The Gospel of John
Chapter 4
Verses 32 – 54
Chapter 4 Verses 32- 42
Vs. 32 The disciples gave Jesus some food, but Jesus did not want to eat.
Jesus said, “I have meat (food) to eat that you do not know about.”
The disciples thought this was a strange thing. They said to each other, “Did someone come and give him something to eat while we were away?”
Vs.34 Jesus said, “My food (meat) is to do the will of God and do the work the Father has for me to do.”
Jesus is telling them that there are times when we do work for God that His strength comes into us—-and if we are tired, sleepy, hungry—it seems that after we have done God’s work—we feel good—-we feel full, and satisfied—we are not tired—we feel strength. God’s spirit fills us and it is enough.
Vs. 35 Jesus told the disciples , “Do not say that there are 4 months yet until it is harvest time. Look around, the fields are ready to harvest now.”
(Harvest time is when all the plants growing in the field are ready to cut and bring in.)
Jesus was not talking about real plants growing in a field. Jesus was talking about people. The souls/spirits of people being ready to come to believe Jesus/God—– to be born again, to be “saved”, —–to believe in Jesus to be forgiven.
Vs. 36 Jesus said, “He that works to reap (cut) the plants gets paid for his work. This work is bringing “fruit” (people, souls) to eternal life.
Vs. 37 One person sows (puts seed in the dirt), another person cuts the plants when they are grown (harvest).
Vs. 38 Jesus said, ” I sent you to reap (cut) in a place were you did not plant the seed. Other people planted the seeds. The other people worked in the field to weed or water. You have been called to harvest what they have worked on.”
Jesus was saying that when we help people come to believe in Jesus, other people may have helped before we came. It takes some time for people to believed in Jesus and decide to follow Him.
Some people talk to others and give them a little idea of what it is to believe in Jesus and be a true Christian, but that person may not believe the first time they hear about it.”
Later, other people talk some more to them and help them understand more about Jesus. They teach them.
After more time, some one comes along and asks them if they want to pray and ask Jesus for forgiveness, and give their life to Jesus to obey Him and follow Him. The person says, “Yes.”
But all those people helped—not just the person who asked them to pray. Each person had a part in helping them to make a decision to believe and follow Jesus.
As Christians we have a part in helping others become Christians. Some of us may never see some one pray and ask Jesus into his life and heart.
Some of us will “plant seeds” in that person’s mind to start them thinking about God.
Some of us will give them more reason to think about following Jesus.
Some of us will help teach people after they become Christians to help them grow and learn more about God.
Vs. 39 Many of the Samaritan people came to Jesus and asked him to stay in their town. So Jesus stayed there 2 days.
Many people believed Jesus because of the words Jesus said to them.
The people told the woman, “We believe, not because of what you said, but because we have heard him talk, and we believe he is the Christ, the Savior of the world.
Chapter 4 Verses 43- 54
Verse 43 – 46
Jesus went to his home area. He knew that a “prophet has honor with many people but often he does not have honor in his own area”. The reason is that people you grew up with think of you as “just the boy next door”. You are nothing special. Even though you may have special ability, the people who think they know you so well, do not seem to think what you do is special. When you go away from home, other people think you are wonderful.
Many of these people from his home area had just been to Jerusalem for the feast days, so they saw and heard about the things Jesus was doing.
Jesus is now in the town of Cana where he made the water into wine at the wedding, a nobleman from a nearby town of Capernaum, came to Jesus and asked him to heal his son. He said, “Please come to my home, my son is near death.”
Jesus told him, “Your son will live.”
The man believed Jesus. He went home. His son was well! When he asked what time the son got better, they told him. It was the same time as when he was talking to Jesus and Jesus said, “He will live.”
So this was the second miracle Jesus did in Galilee.