Since I have taken the pastorate at Martins Prairie, I have learned a little about hay. Most people would state “since I have …, I have learned A LOT about …” I cannot say this. My knowledge has only scratched the surface of the wonderful world of hay. But those who grew up in an agrarian environment probably know a whole lot about hay, including such things as spontaneous combustion of hay bales. Check this paper out: http://www.psla.umd.edu/extension/publications/haycombustionp1c.pdf. We become well versed in the details of our culture. Another way to say that is we are disciples of our culture. People who grew up around hay have learned about hay and know hay. And this is good, because in the case of hay, you don’t want to lose any hay to fire. They also know when to cut hay, how long to let it dry before baling, and a whole myriad of other useful information about this crop.
One challenge the church faces is to grow up and learn things about the kingdom of God. We are born into and trained in a culture hostile to that of Christ’s kingdom. Paul tells us to mature in another culture (Romans 12:1-2; Colossians 3; and other passages). But this Christ culture is a little harder to grow up into, because it’s spiritual, and therefore not so tangible. This has been a challenge from the days of the disciples. Jesus rebuked the people of his time: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way. You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?” (Luke 12:54-56) Of course He was speaking of their inability to see Him for who He really was. Are we not the same? To the disciples the rebuke went like this, and it was a rebuke, “Do you not say, ‘there are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.” (John 4:35-36). So was Jesus’ harvest calendar off? Was the harvest literally rotting in the field? “A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
Jesus was speaking of a harvest of lives for the kingdom. John tells us in chapter 4 verse 30, “They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.” Jesus was looking toward a crowd of Samaritans coming his way. And they were ripe for the picking. Like the dull disciples, focused on food, many in the church have not become versed in the culture of Christ, and His Kingdom. Instead we focus on personal appetites and other distractions while Christ is trying to draw our attention to the fruit ready for harvest.
The crop is way too valuable to whomever owns the field to just let it go unharvested, or cut and bale it too soon. Likewise, the souls of people must be harvested precicely when the Holy Spirit has made them ready because they are valuable to Christ. Like the knowledgeable harvester of hay, we must spend time in the field, getting to know the crop, harvesting season after season, learning from our master, His disciples, and experience, so that we can be effective harvesters of the souls of people.
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