Lift Your Eyes

Lift your eyes and look unto the fields, Jesus told His disciples, for the fields are white already to harvest. Returning with food, they wrongly assumed He was speaking of earthly food, but, as was often the case, Jesus had a heavenly meaning far more important than any earthly food could be!

31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
35 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.
36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.
(John 4:31-38, King James Version)

While the woman at the well has left to tell all of her friends and neighbors about the Messiah, Jesus and His disciples have a conversation. The disciples had returned with food for Jesus. He surprised them with His response.

But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.

Not understanding Him, they thought perhaps someone had already brought food to Him. Jesus, however, was not speaking of physical food, but rather of spiritual food, explaining that his "meat" was to do the will of God.

Now He broadens their understanding. 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.

In the following verses, He is explaining their purpose, as Christians. Notice, that all of the work is not left up to one man, or one occupation. Do we feel like we are lesser Christians because we are not pastors or missionaries? Is the whole realm of reaching people for Christ left up to them? Granted we owe much gratitude, as well as prayer support, to our pastors and missionaries, but bringing people to Christ is not just their responsibility.

Every Christian is given the same purpose in life, though it may done in some of the most unusual circumstances. Are the fields ripe for harvest today? Oh yes, lift your eyes, they are beyond ripe; they are white unto harvest.

God places each Christian in a unique place, representing every imaginable occupation known to man, within the bounds of God's Law. Each one is responsible for his or her little corner of the world. God sends some of us to sow and some of us to reap. No matter what our occupation or career might be, whether we are homemakers or brick layers, our chief purpose is to let God shine through our lives and be a dynamic testimony for Christ.

What an amazing God we have. He uses the poor and weak (as well as the strong) to confound the wise, as wisdom comes only from the Lord.

Lift your eyes. The fields are white unto harvest. What are you doing about it?