White With Harvest

Do you not say, "There are still four months and then comes the harvest"? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

John 4:35

The garden boxes in our front yard look pretty bleak these days. What once held various tomato plants and marigolds nearly six feet tall now sit empty. Gone are the bright green cilantro and basil plants we used in the kitchen throughout the summer and into fall. The zinnias, gladiolas, peonies, and cosmos are gone as well.

I enjoy gardening, but I would never call myself a farmer, that’s for sure. So when Jesus speaks of fields white as harvest, I can’t immediately conjure up images of what that looks like based on my own personal experience. In fact, I’m often removed from the everyday experiences Jesus mentioned in the Bible. Threshing wheat and planting vineyards are as far removed from my daily life as cell phones and Facebook would be to Jesus’ disciples.

I may not know what it’s like to harvest a field of wheat, but I do love seeing cherry tomato plants dotted with yellow flowers because they signal the joy that’s coming. Day after day, I keep watch. When it’s time to harvest, I pluck ripe tomatoes from the vine and pop them into my mouth.

If I harvest too soon, the fruit is bitter. Too late, and they begin to rot on the vine or fall into the dirt to decompose. One must be attentive to harvest at just the right time. Perhaps this is what Jesus meant when he spoke the words of John 4.

The Bible says in verse 4 that Jesus “needed” to go through Samaria. What if he knew harvest awaited him there? That harvest looked vastly different than anything his disciples would have considered at the time.

Technology gives us opportunities to see harvest that others may not see. That Facebook friend from high school who shares your love for bad lip sync videos may very well be hurting, hoping for words of grace. The colleague who lives on the other side of the country or the world? Maybe she’s ready to hear that God wants her to be free of drugs or alcohol. Why not place a Skype call to connect? Your son’s friend from high school may be desperate to hear that his life really does matter. Who’s to say that a quick text to tell him he’s loved could save his life and his soul.

The fields are white with harvest.

FOR FURTHER REFLECTION:

Are there people in your neighborhood or at work who are open and receptive to the good news? How can you share the love of Jesus with someone this week? What would happen if you were intentional to share God’s love through technology today?

PRAYER:

Dear God, thank for you giving us the privilege of participating with you in the harvest. Fill us with your love and grace. Give us a sense of expectancy as we consider people around us who are ready to experience your love. Guide us and give us discernment, that we may reach out to others at just the right times. Amen.