Post by M.R. Hagerty on Mar 8, 2023 10:51:34 GMT -7
32 "I have food to eat that you do not know about." . . "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.
The disciples are reminded that it is considerably past the noontime meal and He has not eaten. Unlike many of us who faint at the thought of going long without our lunch, Jesus had no critical concerns about taking or missing a meal. His food was the work of the Father. We marvel that He could be this absorbed in fulfilling that work, that physical needs were secondary.
Most of us have had those moments when we are so excited about a project and we’re enjoying the work so much that time flies and we suddenly realize that our missed lunch was three hours ago. We truly did not notice.
The Meaning of Disciple
A disciple in ancient times was similar to what we find in the account of Socrates and his students. Men sat at the feet of their teacher and then adopted his way of life, his philosophy, making his things their own. Such was Plato, who is more famous than Socrates.
In the ministry of Jesus, his disciples were to do the same. It was a choice to take on His teaching and way of looking at the world and things above, and to adopt His manner of ministry and life. If we likewise desire to be His disciples, we may question the necessity of donning a cloak and sandals, but we cannot be fuzzy about making His teaching and purpose our own. The Son’s mission to mankind was to do the will of His Father.
Later we hear Jesus say, “I am doing those things I see the Father doing.” (John 5:19.) This must also be the mission of those who choose to follow Him. This means at the very least we must first know what the Father is doing, that we may emulate Him. That’s a hard one for many people. It takes discernment in the spiritual plane, and many folks have difficulty just discerning things in the earthly plane. It is something all Christians need to cultivate. It will not come by magic. We need to exercise this ability just as the disciples of Socrates set out on a course of exercising their understanding of his philosophy and mode of speech. The disciples of Jesus came to be called “little Christs” which is what christianos means. They got that designation because people heard them and saw them doing the same things that Christ had done.
John 4:35-38
35 "Do you not say, `There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.
Jesus is asking them to use the powers of reasoning that God gave them and to combine this with the spiritual enlightening they are receiving from God as they walk with Him. On the earthly plane they can tell when harvest is nigh because they see the tell-tale signs. If they use spiritual sight, they will realize that the harvest of human souls in not merely close to its time, but the time has come. The fields are white for harvest. The spiritual insight needed to see this was the knowledge that men everywhere were more than ready to hear the good news of Christ’s Gospel. All that was needed was someone to go, for someone to begin speaking. Does this mean every person was ready? We know the answer is no because of those who resisted Him and put Him to death. But it did mean that there were sufficient who were ripe and ready for harvest, and these would become the Church waiting to be born.
It is possible that Jesus in fact pointed toward the crowds of those now coming out to see Him. ”See the fields white for the harvest” Whether every man ready to believe or not, there were those among them who would, and these were enough to be seen as a harvest ready for reaping.
36 "he who reaps is receiving wages . . fruit for life eternal . . he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. . . 37 “‘. . One sows and another reaps.’”
Notice what constitutes the fruit for life eternal. It is the souls of those who are harvested. When we ask what materials are building the Kingdom of Heaven, we find that it is being built with the souls of people. They are the building blocks. The streets of gold and the River of Life have no meaning if no one lives there. That this reaping is already occurring is meant to apply to their own work with Jesus. The quotation One sows and another reaps” is not a scriptural quotation but an adage from the simple observance of life.
The disciples are reminded that it is considerably past the noontime meal and He has not eaten. Unlike many of us who faint at the thought of going long without our lunch, Jesus had no critical concerns about taking or missing a meal. His food was the work of the Father. We marvel that He could be this absorbed in fulfilling that work, that physical needs were secondary.
Most of us have had those moments when we are so excited about a project and we’re enjoying the work so much that time flies and we suddenly realize that our missed lunch was three hours ago. We truly did not notice.
The Meaning of Disciple
A disciple in ancient times was similar to what we find in the account of Socrates and his students. Men sat at the feet of their teacher and then adopted his way of life, his philosophy, making his things their own. Such was Plato, who is more famous than Socrates.
In the ministry of Jesus, his disciples were to do the same. It was a choice to take on His teaching and way of looking at the world and things above, and to adopt His manner of ministry and life. If we likewise desire to be His disciples, we may question the necessity of donning a cloak and sandals, but we cannot be fuzzy about making His teaching and purpose our own. The Son’s mission to mankind was to do the will of His Father.
Later we hear Jesus say, “I am doing those things I see the Father doing.” (John 5:19.) This must also be the mission of those who choose to follow Him. This means at the very least we must first know what the Father is doing, that we may emulate Him. That’s a hard one for many people. It takes discernment in the spiritual plane, and many folks have difficulty just discerning things in the earthly plane. It is something all Christians need to cultivate. It will not come by magic. We need to exercise this ability just as the disciples of Socrates set out on a course of exercising their understanding of his philosophy and mode of speech. The disciples of Jesus came to be called “little Christs” which is what christianos means. They got that designation because people heard them and saw them doing the same things that Christ had done.
John 4:35-38
35 "Do you not say, `There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.
Jesus is asking them to use the powers of reasoning that God gave them and to combine this with the spiritual enlightening they are receiving from God as they walk with Him. On the earthly plane they can tell when harvest is nigh because they see the tell-tale signs. If they use spiritual sight, they will realize that the harvest of human souls in not merely close to its time, but the time has come. The fields are white for harvest. The spiritual insight needed to see this was the knowledge that men everywhere were more than ready to hear the good news of Christ’s Gospel. All that was needed was someone to go, for someone to begin speaking. Does this mean every person was ready? We know the answer is no because of those who resisted Him and put Him to death. But it did mean that there were sufficient who were ripe and ready for harvest, and these would become the Church waiting to be born.
It is possible that Jesus in fact pointed toward the crowds of those now coming out to see Him. ”See the fields white for the harvest” Whether every man ready to believe or not, there were those among them who would, and these were enough to be seen as a harvest ready for reaping.
36 "he who reaps is receiving wages . . fruit for life eternal . . he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. . . 37 “‘. . One sows and another reaps.’”
Notice what constitutes the fruit for life eternal. It is the souls of those who are harvested. When we ask what materials are building the Kingdom of Heaven, we find that it is being built with the souls of people. They are the building blocks. The streets of gold and the River of Life have no meaning if no one lives there. That this reaping is already occurring is meant to apply to their own work with Jesus. The quotation One sows and another reaps” is not a scriptural quotation but an adage from the simple observance of life.