The Gospel of John

Sisters in Christ

The Moody Church

Lesson 11

as presented by Mary Whelchel

John 4:35 - 45

35Do 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. 36Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and(reaper may rejoice together. 37For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' 38I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."

39Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, "He told me all that I ever did." 40So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41And many more believed because of his word. 42They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."

43After the two days he departed for Galilee. 44(For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) 45So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.

Verses 35 – 38: Jesus is saying: “If you sow seed, you must wait for at least four months before you can hope to begin to reap the harvest. But look see that the fields for the harvest of souls are white for harvest.”

Usually the one who sows the seed is the one who reaps the harvest. But in the spiritual realm, it is often quite the opposite. “One sows and another reaps.”

1 Corinthians 3:6: I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

Jesus is teaching them that in the spiritual harvest, the sower and the reaper rejoice at the same time. Typically the rejoicing comes only at reaping. Sowing is hard work.

Psalm 126:5-6: Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

Verses 39 – 45: “Many Samaritans believed in him.” These Samaritans were open to the truth of who Jesus was. Compare their reaction to Jesus to the reaction he has received from the religious leaders.

“Through his conversation with a non-Jewish woman, Jesus gave an entire non-Jewish village the opportunity to receive salvation.”

John 4:46 - 54

46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

John wrote this Gospel for one reason:

John 20:31: But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

It’s the gospel of belief. The verb “believe” appears nearly 100 times in this Gospel. Through believing in Jesus:

· People become children of God: 1:12: But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

· People obtain eternal life: 3:15-16: That whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

· People avoid judgment: 3:18: Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

· People partake in the resurrection of life: 11:25: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.”

· People posses the indwelling Holy Spirit: 7:38-39: Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

· People are delivered from spiritual darkness: 12:46: I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

· People find empowerment for spiritual service: 14:12: Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

John 6:28-29: Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Why are people condemned?

Unbelief is the sin that sends people to hell.

There are several levels of unbelief:

1. Unbelief due to lack of exposure . This is the person who just hasn’t heard the truth, but as soon as she hears the truth, she recognizes it as truth and she believes.

2. Unbelief due to lack of information . This is the person who requires more information in order to believe that Jesus is Messiah.

3. Unbelief due to a perceived lack of evidence . These are those who need to see the works of Christ.

Jesus himself offered his miracles as proof that he was the Messiah:

John 5:36: For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.

4. Unbelief due to deliberate hardheartedness . No amount of evidence would convince them otherwise.

*From The MacArthur New Testament Commentary by John MacArthur

Why does John include this proverbial statement here: For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.

We have a contrast here between the way Jesus was received by the Samaritans and the way he was received by his own people .

When we read that the Galileans welcomed him, it doesn’t mean that they believed in who he was.

Imagine this important court official hurriedly walking from Capernaum to Cana—a long way to walk and all uphill—to beg a favor from a village carpenter.

Jesus responded to him very sternly: “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” NASB rightly adds “Unless you people see signs and wonders you will not believe.”

What tone of voice do you think Jesus spoke when he said this? Was it dismissive? Was it sarcastic? Was it disappointment? Was Jesus trying to determine if this man were honestly seeking help?

This official could have been offended at how Jesus responded to him. He could have rebuked Jesus for not giving him more respect, or simply left discouraged that he couldn’t talk Jesus into coming to Capernaum. But he doesn’t give up.

Matthew 7:7-8: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Jesus says, “Go; your son will live.” Just that—no more.

The man believed the word that Jesus spoke.

We have so much more Word to believe than this man had. We have so much more proof of who Jesus is. Yet do we not find it hard to simply believe his word?

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