The Harvest

Jesus commonly used agricultural metaphors to describe the work of the kingdom of God. The Bible frequently speaks of a coming harvest when Jesus returns to the world to gather the saved and take them to heaven (see Revelation 14:14–16).

Just as in gardening, the harvest makes soul winning worth all the time and effort invested. When a sunflower opens and brightens up a yard or when garden-fresh vegetables are served to eat, the energy that went into growing your food is recognized as being well worth it. Although evangelism can be challenging at times, seeing someone give their life to Jesus or rise up out of the waters of baptism beaming with joy reminds you that sharing Jesus with others is what life is really all about.

Winning souls can take time, and it demands care and resources that not everyone is willing to invest in. Love for others and the hope of the harvest kept Jesus on the front lines of evangelistic outreach. He came to this world “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). He was familiar with Isaiah’s statements that He would be “despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). The Holy Spirit had inspired the gospel prophet to write, But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed (verse 5).

But the same chapter of Isaiah explains what kept Jesus going. Verse 11 tells us Jesus always remembered that people would be saved because He came to earth. That same thought motivates people today to share their faith.

Not everyone will respond to the gospel as you might wish.

Not every Bible study leads to conversion. But the harvest inspires us to keep sowing, keep watering, keep nurturing —to keep laboring in God’s vineyard, knowing that one soon day there will be people in heaven who might otherwise have never had the opportunity to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.