John 4:31-38

Jesus takes this opportunity to teach His disciples a couple of powerful lessons.

First, He lets them know that His “food”—His nourishment or sustenance—comes from doing the will of God. There is great fulfillment in accomplishing God’s will in our lives.

Second, He teaches them to always be on the lookout to share the Gospel, for the harvest is ripe. While the disciples were in town, minding their own business, Jesus was evangelizing a woman at the well. At this very moment—while Jesus is teaching the disciples—she has gone back to her town and is evangelizing the entire community. This will soon become apparent as we read on. Ironically, this is something the disciples themselves could have done while they were in town.

There is a Scripture in Proverbs that says, “He who is wise wins souls” (Proverbs 11:30).

Here we see Jesus say, “The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life.” What do you think these good wages are? Eternal rewards are far better than any rewards we could receive here on earth.

Jesus then goes on to explain that there are those who plant and those who reap. It doesn’t matter which part of the process you are involved in, as long as you are part of the process. Some days we plant, and some days we harvest.

So, Jesus is reminding them—and us—that true satisfaction is found in doing the will of God and partnering with Him in the work of the Kingdom, which is always unfolding around us. God uses our obedience to His call to bring others into the Kingdom, and the rewards of this far surpass anything we could experience here in the natural.

May we always be mindful of the opportunities presented to us each day to make a difference in the lives of others.