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Acts 2:41
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were addedunto them about three thousand souls.

Acts 4:4,32
Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand…

Acts 5:14
And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)

other.

John 1:7
The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that allmen through him might believe.

2 Chronicles 36:15
And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place:

Jeremiah 44:4
Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sendingthem, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.

others have done the hard work,
This phrase acknowledges the labor of those who came before, such as the prophets, John the Baptist, and even Jesus Himself, who laid the foundation for the disciples' ministry. Historically, the Jewish people had been prepared for the coming of the Messiah through centuries of prophecy and teaching. The "hard work" can also be seen in the context of the Old Testament prophets who faced persecution and hardship to deliver God's message. This labor is not just physical but spiritual, involving prayer, teaching, and enduring opposition.

and now you have taken up their labor.
The disciples are entering into a ministry that has been prepared for them, emphasizing the continuity of God's work throughout history. This phrase suggests a transition of responsibility and the privilege of participating in God's redemptive plan. It also points to the communal and intergenerational nature of God's work, where one generation builds upon the efforts of the previous one. This is seen in the broader biblical narrative, where the apostles continue the mission of Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to spread the Gospel to all nations. The disciples' role is to continue the mission, reaping the harvest of souls for the Kingdom of God, a task that will be further empowered after Pentecost.

Jesus speaks as Lord of the harvest, commissioning His disciples.

• His initiative: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit” (John 15:16).

• His authority: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go…” (Matthew 28:18-19).

• His promise: The harvest is ready right now—“The fields are white for harvest” (John 4:35).

Cross references remind us that every call to serve flows from Christ’s prior work—cf.Acts 1:8;Matthew 9:37-38.

The disciples are about to gather souls prepared by someone else’s labor.

• Grace precedes our effort; none of us “earns” the ripe harvest.

• God arranges circumstances, softens hearts, and orchestrates timing—“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44).

• This humbles the worker and magnifies the Lord—cf.Ephesians 2:8-10.

Earlier laborers include:

• Old Testament prophets, sowing truth through centuries (Hebrews 1:1).

• John the Baptist, preparing Israel to meet the Messiah (John 1:6-7).

• Jesus Himself, just moments earlier, planting gospel seed in the Samaritan woman’s heart (John 4:7-26).

Their toil illustrates Paul’s later words: “I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6).

The disciples step into an ongoing, multi-generational mission:

• Partnership—“He who plants and he who waters are one” (1 Corinthians 3:8).

• Continuity—each believer inherits unfinished assignments; we reap and we sow, often simultaneously (Galatians 6:9).

• Urgency—Samaritans are streaming out to meet Jesus (John 4:30); delay would waste a ripe field.

• Joy—“He who reaps draws his wages… so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together” (John 4:36).

John 4:38 highlights Christ’s sovereign call, the grace that readies the harvest, the legacy of faithful servants before us, and our privilege to gather souls God has already prepared. Reaping where we did not labor keeps us humble, thankful, and eager to join the unbroken line of workers until the Lord of the harvest returns.

Other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.--Or,others have laboured. In the immediate application to the present case, the "others" is to be interpreted of Christ Himself, who had been sowing during their absence, and it may be of the woman who has sown this seed by her testimony to the Samaritans. Or the plural may be chosen as in contrast with the pluralye, and as pointing to the general truth, while the immediate reference is to Christ only.