When Jesus speaks to his disciples about the harvest, he is really offering a useful image about timing.
And yet, as images go, it is a bit mixed. Harvests are something people do to plants. So, it is, at heart, an act of consumption. The plant is bearing fruit and we swoop in and take it. Then eat it or sell it. This can feel deeply dehumanizing or controlling when we think about these plants as people.
Of course, Jesus isn’t using 1-to-1 analogies. He’s talking about timeliness. And, I think, more importantly, generosity.
What Jesus describes is opportunity, what God has already produced, and all we have to do is jump at it.
Usually, it seems our focus is on the work of creating the opportunity. Or in theologizing on how God creates these opportunities. But more often than not, our work is simply being prepared to show up.