Jesus asks us to look up and see that people are ready to hear the good news.
“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.”John 4:35 (KJV)
What does “Lift up your eyes” mean in John 4:35?
Jesus says this to disciples who had just returned from buying food in a Samaritan town. He points to fields ready for harvest as a picture of people ready to respond.
Going deeper
Jesus said, 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. The disciples had been focused on lunch and on the usual calendar. Jesus asks them to look again. There are people nearby who are ready right now. We may be putting off what God wants us to do, thinking the time is not right.
This can be a challenge to our assumptions. We may think that our neighbors are not interested, or that we are not ready. Jesus says, lift up your eyes. Look around your neighborhood, your workplace, and your family. Who seems open, curious, or in need? Pray for a chance to speak or help. Do not wait for a perfect season. The harvest is not always four months away. Sometimes it is already white, right in front of us.
Reflect
Whom around you might be ready to hear about Jesus, if you looked with fresh eyes?
Pray
Lord Jesus, open my eyes to see the people around me who are ready. Give me courage to act now and not to wait. In Jesus' name, amen.
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