I sent you to reap that for which you haven’t labored. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”
Parallel translations
- KJV I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.
- BSB I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the hard work, and now you have taken up their labor.”
- NKJV I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
- NASB I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have come into their labor.”
- NLT I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The disciples reap where others, including the prophets and Jesus Himself, have labored. Their fruitfulness depends on prior groundwork.
Overview
Jesus tells the disciples they enter into labor begun by others, perhaps the prophets, John the Baptist, or Jesus' own ministry to the Samaritan woman. The saying instills humility, since the harvest is not theirs alone. All gospel fruit ultimately flows from God's prior and ongoing work.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- John 1:7The same came as a witness, that he might testify about the light, that all might believe through him.
- Acts 10:42–43He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that this is he who is appointed by God as the Judge of the living and the dead.
- 2 Chr 36:15Yahweh, the God of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending, because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place;
- 1 Pet 1:11–12searching for who or what kind of time the Spirit of Christ, which was in them, pointed to, when he predicted the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that would follow them.
- Acts 8:14–17Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,
- Acts 10:37–38you yourselves know what happened, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
- Matt 3:1–6In those days, John the Baptizer came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,
- Matt 11:8–13But what did you go out to see? A man in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.
- Acts 6:7The word of God increased and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly. A great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
- Acts 8:4–8Therefore those who were scattered abroad went around preaching the word.
- Acts 5:14More believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.
- Acts 4:4But many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
- Acts 4:32The multitude of those who believed were of one heart and soul. Not one of them claimed that anything of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
- Jer 44:4However I sent to you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, “Oh, don’t do this abominable thing that I hate.”
- Matt 4:23Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.
- Acts 2:41Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 4:38 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.