John 4:27-38

Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” They went out of the town and were coming to him.
Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

John 4:27-38

There are a number of different characters in this story.  The focus was primarily on the Samaritan Woman and Jesus.  We also get to see the Samaritans who enter near the end.  Jesus is speaking and teaching and the Samaritans along with the Samaritan Woman all get it.  In contrast, there is another group that enters the scene midway through this story and that is the disciples.  At the beginning we read that they had gone to the city to buy food.  They return just before the Samaritan Woman leaves and are quite surprised that Jesus is speaking with her.  However, none of them speaks up to ask Jesus why he is even speaking with her.  I guess you could argue their reaction is similar to the Samaritan Woman's initial reaction to Jesus speaking to her.

The Samaritan Woman leaves and the people of the town begin coming to Jesus.  While this is going on, the disciples are urging Jesus to eat.  However, he responds to them in an interesting way which confuses them.  If you think about it, he is answering and responding in interesting ways similar to his conversation with the Samaritan Woman.

Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”
John 4:31-38

They urge him to eat, but he tells them that he has food that they don't know about.  Confused, they ask each other if anyone has brought Jesus some food.  However, in response to their confusion, Jesus tells them about his food.  What is his food?  Jesus says, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work".  There is food and he is eating.  It's really interesting that he describes it as food.  Food is a necessity and without it one would die.  For Jesus, this is what it means to do the will of the Father and to accomplish his work.

Jesus goes on to describe a harvest.  Some may wait for the harvest because it has not yet come, but Jesus corrects this thinking saying that "the fields are white for harvest".  This has to do with his food which is the do the will of the Father.  The disciples are about to get a first hand view of this happening with the Samaritans.

Jesus also zooms in to this harvesting process to talk about the sower and the reaper.  The sower sows the seed and the reaper reaps the fruit.  With regards to the fact that the fields are ready for harvest, he tells the disciples that "Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life".  It is already happening and this is not the time to be waiting for the harvest.  What's also interesting is that the reaper is "gathering fruit for eternal life".  NLT translates it this way: "The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life."  The harvest has to do with people brought to eternal life.  The harvest doesn't have to do with food but with people's eternal life.  This is the food that Jesus is referring to and this is the will of the Father.

This is also a joy.  It is a joy that is shared by both the sower and the reaper.  Even if you are not the one to reap, the sower still takes joy in what is harvested.  Even if the reaper did not sow, it is still a joy.  Jesus continues on this idea.  There is one who plants and another one who harvests.  With regards to the disciples, they are sent to harvest what they didn't plant.  This is their job and they will still rejoice with the sower.  It is certainly a joy to see this take place.