Parables of the Harvesters
John 4:35-38 
35  [Jesus said,] "You have a saying, ‘In-4-months, we will have harvest.'  But I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields ready for harvest now. 
36 Already, God is hiring people to go harvest them for eternal life. One person plants-seeds.  Another person harvests.  Both joyfully celebrate together. 
37 Here the saying is true, ‘One person plants, and another person harvests.’ 
38 I sent you to harvest food that you didn't plant-seed. Others people did the hard work, and you enjoy the benefits of their work in your harvest."
Matthew 9:37-38
37 Jesus said to His disciples, “The field is big and the harvest is ready, but only a few workers go for harvesting them. 
38 Pray to the Lord, who owns the harvest, that He will send more workers into His harvest.”

The Planters = 	
The Harvesters = 	
The Harvest = 	
Application = 	

Suggested Old Testament Lesson:
Isaiah 52:7
Truly beautiful are the people, walking on the mountain,
	announcing Good News,
	announcing peace and salvation,
	telling Jerusalem:  "Your God is King!"

Suggested Epistle Lesson:
2 Corinthians 5:17-6:2
17 If anyone belongs to Christ, HE makes you become new a new person. Your old life is finished.  Christ makes everything new!
18 That new life all is from God.  HE connects to us through Christ Jesus. And God wants us to tell people how they also can connect with HIM.
19 God is in Christ, connecting the world with HIMSELF.  God didn't blame people for their sins.  And HE gives us responsibility for telling them HIS message [story] about HIS connection with them in Christ.
20 We represent [R-show] Christ.  God, through us, invites you. In the name of Christ and for HIM, we beg you:  Become connected with God.
21 Christ had no sin, but God made Christ become guilty with our sin.  Now we can become clean with God.
 6:1 We work together with God, begging you: Don't waste HIS wonderful love gift!
2 God says:  	“In the right time, I heard you. 
	On your day for salvation, I helped you.”  
I tell you:  The “right time” is now!
	Your “day for salvation” is now!

Supplemental Scriptures
Romans 10
11 As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disappointed.” 12 That Scripture says “anyone” because there is no difference between those who are Jews and those who are not. The same Lord is the Lord of all and gives many blessings to all who trust in him, 13 as the Scripture says, “Anyone who calls on the Lord will be saved.”
 14 But before people can ask the Lord for help, they must believe in him; and before they can believe in him, they must hear about him; and for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them; 15 and before someone can go and tell them, that person must be sent. It is written, “How beautiful is the person who comes to bring good news.”
1 Corinthians 3
 5 ...We are only servants of God who helped you believe. Each one of us did the work God gave us to do. 6 I planted the seed, and Apollos watered it. But God is the One who made it grow. 7 So the one who plants is not important, and the one who waters is not important. Only God, who makes things grow, is important. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have the same purpose, and each will be rewarded for his own work. 9 We are God's workers, working together; you are like God's farm, God's house.

See what God told His prophets and apostles when He called them to announce His message:
	Moses (Exodus 3 & 4)
	Isaiah (Is. 6:1-8)
	Jeremiah (Jer. 1:4-10)
	Jonah (Jonah 1:1-3)
	Simon Peter (Luke 5:4-11)
	Paul (Acts 26:12-18) 

The Parable of the Harvesters

This parable about the harvesters is so short, so easy, so simple, I almost skipped over it.  

But this story is so important, we must not ignore it.

Jesus said, "Open your eyes and look:  
The field is big and the harvest is ready... NOW!

The Field = ??
The Harvest = ??

This is not hard.
The Field = the world.

The wheat that is ready for harvest = people .... which people?
People who don't-yet know Jesus... 
	but they are ready to know Him,
		if only someone will invite them.

The Harvesters = the "inviters"

We already saw the stories Jesus told about planting seeds.

Remember:  The Seed = God's Word,
The Seed is the story about Jesus --
	His suffering, death, and resurrection.
The Seed is the Good News that 
	Jesus accepted for Himself all the punishment 
		that our sins deserve, 
	and because of that, 
		God forgives us,
		and He wants a relationship with us.

Jesus wants us to scatter that Seed in the world.
And if we do that, our work is not finished.

Many people will reject God's Word --
	like the seed that falls on hard ground.

But His Seed will grow in some people's hearts.
And if we invite them, they will answer "Yes!"
	And they will trust Him.

Sometimes we scatter seed -- share the Good News about Jesus,
	but we never see any success in our work.
	We don't know if that Seed grew or not.

Sometimes when we invite someone to trust Christ,
	they answer "Yes!"
		and we have joy in harvest work.

The Bible said, "One person plants-seed,
	and another person harvests it."

But the seed-planter and the crop harvester
	are not competing against each other.

They are working together for the same purpose,
	the same goal,
because the harvest is not ours,
	but His -- God's.

Spiritual farm work is not the same as the world's farm work.

In the world, the seed-planter should have the right to harvest.
He did all the hard work, 
	so he should enjoy the benefit for his work.

But if one person plows the soil, plants the seed, 
	feeds and waters the plants, and pulls the weeds,
then another person comes and harvests the crop,
	that's not fair!
That's called "stealing."

But on God's farm, we are workers for Him.
	The Seed is His.
	The crop is His.
	The harvest is His.

If one person tells people about Jesus,
and later another person invites those people to trust Jesus,
	and PAH! they do trust Him,
The Lord, the planter, and the harvester all rejoice together.

But, Jesus says, He has a problem.
He has a huge farm,
	but He says He doesn't have enough workers.

He wants more seed-planters.
He wants more crop harvesters.
Who will go into the world and plant-seed?
Who will go into the world and harvest?

When God asked Moses, 
	he answered, "No, not me! I can't talk well."
When God asked the prophet Jeremiah, 
	he answered, "No, not me! I am too young."
When God asked Jonah, 
	he answered, "No, not me! 
		Those are bad people. I don't like them."
When God asked Isaiah and Peter,
	they both answered, "I am a terrible sinner!"

But God did not accept "No" from any of them.
He forgave Moses,
	and Jeremiah,
	and Jonah,
	and Isaiah,
	and Peter.

God gave them all His Holy Spirit.
In His power, 
	following His leading,
they went,
	they planted-seed,
		and they harvested.

But now Moses is gone.
Jonah, Jeremiah, Peter, and Isaiah
	are all gone.

Who will now go and work in the field,
	plant-seed, and harvest?

Jesus said that He wants us all to do two things:
(1) He wants us to pray 
	that God will send more workers into His field.
(2) He wants us to join them,
	planting-seed -- sharing Jesus,
	inviting the harvest.