John 4:35-38 (ESV) Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”
In this passage, Jesus has spoken with the woman at the well, she’s gone into town to tell everyone, and the townspeople are coming to see for themselves. Jesus had planted the gospel in the woman’s heart. She, in turn, did the same for the folks in town. Now they were coming back ready to hear for themselves and to accept Jesus as their Savior.
There are several steps to a person coming to Jesus for their salvation. We as Christians often feel the need to “Close the deal” when sharing the gospel, but Jesus didn’t do that here. He planted, the woman and disciples watered, but it was God who moved in the hearts of the people to accept Jesus.
Greg Koukl’s “Tactics” series on Youtube takes this principle and expands on it powerfully. He uses this passage to show most people don’t come to Christ through a single act. They are “fertilized” and “watered” before they reach the harvest. Paul makes the same point in his first letter to the Corinthian church:
1 Cor. 3:7-9 (ESV) So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.
The point Greg and Paul are getting at is we need a lot of gardeners since the “gardening” process, the preparation process, is a long and varied one. The harvest only comes after the seeds have been planted, fertilized, and tended.
When we share Christ with others, we feel we need to have that person on their knees or we have failed. That’s not true. Think of how many people you have spoken to over the years about the Lord and how many have come to Him. I’m sure I’ve spoken to hundreds of people over the 47 years since I met our Lord, but I’ve seen fewer than a dozen come to Him. Most of that “harvest” was due to someone else’s work before me. I just was given the privilege of being used by the Holy Spirit to reap what the others had sown. Most of our labor as Christians is used in the planting and watering process.
Often those with whom we’ve been able to share have heard the message before but needed some clarification or needed to be reminded of the gospel once again. We may never know what God is doing in the hearts and minds of those with whom we’ve shared. Maybe they go home and God just keeps poking them, reminding them of their need and of what they heard from us that day.
Why is this important?
Understanding this does a couple of things for us. It takes the heavy burden off our shoulders to hit a home run every time we share Christ, and we should be happy to “put a pebble in the shoe” of the person we’re talking with. If gardening is the goal, then success is most often achieved. If we overpower someone with our witness, they can walk away confused and uncertain of what they heard.
I used to teach an adult Bible class at our church in California. After that class, but in the same room, was another adult class. As a practice, I would write a sentence or two on the board knowing the next class would see it and maybe discuss it with the teacher.
The statement I got the most feedback on was “We are not here to save people,” and we’re not. That’s God’s job. Our job is to inform people of what Christ has done for them and how to take advantage of God’s offer. This is almost always done in small pieces, short opportunities, but God does the major work. All we are to do is just say something. Give people something to think about. If the person is interested, of course, the conversation can take as long as needed.
When we share, we should keep it short. If the ground seems fertile and the person wants to know more, by all means share more. Otherwise, just put that pebble in their shoe, let go, and let God.
Believers Armed and Dangerous 