“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.” John 4:35(NASB) The Greek word for “and look” is “theaomal” which means to view attentively, to learn by looking. In a nutshell it means to actually see and perceive what you are looking at. It means that when you are looking at people that you see the sag in their shoulders, or to see the pain in their eyes, or even to see the desperation that is in their actions.

In this verse Jesus is admonishing His disciples to see the harvest differently. He was calling their attention to the fact that a vast number of souls were ripening all around them and were now ready for reaping. What Jesus saw when He was looking at the masses drew Him. What the Pharisees saw repulsed them. What the Pharisees saw as closed hearts Jesus saw as open hearts.

This admonishment comes immediately after Jesus successfully harvests a soul that everyone else would have missed. Think of it: of all the places to find a hungry heart, Samaria. Of all the Samaritans to be searching for God, a woman. Of all the women, a five-time divorcee. She was an outcast of outcasts. She was the most insignificant person in that region. Yet Jesus was sent to her. For verse 4 states, “He had to pass through Samaria.” Not only was it amazing that someone like her was open to the gospel, but it was equally amazing that Jesus was able to detect it.

He did this because He was able to see the harvest differently. Others would have seen a promiscuous Samaritan woman, Jesus saw the first fruits of a great revival. Thers would have only given her criticism, Jesus gave her a chance. Others saw her as she was; Jesus saw her as she was intended to be. Others saw her promiscuity; Jesus saw her promise. Others saw only her problems; Jesus saw her potential. Others would have seen only trash; Jesus saw a treasure. He took a life that was drifting and gave it direction. He took a life that no one could use and used it as no one can. Throughout the gospels Jesus always brought the message to the worthless, then He always used the worthless to bring the message.

After bringing about conversion in the life of this Samaritan woman, He released her to go back and do the same for others. He knew the best medicine for her problems was to get her involved in helping the problems of others. He knew that her maintenance would be found in His mission.

The Lord has always taken the insignificant and common and used it for the spectacular. He took an ordinary rod, stretched it and parted a sea. He took a common pebble, slung it, and slew a giant. He took a peasant boy’s lunch, blessed it, and fed a multitude. He took some everyday mud, spit on it, and restored sight. He took a rejected, promiscuous woman, spoke kindly to her, and brought revival to a whole city. He can take the things that are not and make them into things that are.

Isaiah 45:3 tells how you too can, “lift up your eyes” and view the harvest differently. It states, “I will give you the treasures hidden in dark vaults.” (NEB)

The Hebrew word for treasures is “O-tsaw” which means “a depository, armory, granary, or storehouse.” The Hebrew word for dark is “kho-shek” which means “ignorance, sorrow, misery, wickedness, destruction and death.”

Combining the two definitions, the Lord is saying that there are a lot of people who are a depository of His glory. But you may miss them because these treasures are often hidden in vaults of ignorance, miserable lives, wicked behavior, or destructive habits that lead to death. But the admonishment here is to not let the darkness of the vaults fool you into thinking there can be nothing of value inside.

Now these depositories can hold grain, weapons, and riches. Throughout history some of the richest grain (Bible teachers) and most powerful weapons (missionaries) came out of the darkest of vaults (lives).

Jesus didn’t see the darkness of the Samaritan woman’s vault. He saw the treasure it contained. The darkness without was the indicator for Him that there was a treasure within. The darkness of the vault was no problem for the Lord, because He knew the combination to the door.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus went around opening the dark vault doors and releasing the treasures they contained. You can see it not only with the Samaritan woman, but also with Zaccheus, Matthew the tax collector, the demonized man, Mary Magdalene, and others.

To view the harvest differently, you need to “Lift Up Your Eyes” and look past the darkness of peoples’ vaults and see the treasures they contain. You must see that the darkness of the vault is an indicator of a treasure within and then ask the Lord for the combination to the door. As you apply the combination you will see the treasure released and their lives transformed.