“Lift up your eyes, and look” (Joh 4:35).1
At its core, John chapter four is essentially a clinic in soul winning. By example and exhortation, our Lord shows the effect the gospel can have on individuals and communities, culminating in His agricultural analogy of a harvest, not of grain but of souls. This article will examine some evangelistic parallels between the events in this passage and the life of Joseph, ultimately showing us some practical lessons we can apply in our own outreach and preaching.
Beginning with Joseph’s prison experience, we are taught two very important things: how to handle people and how to handle the Word of God.
Joseph had been appointed supervisor of the entire prison, but that didn’t mean he became a difficult, demanding boss. In fact, “he served them” (Gen 40:4) describes the activities of a man who cared daily for the needs of others. Indeed, before these men saw Joseph as a preacher, they saw him as a man who cared. Far be it from us to be known only as preachers, seen in our community as takers and not givers! Gospel opportunity often opens up through patient, simple service to others.
Have you ever wondered how Joseph even noticed the sad countenance of these men? How did he know that on that day something was different (Gen 40:6)? It may seem too simple, but the practical answer is that he was close enough to notice. From the simple act of spending time with them, he had gotten to know their personalities and even their mannerisms. However, while knowing your audience is valuable, there is an even greater principle at work here: through service and time spent with them, not only did Joseph get to know them, but they also got to know and trust him! Joseph’s words were definitely bolstered by his character and care. Regular contact is something we should think about as we aim to reach out for Christ.
So, that’s how he handled the people. But what about Joseph’s actual presentation of truth? Knowing that God was speaking to these men, he made sure that his message was clear and faithful. What a joy it must have been to tell that butler the good news of future glory. With a smile on his face and enthusiasm in his voice, Joseph could rejoice in a message of hope for an otherwise hopeless man. But good news wasn’t all Joseph had from God; he also had a message of judgment. To be faithful in telling only the good news might have been easier; still, we can almost sense a difference in Joseph’s facial expressions and tone as he seriously addresses the baker and tenderly tells him of a grim future. There can be no other way for the faithful sharer of the gospel. Let us be very careful that our message to sinners contains a balance of sin and salvation, and pray that we never find ourselves compromising on the presentation of judgment. The salvation of souls largely depends on the faithfulness of the messenger (Jer 23:28).
Our Lord exemplifies this in John 4. One can almost feel the delight as the Lord Jesus says to the Samaritan woman, “The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (v14). A bona fide offer of eternal life through the Lord of Glory is the best news a guilty sinner could hear. But on the heels of those very words, the Saviour broached a touchy subject: sin. He pointed out her unholy lifestyle. It had to be said, for the reception of eternal life first demanded the acknowledgment of personal guilt. Remember, not one of us could ever improve on the Lord’s example, so let us prayerfully seek to be balanced and faithful to the Word of God as we share the gospel. Neither Joseph nor the Lord Jesus prioritized their audience’s feelings over faithfulness, and we shouldn’t either.
Joseph’s faithful witness then led to even greater opportunity. In Genesis 41, standing before Pharaoh, he applied the same principles of preaching used in the prison. He showed confidence in God and faithfulness in presentation. If there was ever a time of pressure, this was it. Fear could have led him to compromise, but he knew that diluting the message would mean the death of the masses! So he told the whole truth, even the difficult news of the coming famine. As we know from our previous meditations, the king was so impressed by Joseph that he elevated him to second-in-command, but with that came great responsibility.
Now the son, sent by his father thirteen years earlier to check on his shepherd brothers, was in charge of the largest agricultural operation ever. But perhaps even more important for our current study, we see that the man who had a vision for the future became “lord of the harvest.” Joseph’s wisdom is highlighted as he implemented the plan to appoint officers to oversee the harvest and to store 20% for the future. While the plan was innovative and ambitious for its time, there is a third aspect that helps us with our John 4 study: the timing of the harvest. While many bureaucrats would be happy to study, procrastinate and put things off, Joseph knew that for the salvation of the world, the harvest starts right now!
The comparison draws itself. Little did anyone know that an insignificant encounter with an outcast in prison would eventually affect so many. As we watch the butler leave his chains behind to return to the king’s court (Gen 40:13), none of us could anticipate that his personal encounter with God through a faithful servant-messenger was about to change the course of the entire world and result in the salvation of many nations. But that’s exactly what happened. Likewise, nobody could have seen the potential of the meeting at Sychar. Still, when the ostracized sinner left her waterpot behind to go into the town, her account of her personal dealings with God through the Messiah was enough to start a revival throughout the entire city!
But what about the harvest? At Jacob’s well that day, the disciples began insisting that the Lord eat something. His answer implied that He had a different focus: obedience and spiritual meat, reminding them that the most important needs are not physical and that the priority should be on spiritual work. “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” (Joh 4:35). In one concise sentence, the Lord brought their thinking from the physical, seasonal harvest to the spiritual, immediate harvest. Joseph-like, He was insisting that the time for ingathering is now, not later, and the salvation of many depends upon it!
But was He not also recalibrating their focus? Visualize it. The disciples are looking at each other (v33), but the Lord hasn’t taken His eyes off the woman as she heads into the city. Focused on the spiritual, He sees what they miss: a crowd pouring out of the city, thirsty for this living water (v30). The command to “lift up your eyes” was actually a rebuke to their carnal tendencies to “mind earthly things” (Php 3:19).
Now the disciples could have been excused for their ignorance. After all, they had been instructed different times to preach to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mat 10:6; 15:24). They would be aware of a coming harvest, but they couldn’t see beyond their own parameters. In other words, they had no trouble being sent as labourers in the gospel fields, but they didn’t have that place or those people in mind. Basically, what the Lord was teaching them was this: “You may be looking for other people in other places and other times, but I’m telling you it’s these people, in this place, right now.”
Sometimes we could use the same reminder to stop us in our self-regulated service. We pray for certain people and arrange certain times for outreach, yet the Lord may have a harvest before us right now. Maybe if we lifted up our eyes with a spiritual focus, we would see the immigrants in our communities as less of a political issue and more as souls in God’s harvest. Perhaps, if we really look, the Lord is opening doors in your school, workplace or seniors’ home that could be your corner of the field for the rest of your life. So, instead of planning and procrastinating, let’s lift up our eyes!
A seeking son, sent to Shechem. Buried bones, a boundary-breaking bough, a new name, and the Lord of the harvest. Our hope is that these considerations of John 4 through the lens of Joseph have helped us appreciate the passage more, with its devotional features and practical teaching.
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV.
