Jesus told his disciples that the fields were ready to harvest, obviously using this as a symbol of spiritual readiness. He added,
Those who gather the crop are already getting paid. They are already harvesting the crop for eternal life. So those who plant and those who gather can now be glad together.
“Here is a true saying. ‘One plants and another gathers.’ I sent you to gather what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work. You have gathered the benefits of their work.” (John 4:36-38)
Jesus wanted His disciples to know that they owed a debt of gratitude to those who had labored before them. He could have easily reminded them that the very land they stood on had been won in combat by Joshua and the faithful Israelites. He could have mentioned the rabbis and the other leaders who kept the Jewish faith and taught the people.
When the Apostle Paul wrote the Corinthians, he had a similar idea in mind. The Corinthians had begun to elevate the leaders they liked and align themselves with them.
After all, what is Apollos? And what is Paul? We are only people who serve. We helped you to believe. The Lord has given each of us our own work to do. I planted the seed. Apollos watered it. But God made it grow.
So the one who plants is not important. The one who waters is not important. It is God who makes things grow. He is the One who is important. The one who plants and the one who waters have the same purpose. The Lord will give each of us a reward for our work. We work together with God. You are like God’s field. You are like his building. (1 Corinthians 3:5-9)
Jesus came to His own ministry, but only after John the Baptist had prepared the way. Peter owed his connection with Jesus to his brother Andrew, who invited him to follow the Lord too. And the Book of Acts implies martyrdom of Stephen had a powerful effect on Paul, which helped make way for his conversion.
Why did Jesus, after training His followers, send them out by twos? (Luke 10:1) Having a second person along obviously would encourage a traveler in a strange place. But I wonder whether Jesus had an additional reason in mind.
Might Peter have come back after visiting a city all by himself saying, “Look what I did?” Could it be for the start that Jesus wanted His followers to see their dependence on one another- and on the Lord? He may have even wanted to prepare them for the “one body in Christ” idea. Later Paul’s writings would constantly call the church back to that concept (Rom. 12:3-8, 1Cor. 12:12).
Jesus Himself could have taken credit for everything from Creation onward. But He acknowledged the rules of the faithful, readily pointing to Abraham as the father of the Hebrew nation, for example (John 8:53).