The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 310

poinls on to tho.t (cf. o.lso eh. v. 30; vi. 38; har-oest, reminds us of One who "withont vii. 18; viii. 50; ix. 4; xii. 49, 50; xiv. 31, a para.blo spake not." The words eo far etc.). have universal npplication in every age. Ver. 85.-Say not ye-bas not your talk The harvest hae always been ripening. The with one another been, us you have passed word >,.,uK6s ie userl in this place only for through the springing corn, There are yet the aspect of ripening corn. It !,as else- four months, and then oometh the harvest 1 where the meaning of glittering, translucent This cannot be a provorbiul expression for whiteness, and perhaps it is used here for the time which elapses between sowing und "dead ripe." The golden grain in late harvest, us some (Liicke and 'rholuck) have summer becomes white, and this intensifies supposed, becuuse, firstly, there is no mention the force of the image. It seems to eay, of sowing at all; 11.nd secondly, because Biz " These fields will be sacrificed, these fruits months was tbe customary period between will be wasted, these souls will be lost, seed-time and ingnthering; and also because unless they are reaped and bronght into the the " say not ye ?" would then be inappro- heavenly garner." priate. I cannot doubt that it. we.a e. Ver. 36.-Then pa1tially dropping, or ohronologicn.l hint that the time e.t which rather explaining, his metaphorical language, Jesus spake was four months from either he added, Already he that rea.peth receiveth the barley or wheat harvest. These harvests wages; i.e. receiveth from the great Owner genere.lly occurred between the middle of of all souls the reward of fellowsliip with March and the middle of April. The time his purpose, and the recompense of entering must, therefore, have been either the middle into the supreme joy of the Lord of the of November or of December. Tristram harvest. The disciples might at once enter (Westcott) says the (wheat?) harvest began upon their har.esting. The work was a.bout the middle of April and lasted till the itself "payment," but it has a distinct aim end of May. This would bring the time for- beyond mere µ,a6os-he who reaps in this ward another month. This makes our Lord to harvest of souls is gathering in fruit unto have spent some eight months since the Pass- eternal life. The water that Jesus gives, over, either in Jerusalem or in the Judman the refreshment of soul he is able to supply, le.nd, on his earliest mission, which as yet becomes a well, a fountain, a river, an ocean had brought no obvious results. Men had of life, an eternity of blessedness; and now come to his baptism, but had not appreciated this fruit of sonls, this harvest of saved men, or accepted his cle.ims. The faith already is a Divine, eternal treasure, which the awakened had been of the eva.nesoent cha- reaper houses in the garner of God. The racter, based on" signs," outward not inward, final clause is introdnced by 1vrz, which a " milk faith," to which he did not entrust certainly suggests here the " contemplated himself(ch. ii. 24). Behold, I say to you, Lift resnl t '' rather the.n the end of this ingather- up your eyes, and look on the fields ; they are ing. The "end" would be greater and whitening unto I harvest. Our Lord now nobler than what is here mentioned; the uses anoU1er metaphor-he bids the disciples result is that even the sower and also the gle.noe a.cross these rich coru-fields, to observe reaper may rejoice together. Westcott here the obvious effect already produced by the says that Christ does not spenk of himself sowing of good seed in Samaritan soil. The as "the Sower," but o.s "the Lord of the people are flocking towards him. The harvest." If it be so, the sowers of whom harvest of souls is ripening, and it is great. he thinks o.re all the preparatory processes, You must we.it four months before this all the prophetic men, all the testifiers to springing corn will need the siokle. But the Light whose testimony was crowned in I say unto you, The time is come. The John, o.11 the way by which J udrea, Samaria, kingdom is oome. The reaper must prepare and the uttermost parts of the eurth have for instant service. Again, we have a note been prepared for the kingdom of the Spirit; of personal identity between the Jesus of and they will ull rejoice together with your- the Fourth Gospel and tho Author of the solves who now begin your harvest-joy. If paro.bles of the sower and the ho.rvest. The so, the vista. opens tirst into the long future very rapidity with whioh he posses from of Christian enterprise, to be consummated the symbolism of water to tho symbolism at last in the heavenly world, where parted of food, o.nd then to that of seed-tirtl8 and ho.nds me.y meet age.in, and those who have never met before shall " clasp inseparable 1 The transference of ~ll71 from the end of hands in joy and bliss in overmeasure for ver. 35 to the oommenoement of ver. 36, in ever I " All this may be proleptically con- plaoe of the Kai there, is the marginal tained in the words, but the special force of emende.tion of Revised Version, 'rischendorf them would be severed from the circum- (8th edit.), 11.lld doubtl'ully adopted by West- st,mces whioh manifestly gave birth to them. cott, but not by Tregell~s. 'fhe authorities These seem to me to be, prim11.rily, Christ's are bale.need. own ministry of eowing on the.t very day.  l i4 'l'l:lE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. [oH, IV, 1--64,