deed springs up to bear fruit unto eternal life through pleasant, cheery, peaceable words and a praiseworthy example and unselfish deeds that bring sunshine instead of gloom and help and bless others, and words that help and bless are just as much a blessing to the sower as to those to whom they are spoken. It is the Father's good pleasure for His people to bear much fruit, rich and precious fruit, by guarding the heart, weeding vanity out like weeds from a seed plot, arranging every circumstance so heaven is kept in view, and letting the lessons of Christ plant seeds of truth in the soil of the heart until they yield a hundredfold. Instruction that develops kindness and teaches not to think evil of others plants righteousness and yields fruit to everlasting life, and faithful, consecrated service sows truth that bears fruit unto eternal life. The education needed makes room to plant seeds of righteousness by weeding out from study all that can be spared and is unessential for eternal life instead of filling minds with masses of knowledge that cannot be taken to heaven.

Samaritan Harvest Fulfilled

Unlike ordinary farming where harvest follows months of waiting, the words spoken to the Samaritan woman brought an immediate harvest. She left her waterpot, carried the good news into Samaria with the invitation to come see the man who told her all she did, and her testimony sowed the seed that brought people to Him. Many believed through hearing her and then through His own words, showing how different workers contribute to one spiritual harvest and how sowers of truth help bring about a harvest gathered by others.

Gathering fruit unto eternal life followed speedily after the seed was sown when the Holy Spirit impressed truth on hearts. The seed sown in the woman's mind immediately bore fruit when she received the word joyfully and at once told others and brought them to Christ. Many Samaritans believed because of her testimony, asked Him to tarry and He stayed two days, and many more believed because of His own word and confessed He is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. He knew many would come at first from curiosity and then believe on Him and drink the water of life He gives.

The disciples failed to recognize the harvest around them in Samaria because their thoughts were fixed on the future and they saw nothing to indicate an encouraging field. When they returned from buying food they saw nothing encouraging in the setting discouraging to human sight. But the Samaritan woman who talked with Jesus at Jacob's well found the Saviour and at once carried the light to her countrymen and brought others to Him, proving a more effective missionary in reaping than His own disciples. So through a woman they despised a whole city was brought to hear Jesus and be gathered for everlasting life.

Christ had sown the seeds of salvation truth throughout Judea, and as the greater Sower and great Teacher He sowed seeds of truth in the streets of the cities and in the synagogues, presenting the truth and outlining the conditions of salvation clearly and distinctly. The sowers also include prophets and teachers and John the Baptist in the wilderness who labored before to prepare minds, and patriarchs, prophets and other faithful people across generations. The disciples and all gospel workers were sent as reapers to follow up His work and perfect it by gathering the harvest from the interest He created, entering into other men's labors to put in the sickle and gather sheaves by gathering hungry souls among both Jews and Gentiles who receive the Word and rejoice in the truth. That reaping culminated in the thousands converted at Pentecost after the Holy Spirit was poured out, when they would see the harvest came through God's work and grace. They were not to claim it as the result of their efforts alone nor take the glory to themselves, because God's appointed agencies had worked before them preparing the way for both sowing and reaping.

His work among the Samaritans yielded a continuing spiritual harvest. After His visit the Samaritans received the disciples. The woman's testimony bore fruit and the disciples later gathered a precious harvest and converts to eternal life among people who had once been their enemies and bitter enemies.

Sowers and Reapers Together

God's work may be divided so that faithful workers sow amid opposition and discouragement without seeing an immediate harvest, while later messengers of God's appointment go over the first ground and finish the sower's work by reaping what was planted. Seed sown in hardship and trial keeps life and vitality and remains alive, growing gradually first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. Later events can recall the truth to those who heard it, the report of success elsewhere can prepare the way for the next messenger to be favorably received where work seemed unsuccessful, and rejection of the gospel by some can prepare its reception by others, so apparent failure does not mean the seed is lifeless. When opposition is so fierce that workers must leave one field and continue elsewhere, one worker may sow good and precious testing truth with wisdom and labor yet be opposed and hindered so that though some are convinced they are intimidated from acknowledging it, and it may be wise to pass on to another field with more favorable people to sow and reap successfully.

Those who sow or reap must not take the glory for success because the work is prepared by those who came before and God's appointed agencies have worked before them preparing the way for both sowing and reaping. Christ as the greater Sower sows seeds of truth and outlines the conditions of salvation clearly, and disciples and all gospel workers are sent as reapers to follow up His work and perfect it by gathering the harvest from the interest He created, laboring unitedly as God's instruments in the conversion of souls. Ministers must learn this instead of hovering over the churches while souls close by perish for lack of knowledge.

In soul-saving God uses some men to plow the field and sow the seed and others to reap, each laborer adapted to a different line of work yet moving forward together harmoniously and laboring unitedly as God's instruments in the conversion of souls. No worker is divorced from the work as it progresses but should keep an interest in it and be thankful that others can carry it forward successfully, from the lowliest worker to the most highly educated and efficient each has his distinctive place for God has given to every man his work and this is the way He has always worked. Those who do their best with the Lord with them will be prospered and God gives the increase and causes both to rejoice together in harvest time. The work also includes supporting workers as well as serving directly, for both those laboring in the field and those giving means for their support share the reward of faithful soul-winning.

Sowing the seed and gathering the harvest may follow close together and overlap, for gathering fruit unto life eternal follows speedily after the seed of truth is sown when the Holy Spirit impresses truth on hearts, so sower and reaper rejoice together. The seed sown in the mind of the Samaritan woman immediately bore fruit when she received the word joyfully and at once told others and brought them to Christ, and many believed because of her testimony and many more because of His own word and confessed He is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world, though many came at first from curiosity and then believed and drank the water of life. The sowers are prophets and teachers and John the Baptist in the wilderness who labored before to prepare minds, and the reapers are the disciples who enter into other men's labors to put in the sickle and gather sheaves by gathering hungry souls among both Jews and Gentiles who receive the Word and rejoice in the truth. In Los Angeles the restaurant, treatment rooms, reading room and Bible talks are ways to sow and the harvest of people learning the message is expected soon afterward. The verse applies to the disciples' mission to preach the kingdom of God in towns and villages and gather a harvest among people already prepared by others, where one generation may prepare the way through labor that another completes.

Fields White Right Now

There is present harvest work to be done in locality after locality in the Lord's vineyard, and workers must not delay by saying there are yet four months, the usual interval between sowing and harvest, for the fields are already white to harvest now. This calls for lifting the heart to God daily and lifting the eyes to see the readiness, for a great work still remains in the last days in both sowing and reaping that needs far more means and workers than are now available. New fields must be opened at once and young men educated, educated, educated to labor, with great need of men who can both sow and reap and bring souls to eternal life, and with long-time members feeling a burden to continue in large cities like Los Angeles the work evangelists begin. Companies in the most destitute spiritual condition stretching out their arms for food and for the bread of life and hungering for knowledge of the truth are fields white already, eagerly searching the Scriptures and praying together and waiting in regions beyond to hear the truth, and those who go to them and feed them from the Word reap, receive wages and gather fruit unto eternal life. The fields white already are people asking to hear preaching, as in the suburbs of Melbourne calling for tents to be set up in their localities, to reap which is to go and preach and gather people as fruit for eternal life with wages for the work, so that sower and reaper rejoice together.

It calls all who are willing to enter the field now, catching the spirit of the Samaritan woman who brought her city to Christ, cultivating the great vineyard by advancing from city to city, establishing schools and creating centers only where essential and then working out into the suburbs, building under Jesus Christ for time and for eternity because the Lord is coming. The harvest is souls ready to be gathered right now close at hand in the nearby fields, not only a great work in the future or in distant fields. Christ's followers must work in the fields near them, including neglected cities and unwarned cities of America, towns and fields of New South Wales, and fields where little or no work has yet been done, continuing the labor of those who came before. They are to proclaim Christ's soon coming and carry the gospel invitation to places that have not yet heard it and warn the cities while using every God-given ability, because the signs of Christ's coming are rapidly being fulfilled. Some reap what others labored to prepare, as the disciples did when sent to preach the kingdom, laborers should move to new fields once converts are secure, Bible workers should be sent to fields ready for the gospel, and the work includes gathering people longing for God and for more light, including those ready to receive truth and those close at hand who are ready to hear.

The Southern field among the colored people of the South is ready for harvest with wages and fruit for eternal life for those who reap, even though long neglected, destitute, unworked and close at hand among neighbors with souls to save in greatest need. Reaping there requires meeting physical wants and working with a heart aglow with the love of God, presenting that love with faith and assurance and not in a bleak, cold, methodical style, repeating religious instruction again and again in the most simple language because many are only children in understanding. It is carrying the unlimited free grace of Christ to the neglected people so they may have divine hope and courage and faith, and all who accept Christ will have sunlight in the heart, with the whole-hearted unselfish worker receiving a reward and as a laborer together with God entering into the joy of his Lord, which is the joy felt in the presence of the angels over one sinner who repents more than over ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance. One sows the seed, another reaps the harvest, another binds it up, giving a variety of work for many desiring missionary labor, and the work must be done now with no time to lose while the angels continue to hold the four winds. It is to be done not by merely deploring its condition but by alleviating it as workers together with God to form characters after Christ Jesus, instructing those who receive the truth by those imbued with the Spirit of God and educating and directing men, women and children to help others, unitedly taking hold with missionary spirit to consider and help them as they need help and not merely looking, pitying or passing by on the other side. Gathering the harvest in the cities of the States, especially the unworked cities of the Southern States, calls for new blood and fresh talent taking up health reform and going forth to do missionary work instead of standing off to criticize and condemn, with men and women working to prepare colored workers to labor for colored people with greatest caution and no careless, headstrong movements as humble and teachable workers daily looking to the Lord for guidance.

Calling Workers to Reap

The ripe fields call for workers, and that harvest work is worth choosing over business pursued only for financial gain. The reward is not a promise of the highest earthly wages, for Christ calls workers willing to accept poverty and hardship for His sake, even self-denial, sacrifice and suffering in order to save souls. They are to go forward in faith even when funds are scarce, since persevering effort can bring success, open new fields, and lead many souls to a knowledge of the truth. Even the ablest ministers preaching the very best sermons reap little as sheaves to present to Christ when church members stand back as though not an interested party and let all the burden rest on the minister.

Medical missionary work shares in this harvest for lasting life, for reaching people seeking health and those who attend them is an opportunity to gather a harvest already ready. Workers are urged to act while people are ready to receive help and to carry forward work built on the labor of others. The sick-bed, especially in dangerous illness when the outcome is uncertain and still more in the coming days of God's rapid closing work, is a reaping field where Christ is accepted and confessed. The physician sowing wise, timely words beside the sick-bed shares in the harvest with Christ Himself watering the seed so it matures and brings fruit unto eternal life. Living the gospel and holding its principles in intelligent medical missionary work and relieving physical suffering opens doors closed to mere preaching by dropping a seed of truth into the mind that God waters, and though much patience is required before the seed shows signs of life it at last springs up and is gathered as fruit unto eternal life. To speak in season is to use a precious talent that should multiply a thousand times, while staying silent lets the golden privilege pass and fails the appointed work of a minister of righteousness. Schools established to train souls to labor for the Lord are also a reaping work whose management involves eternal principles, requiring faithful use of God-given capabilities with continual improvement and teachers daily imbued with the Holy Spirit and adaptable to deal with minds in order to prepare them.

In the canvassing work, workers in different roles are laborers in one effort to bring people to eternal life with shared joy for both sower and reaper. The sowing-and-reaping image applies to going where the truth has not been proclaimed and working to save souls, entering the harvest field to win souls. Efforts should be directed toward gathering people for that harvest rather than spending time and resources on displays that benefit no one. Gathering sheaves for the Master comes through continued, diligent labor to reach all who can be reached, for people brought to knowledge of truth are sheaves gathered for the Master in a harvest that has begun and can continue. Such work turns attention from criticizing others toward helping people and proclaiming the truth. Only Christianity revealed by earnest, practical work makes an impression on those dead in trespasses and sins, and anything less denies profession of faith, so praying, humble, believing Christians whose actions show their greatest desire is to make known the saving truth that will test all people will reap a rich harvest of souls as wages. True toilers who are men of prayer, faith and self-denial, holding natural appetites and passions in restraint and giving in their own lives evidence of the power of the truth they present, will reap and their labor is not without effect. Personal work, prayer and help with difficulties can bring those who decide to follow Christ to Him, and those gathered may in turn work for others.