- Gospels and Acts(NT) John 4:35~38
Open Your Eyes and Look At The Fields
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Message
John: 4:35-38
Key Verse 35
“Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”
We know that we easily close our eyes when we face our personal problems such as job, family or relationship problems. It is not easy to open one’s eyes when one’s student quits Bible study and complains against his Bible teacher.
May God help us to open our eyes to look at the fields. May God bless us to widen our narrow, self-centered mind to see what God is doing all over the world, especially in Asia and Oceania. May God give us his vision for world mission.
First, Jesus’ vision (35). Jesus helped one Samaritan woman to drink the living water. Then her eyes were opened and she confessed that Jesus is the Messiah. She was totally changed. She threw away her water jar and ran to her town saying, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”
Meanwhile, Jesus’ disciples returned with several pizzas. They urged Jesus to eat something. Jesus said, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” So they wondered if someone had brought Jesus food. His disciples only thought about food. But Jesus’ food was to save one lost soul. Jesus was overjoyed and satisfied when one Samaritan woman was saved.
Look at verse 35. “Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” There was a saying in those days, ‘Four months more and then the harvest.’ It meant they had to wait 4 months until harvest time. But Jesus saw that it was harvest time right now.
Because of national prejudice, the disciples thought the Samaritans were the last people to be saved, since they were Gentile idol-worshipers. But Jesus saw them differently. For Jesus, the Samaritans were ready to be harvested for eternal life. Jesus saw that the harvest had come. Jesus saw all the townspeople there awaiting harvest workers. Jesus saw a spiritual revival in Samaria. Jesus urged his disciples to open their eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest. Here we learn Jesus’ vision. Through one person’s change, Jesus saw God’s vision to evangelize the whole town. One person’s change envisions the change of one campus, one nation and even the whole world. Jesus wants us to see our campus and the world with his eyes.
Mongolia was a socialist country from 1921 to 1990. During this time, many intellectuals and religious people were killed in the name of communism. Communism made bold and courageous Mongolians weak, dependent, lazy and easy-going and followed the Soviet culture of drinking vodka. Democracy came to Mongolia in 1990. We hoped a new era had arrived. But despite democratic freedom, the nation was chaotic. Under both communism and democracy, college students have felt hopeless and sick with immorality. They were like sheep without a shepherd.
UBF missionaries Aquila Shin, Matthew Lim and Paul Kwon came to Mongolia in 1991 for campus gospel ministry. They learned the Mongol language and translated Genesis, Exodus and Daniel into Mongolian. They also translated hymn books, daily bread and 12 autobiography books. UBF missionaries have participated in sowing and reaping in Mongolia for 22 years. Many Mongolian students believed in Jesus. One summer bible conference God raised 34 new shepherds. Now 3% Mongolians are Christian including other organizations, and we see God’s vision for Mongolia to be changed from a Buddhist to a Christian country. In 2004, Mother Sarah Barry visited Mongolia and spoke on, “A kernel of wheat” (Jn 12:24). Many students were impacted to give their lives to Jesus. That year, 5 house churches were established for the gospel. We could see God’s vision of raising 1000 shepherds for Mongolia to be a Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation. Our ancient Mongolian forefathers conquered a vast land with horses and swords, but we can conquer the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Second, the sower and the reaper may be glad together (36-38). Look at verse 36. “Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.” Jesus invited his disciples to participate as reapers to harvest the crops of eternal life so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Although the disciples had never sown before, Jesus appointed them as the reapers. Usually the reapers get all the credit for the harvest. But the sower and the reaper are both important for gospel work. They will equally share the joy of harvest.
Look at verse 37-38. “Thus the saying, ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 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.” Many prophets sowed the seeds of God’s word in Samaria. They worked hard as sowers, even without seeing any fruits. When Jesus reaped the harvest, he remembered all the labor and sorrows of the sowers. For the harvest, sowers and reapers must work together.
When I was in high school, I lost my lovely mother in a car accident. Whenever I was hungry and cold, I cried a lot for my mother. I remained with my drunkard father. He had often beaten my mother. So I was full of bitterness and revenge toward him. That was the darkest time in my life. In my sophomore year, I came to UBF. UBF brothers and sisters treated me well. At first, my purpose in coming to UBF worship service was to enjoy good food. But I was changed little by little.
At a summer Bible conference, I heard Jesus’ voice, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” (Lk 7:14). I realized that I was like a dead man in a coffin. I was a dead man full of sorrow, despair and fatalism. One time I was kicked out of my home with no place to go. But M. Paul Kwon accepted me to his home. He took care of me like his own son. I learned a shepherd’s sacrificial love through 1 year of living with him. I wanted to be a good shepherd like him. I served 3 students that year and they all became shepherds. One year later I asked him for one fellowship saying, “I will serve 3 students and make 10 one to one Bible studies.” My shepherd accepted my request. God blessed my spiritual desire and granted me 3 students and 10 one to one Bible studies a week. My fellowship grew until we had 50 one to one Bible studies and 30 Sunday worship attendants. Although I never sowed before, God blessed me to share the joy of the harvest.
Msn Paul Kwon took me on a mission trip to Inner Mongolia. I caught a glimpse of God’s vision to evangelize 5 countries of central Asia and 5 regions of C nation. They are waiting for harvest workers and they are ready for harvest. God blessed our vision. Recently 5 missionaries were sent to C nation. One of them was a drunkard who drank vodka like water. He was kicked out of school. But through one to one Bible study, he was changed and sent as a missionary to C nation. Through this we could see God’s vision for Mongolia to be a missionary sending nation. God has blessed many other Asian countries as well to send native missionaries from among us, such as India, Philippines, Indonesia and Japan. We see God’s vision for Asia as a missionary sending continent. Jesus said, “Open your eyes and look at the fields. Asia is ripe for harvest.” May God use us both as sowers and reapers in his gospel work until many missionaries are sent out to all 55 countries of Asia.