Follow Jesus: With Open Eyes

“Don’t you have a saying, ‘Four more months and then the harvest’? Well, what I say to you is: open your eyes and look at the fields! They’re already ripe for harvest! “

John 4:35 (CJB)

Jesus said this to His disciples right after His encounter with the woman at the well. In fact, they were still at the well, in Samaria, when He said it. To catch the impact of His statement, we have to know the relationship between Jews and Samaritans.

Jews hated Samaritans. Samaritans hated Jews. Jews would cross the Jordan river to avoid going through Samaria.

And this was the harvest field Jesus told His disciples to open their eyes to see. What caught my eye (no pun intended, but yay me for making one), is that Jesus didn’t open their eyes, He told them to open their own eyes. To stop looking at things from an earthly perspective, and look at it from heaven’s viewpoint.

We will only see a spiritual harvest if we open our eyes to see what heaven sees.

There is a harvest in front of us that is ripe, but it is not just among the people we like, the people that are basically like us, but unsaved. It is a harvest made up of the people we avoid. The people we judge. The ones we don’t want anything to do with. I don’t need to name them, I think we all know who we go out of our way to avoid coming in contact with.

“Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.“

2 Kings 6:17 (CSB)

Elisha’s servant had looked out his window in the morning, and saw the King of Aram’s massive army surrounding them. In fear, he asked Elisha, “what are we going to do?”.

Have you looked out your window lately? Sometimes, it seems like the army of darkness that has been amassing grows with each passing day. Somedays, I have Elisha’s faith. Other days, I have his servant’s fear. And no matter how hard that servant may have tried, he couldn’t open his own eyes wide enough to see what was really there.

Sometimes, we will see what’s really going on, only if God opens our eyes.

 “I pray that He will give light to the eyes of your hearts, so that you will understand the hope to which He has called you…

Ephesians 1:18 (CJB)

I think the early disciples, including (and especially) Paul, had the eyes of their hearts open and full of light. Why do I think that? Because they were all-in, to the death. Earth had nothing for them.

I wonder if earth still has too much for us. Too many things to distract us, to compete for our affections and our allegience. Things that block our view of eternity.

Some things can only be seen with the heart that has been made full of light.

“For you used to be darkness; but now, united with the Lord, you are light. Live like children of light…” (Ephesians 5:8)

I pray that we, the Church (mostly me tho), will open our eyes and see the harvest that we avoid.

I pray He will open our eyes to see who is with us, when all we can see is what is standing against us.

And I pray that we will live with nothing blocking our view of eternity; as those for whom earth has no hold, because He has brought His light to the eyes of our heart, and now we understand the hope that is ours in Christ.

May we follow Jesus with open eyes.