Seeing the Harvest
By Keith
Very early on in my ministry with Engage Today, one of our partners shared an insight from the fourth chapter of John’s gospel. I remember his words very clearly. He said, “Our job is to see the harvest.”
It seems like an odd thing to tell someone that their job is to see something. Usually Christian work reflects other action responses, like praying or giving or going. But here in John 4:35, Jesus very explicitly tells his disciples: “Open your eyes and look at the fields, because they are ready for harvest” (CSB – emphasis added). If all Jesus wanted was for us to know that the harvest was ready, he could have said, “Listen to what I’m telling you: the fields are ready for harvest.” But he specifically tells his disciples to look at the harvest.
Before we get to what it means to see the harvest, I want to offer a few thoughts about what it means to be seen.
We all tend to be attention seekers and desire acknowledgment. We often seek attention for poor reasons, like putting on a face so that others will see a polished view of who we are. In other words, we try to present a picture of ourselves that people will find attractive. But we know that a lot of who we are is unattractive and, frankly, repulsive. We fear that the ugly, sinful parts of us will be seen. We have been trying to hide ever since the garden of Eden.
A year ago I was chatting with a pastor and a brother in Christ, Thomas*. The conversation began friendly and light. Then, the pastor asked Thomas some more personal questions. Thomas sensed his genuine love through his disarming way of communicating. He felt comfortable opening up and sharing some difficult things he had been going through. Thomas did not feel the need to hide. The love offered in the room that day was safe and healing because it was anchored in the finished work of Christ.
To be seen as we are and loved, that is revolutionary.
The gospel writers themselves took note of the way in which Jesus looked at people. I think one of the most striking details recorded in the New Testament is in Mark 10:21. It says “Looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him…” The conversation between Jesus and the rich young ruler was not only the words exchanged, but the way Jesus looked at this individual. It was not merely an intellectual encounter. Mark wants us to know the love he had for the young ruler. He looked at him and loved him.
Our Saviour did not simply have the best intellectual apologetic for each situation, but every word and conversation was seasoned with his infinite love. The rich young ruler was encountering the true goodness of who would love him to the uttermost.
Jesus’ instruction to “look at the fields” is to see people with his eyes of love. It is not a love we have in and of ourselves. But we, who have been shown the infinite love of the crucified and risen Saviour, have tasted true love.
The Joshua Project currently states that there are over 3 ½ billion in the world who remain unreached. Here in the West, we tend to be busy and preoccupied with many things; therefore we fail to notice the nations who still live in darkness. The peoples of the world are awaiting the church to look and see the fields which are ripe for harvest.
The nations are yearning to be seen with Christ’s revolutionary love.
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This article is based on a talk Keith shared at our 2026 Fall Supper in Winnipeg.
*Pseudonym used for privacy.