“Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” John 4:35
Jesus told a parable about an enterprising farmer who hired workers at dawn for a penny. At mid-day, the farmer hired more for the same pay, and then hired still more at the eleventh hour for one penny as well. Given this glaring inequality in pay, many modern laborers have a difficult time understanding this parable.
The fact is, however, that this hiring practice had nothing to do with the wage scale, the skill level of the workers or the employer’s questionable business ethics. The disproportionate wage was a function of the value of the harvest. The farmer knew that the grain was too valuable to let it rot, unharvested, in the field. Even though he paid dearly for more laborers to bring it in, it was worth it.
Anyone who contemplates the harvest of men for God’s kingdom understands that the same principle applies. Who among us can—or dares to—measure the inestimable value of a soul? Here, at the close of the last days, souls must not be forgotten and left to die in the fields. They are far too valuable for us to write off as a loss. Several aspects of the harvest intrigue me. Look at the following:
The field belongs to God. Yes, the world lies in wickedness, but it doesn’t belong to the devil. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. It is His world. We must denounce Satan’s claim to ownership and not feel like we are trespassing when we witness. We are on a legitimate mission for the owner.
The souls were created by God. Who breathed the breath of life into man? Certainly not Satan! That means that every soul we see has the stamp of divinity on his or her life. In fact, to redeem means to buy back that which was originally owned. Every soul, even before finding Christ, really belongs to God anyway. We commit a spiritually unconscionable act to see drug addicts, prostitutes or thieves instead of souls. We do a despicable disservice to the Lord of the Harvest to see blasphemers, mockers and pagans instead of souls. Which one of them did Jesus omit from his blood-soaked redemption? Which one of them ranks so low on God’s scale that they don’t qualify for one gospel sermon, one prayer or one altar call?
The harvest doesn’t come easily. Farmers will tell you that not all workers are the same. Some laborers glean far more than others, even though they work side by side with others through the same fields. Why? They harvest more because they attack the harvest with greater determination, vision and work than fellow workers! Some work for a living; others live to work. Some put in their time with their eye on the paycheck; others work to please their boss knowing that the paycheck will take care of itself. But our passion to reach souls must surge past selfish motives, outlast the fatigue factors and pit our will against the stubborn barriers to the harvest. Here’s what we must do:
Push back the foliage. As fruit often hides behind leaves, so souls hide behind facades of disinterest, rejection, or false argumentation. Push back the leaves and you may find a glorious harvest.
Climb a tree and get out on a limb. Sometimes the harvest requires risk. How far are you willing to go to reach someone? How much are you willing to invest to reclaim a soul for Christ?
Expect thorns and briers. Many gatherers of blackberries have pulled thorns from their flesh. They knew it would happen because blackberry bushes grow thorns. The love of the fruit made them do it. Likewise, soulwinners often feel the painful prickings of anger, resentment and pent-up bitterness. The love of souls drives them onward.
Ignore the pain . No one manhandles a sickle or scythe for very long without blisters and sore muscles. Wimps quit at the first little red mark, but the veteran laborer works through the pain. He knows that after a while it will let up. Calluses will form and muscles will become stronger. He just keeps on going.
Keep your implements in good condition. Sharpen your blades, oil your machinery, repair your broken parts and your chances of reaping a good harvest will increase. Spiritually, stay prayed up, read up, paid up and you will increase your effectiveness as a witness.
The ripened harvest is there. God put it there. Go after those souls with a greater determination and perseverance than you’ve had in the past. The field will yield her fruit to the good laborer.