Harvest Workers

“You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. (John 4:35 NLT).

Hay Field in South Carolina

He may be hard to see, but there is a farmer on his tractor in the middle of the picture. He’s the one doing all the work, or so it seems. If you ever went to one of Billy Graham’s crusades, he was the one doing all the work, or so it seems. 

 It’s not true in either case. There is certainly someone who repairs the tractor and the baler, and there is someone who provides the fuel for the tractor. Someone prepared the field for harvest, perhaps four months before this picture was taken. Depending upon the crop, there may have been several others who worked in the field in the intervening time. Someone prepared the place to store the harvest. The farmer may also have had someone who helped him financially to get started.—tractors aren’t free.

 The same is certainly true of Billy Graham and his crusades. There was always George Beverly Shea who sang a solo, and someone who led worship. There were people who prepared the venue so that it was ready to hold the large crowd. There were people who helped those attending to find seats. Someone or maybe many “someones” who helped the people find parking spaces. We know that someone put up flyers to announce the crusade, and there were radio personalities who advertised it. I’m sure there were security people working also. Some people helped with Billy’s crusades by providing funds to rent the facility and print the flyers and pay for the advertising.

 Both people, the farmer and Billy Graham were gathering a harvest, and it appears that only the farmer and Billy Graham were responsible to gather the harvest. I’m sure that both would tell you that they may be the ones visible in the gathering, but it wouldn’t have been possible without many other people who helped in the preparation. In Mark 16:15,16 Jesus calls us all to be workers in the harvest: “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned” (NLT). We are to be the farmers who gather the crop, or those who aid the farmer in gathering the harvest, and Jesus will place the entire crop—ALL WHO BELIEVE—in His storehouse. We call it Heaven. 

 The next time you see a farmer in the field or a pastor speaking the Word of God, keep in mind and appreciate those who make the harvest possible.