Main Thought
Jesus understood that He was sent by the Father, and that clarity shaped His priorities. In John 4, while His disciples were focused on physical food and future plans, Jesus was fully engaged in the mission unfolding right in front of Him. A routine stop in Samaria became a moment of divine urgency. Jesus recognized something others saw as an inconvenience for what it really was: an opportunity to accomplish the Father’s will.
Jesus’ words, “Lift up your eyes,” reveal that participation in God’s mission may require fresh vision and renewed focus. The harvest is not merely a future reality; it is already before us. A harvest is a window of opportunity that eventually closes. Following Jesus includes learning to see as He sees - recognizing the value of people, stewarding our opportunities well, and joining the work God is already doing. We can impact eternity in the rhythms of our everyday lives when we take our place in the church’s mission.
Main Passages
13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
- John 4:13-14
31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.
- John 4:31-34
35 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.”
- John 4:35-38
Discussion Questions
Jesus was so focused on reaching someone distant from God - a position we’ve all been in at one point - that He ignored His own physical needs. What can that teach us about God’s heart for the mission? What can that teach us about God’s heart for us?
Christians often use the phrase “being fed” to describe hearing or learning about God in ways that strengthen our faith (see Matthew 4:4; 5:6; John 21:15–17). While that is accurate, John 4:31–34 shows that serving God and participating in His work also nourishes us spiritually. How does this broaden your understanding of what it means to be spiritually fed? Why is that important for following Jesus?
Jesus highlights that some sow and others reap, but all share in the joy of the Lord together. How does this help you remain faithful in seasons when you feel like you are sowing without seeing immediate results?