36 Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."
Here our Lord demonstrates to His disciples, both then and now, through the analogy of the harvest, that His work was profitable and advantageous. We do not serve a hard Master. There are showers of blessings now and blessings throughout eternity – His disciples would be the gainers – His disciples are always the gainers. Jesus tells us later in John the central focus for all work should be on the eternal rather than the temporal:
27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." John 6:27 (NIV)
Never forget that God’s will for the lives of His children is always perfect and pleasing. It is Satan that throws in the alluring lie that sin satisfies rather than our Savior.
Having previously incited His disciples to open their eyes to the need before them as a field ripe for harvest, Jesus now presses them towards due diligence in their work. Just as they were workers with Jesus, they must be workers like Jesus. The time of opportunity was at hand and they must act. It was a necessary work that was both urgent and pressing – souls were under conviction and, as Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians, the opportune time had arrived:
1 As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. 2 For he says,
"In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. 2 Cor 6:1-2 (NIV)
Their harvest work was the preaching of the gospel. Moses and the prophets and the Baptist had all gone before them preparing the way – sowing the seed of repentance and now it was theirs to reap using the sickle of the gospel of salvation. Just as a field of grain is ready to be reaped, multitudes were ready to receive the good news. The prophets had sown in tears while the disciples had the benefit of reaping in joy. This did not make them better than those who had walked before them; rather it completed both their ministries. Speaking of the heroes of great faith who went before us, the writer of Hebrews states these saints had not yet realized their eschatological hopes:
35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated-- 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. Heb 11:35-40 (NIV)
I am reminded of Paul’s words to the church in Corinth:
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe--as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. 1 Cor 3:5-9 (NIV)
“Paul said that he was gripped by the love of God and that is why he acted as he did. People could perceive him as mad or sane – he did not care. There was only one thing he lived for – to persuade people of the coming judgment of God and to tell them of ‘the love of Christ.’ This total surrender to the ‘the love of Christ’ is the only thing that will bear fruit in your life. And it will always leave the mark of God’s holiness and His power, never drawing attention to your personal holiness.” Oswald Chambers
And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor 5:19-21 (NIV)