Church History - Session 1 (The Book of Acts 1) — Edgar F. Parkyns

Church History and the Meaning of the Church

Church history is our topic, two words requiring definition, history, and I like to think of history as his story, God working in history, church, now that's another thing all together, how do we define church?

The word is ecclesia and usually means a gathering of people called together, and of course in the New Testament sense it attains a significance far beyond anything that the Greeks ever knew, the church of Jesus Christ, Jesus said I will build my church, and it is the history related to that church that we shall be looking at.

When Did the Church Begin?

But when did the church begin? There are two major viewpoints on this, one is the conservative viewpoint that the church began with God's elect from the very beginning, the other that the church began on the day of Pentecost.

Now I've looked at both and I can't decide which is right, I'm sorry about that, I hope before I'm through I shall know, but up to the present I can't be absolutely sure. I guess most of you are of the opinion that the church began at the day of Pentecost, or didn't Jesus say in his ministry in Matthew 16, I will build my church, suggesting that it was future.

And moreover we don't meet the word church again until we come into Acts after the day of Pentecost, so most folk picking up the scripture by one spirit, we are all baptised into one body, regard the church as beginning at the day of Pentecost.

But don't be sort of over-dogmatic about that, for instance, did Nicodemus have any chance of being born again when he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, before Pentecost, when Jesus said to him, ye must be born again, was he offering something that he couldn't enter into, and if he was born again, and he was born again of the spirit of God, and John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb, was he in the kingdom or wasn't he?

David cried, or in the church, or wasn't he? David cried, create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. And doesn't the Bible tell us that we are blessed with faithful Abraham, and that we enter into the blessings that were promised to Abraham, and that the branches of the olive tree were broken off that we might be grafted in?

So you see, there's quite a bit that might suggest to us that although the full revelation of the church had to wait, perhaps, for the Apostle Paul, for its perfection in revelation, nevertheless, it is not impossible that we shall sit down in the kingdom of God with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and find that we are sharing their blessings, that Abraham rejoiced to see this day, Christ's day, and was glad, and that they, by faith and hope, didn't obtain the promises, but are made one with us, they looking forward in hope, and we looking back to the promise of God in Christ Jesus.

So that was the old-fashioned view, and I really am not quite sure which one is right, but for the purposes of our study, we will assume that the more popular one, that is, the popular among the Pentecostal folk, is that the church began with their Pentecost.

We'll work on that assumption, and so our beginnings start with the book of Acts, and we'll get a foundation out of the book of Acts, and don't sort of get all discouraged because you know it all, because I'm rather hoping that there's someone here who hasn't quite seen yet what I want to share tonight out of the book of Acts.

From Israel’s Limited Mission to the Gentile Church

Now, you will have noticed in your studies in the Gospels, that our Lord's ministry was strictly limited on earth to the house of Israel. When a little Syrophoenician woman came running after him, wanting a flavor, when he and his disciples were on holiday by the seaside, and he didn't want anybody to know that they were there.

When she came running after him and addressed him as though she was a Jew and had some right to his blessing, and she said, that Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me, for my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil, Jesus didn't answer her.

And the disciples were very pleased that he didn't answer, and they all trotted along on the sidewalk, or whatever it was, all righteous Jews in a foreign land, and took no notice of the woman who kept on crying out.

But as she persisted, Jesus said, the disciples said, send her away, but she cried after us, and he said, I was not sent, but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. His was a strictly limited ministry.

You may read all about that in Isaiah 49, it was a strictly limited ministry. And that was typical of his nation. The people of his day didn't regard the Gentiles, the rest of the world, as having any right or share in the great promises of life and salvation.

And when the church first came into evidence and being with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, it was very definitely composed of Jews and Jews only. There was a deep, deep prejudice against the idea that anyone else should share an iota of their blessings.

Even those who became proselytes, if they had any association with the church, were assumed to need circumcision. For the church was regarded as a continuation of the elect of God out of the Old Testament.

So naturally, those who wanted to share the blessing of Abraham, would have to share the sign of the Abrahamic covenant. Which was circumcision. So that right through Acts, you had a strong party who were insisting that circumcision was an essential part of the gospel.

To make them members of the family of God, and true children of Abraham. We need to understand how deep this prejudice was. Peter got into a terrible row for eating with Gentiles. They pulled him up before the church board, and he had to give an account of his misbehavior.

Feelings were very, very deep. But when Paul came on the scene, he had another picture. A picture of a church which was composed of Jew and Gentile, Barbarian, Scythian, Bond, or Free, all made one in Christ Jesus.

And this transition from the narrow thought that only those who were children of Abraham by linear descent could come into the blessings, to the new revelation that whosoever will, from every nation, might be partakers of the same blessing and members of the same body.

This revelation was particularly Pauline, and Acts gives us the story of the changeover. And I want us to have a look at this, because it is important. It indicates two great streams of thought in the church, which have existed in various guises until the present day.

The Three Sections of Acts

And so we'll just have a look at Acts. How do I manipulate this thing and keep my voice near a microphone? I don't know. Acts falls into three sections. The first section, chapter 1 to 7, and you may summarize it with a little text in Romans.

The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to the Jew first. And who is the great preacher in Acts chapter 1 to 7? Peter. He was very keen on this theme of the gospel to the Jew. You'll be surprised to find how very keen and how very narrow-minded he was over this issue.

To the Jew first. But in Acts 13 to 28, who was the great preacher? To the Gentile also. And the key man is Paul. I keep on thinking this projector is a microphone. Paul. The city at the beginning of Acts was Jerusalem, the capital of Jewry.

The city at the end of Acts was Rome, the capital of the world. So you see the progression of the book from its first limited message to its worldwide message. And the intermediate chapters, chapters 8 to 12, show in striking ways the development of the transition from the limits of the gospel to the Jew to the wide outreach of the gospel to the Gentile also.

And you know that whenever Paul was moving out preaching, he spoke in the synagogues first. He always gave to his natural brethren the first opportunity to hear the gospel and receive Christ. And it was only when they rejected the message that he moved on to reach the Gentiles.

You'll find that pattern working out. So chapters 8 to 12 will mark the change. Now if you will connect that with Acts 1 -8, where Jesus gives the outline of the work they are to follow. They come to him with their typically Jewish outlook and they say, Lord will thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel.

You must understand that these men are keen nationalists. To them Israel is the all-important nation chosen of God, and looking back over the Old Testament they are as right as can be. And they could not conceive of folk like you and me entering into such divine favor.

And so our Lord said to them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father has restored, which the Father has put in his own power. Our Lord was not very encouraging to those who wanted to prognosticate.

Prophecy as the Interpretation of History

My, we've got dozens of prognosticators today. They write about the future in such certain terms, as though each one had divine revelation on every detail of it, direct from heaven. The more unlikely their propositions are, the louder they shout, and the more their words are underlined, and the louder the print.

But Jesus didn't encourage very much that sort of prognostication. When he was talking about prophecy he usually used prophecy to show what had been fulfilled. Notice that when he was talking to the disciples on the road from the road to Emmaus, he, beginning at Moses and all the scriptures, showed to them the things concerning himself.

And he said, Ought not Christ, Messiah that is, to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? In other words, prophecy's truest function is to show that God's hand has been in history. Not to give you a wonderful eschatological program, and I shall be pursuing that theme quite a bit.

Because we are going to tackle an extra-biblical subject, that is a subject which is beyond scripture, church history. And I'm not interested in church history except as it is related to the scripture.

And I believe the clearest light on church history comes from prophecy. So you're going to get some disturbances here. I think I'd better drop a little warning. I'm a bit scared about taking this subject, because in history we study not only the triumphs, but also the failures.

Not only the virtues, but also the vices. Not only the wonderful things that have happened, but the sad mistakes and failures that have taken place. And I don't think that any church is infallible. And it means that some of great historic churches will have to come under the scrutiny both of scripture and of history.

And this is going to be difficult for some. So if you are really tied to the historic concept of your church, and it's going to hurt you, then it's best, well, to know from the precautions like a bit of cotton wool to put in your ears.

I shall be trying to stick to fact. But you know, history is a queer thing. For instance, I was just asking the name of this fellow. When we deal with the war of American independence in American schools, we've all heard of John Paul Jones.

But we scarcely hear of him in England. He doesn't exist in our history books. Except for one or two piratical attempts, you know. The English histories and the American histories, looking at the same event, have an entirely different story to tell.

You speak of the triumphs of the colonial fathers, and we speak of, and we acknowledge that the taxes were unfair, and that King George was imbecile, and that we had the French on our hands to fight, and we couldn't spare the time to look after our colonies.

But you see, it's a different outlook altogether. And similarly, when it comes to studying church history, it just depends where the historian's sympathies are, as to what kind of history he will produce.

So it's not just the straightforward as all that, to study church history. At any rate, as far as the book of Acts is concerned, here we are on sound and solid ground. What wonderful days they were, when the Holy Spirit was outpoured.

God’s Continued Favor to Israel After Pentecost

Why, some people tell us that the Lord turned his back on the nation of Israel, when they crucified his dear son. But that's not true. God loved them, and he still had favor for them, even after they had done that terrible thing.

So the people, what Peter was able to say on the day of Pentecost, I want that through ignorance ye did it, as also your rulers. And so he was able to promise them, upon the conditions of yielding to the demands of the gospel, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all who would repent and believe at the word of God.

And 3 ,000 souls who were Jews were brought into salvation that day. Why, that was a bigger favor than the nation had received during all the ministry of Jesus Christ. For his converts didn't stick, didn't they?

They ran away in crowds and bunches, and among the last few who were left, one betrayed him and another denied him, and the rest ran away. His was a disappointing ministry, as the prophets foretold it would be.

But after Pentecost, my word, 3 ,000 converted and filled with the Holy Ghost were able to stand, and 5 ,000 a few days later, and more miracles happening through the hands of the apostles than had ever happened in the ministry of Jesus.

The promise that greater works than these shall ye do, was already being fulfilled soon after Pentecost, but still to the Jews only. Wouldn't it have been wonderful to have been there in those days of such revival, that when the authorities put the apostles in prison, the angel of the Lord brought them out again, and said, you go back into the temple and preach the words of this life.

Don't you see how God loved that nation? Listen to what Peter had to say to them in his second great sermon, after the lame man had been healed at the gate beautiful of the temple. Here we are in Acts chapter 3 and verse 24.

Yes, says Peter, and all the prophets from Samuel, and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. That is after the cross. Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our father, saying unto Abraham, and in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.

Unto you first, God having raised up his son Jesus, send him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. No wonder Luke, at the opening of his book, says, the former treatise have I showed you, oh have I made, oh theophilus, of all that Jesus began to do and to teach, until the day that he was taken up.

That is, the gospels on the beginning of his work. And when he rose and ascended on high, he sent the Holy Spirit back into Jerusalem, and from the very temple that the Jews loved, the gospel first emanated under the power of the Holy Ghost, and the first audience was a Jewish audience.

See, God was favoring them. Unto you first, says Peter, God having raised up his son Jesus, send him to bless you. That's why Peter was always conscious that Jesus was with him, and was able to say to Aeneas the paralytic, Aeneas, Christ Jesus, make it thee whole.

Jesus was there in act, just as much as he was in the gospel. Praise the Lord, and he's still with us today, the same yesterday, today and forever. Just because we don't see him, that doesn't make any difference.

He's right here. Praise the Lord. But notice what a tremendous change has taken place less than 20 years after. Take you to 1 Thessalonians, chapter 2, reading verse 14 to 16. This is less than 20 years after the day of Pentecost.

The epistle to Thessalonians, written very near A .D. 51. For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus. For ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us.

And they please not God, and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins all way. For the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost. That's a change, isn't it?

In 20 years. In the beginning of Acts, Peter is saying, God sent his son to you first to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. Less than 20 years after, Paul can record events which have been happening for some time, and he says they've turned against God, they've turned against the gospel, they are filling up their sins always.

For wrath has come upon them to the uttermost. A tremendous change has taken place between Acts 3 and 1 Thessalonians 2. That is, in a brief period of 20 years. And I want us to see how that change developed.

Stephen and the Judgment on Israel

For these first seven chapters, we find the favor of God upon the nation. The word of God increases, let's have a look at chapter 6, for instance. Verse 7, and the word of God increased, and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem.

That is, Jews being converted, and the great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. There they are, the sons of Levi, spoken of in Malachi. Do you remember how Malachi invaded against the sons of Levi, for their hypocrisy?

And he said, the Lord, the messenger, shall suddenly come to his temple, and purify the sons of Levi. Some of us, some folk are still looking for it to happen. It hasn't. Prophecy has passed into history.

And at the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus, the messenger of the covenant, whom they should delight in, came and began to purify the sons of Levi with a whip. And they didn't like it. Malachi 3 .1.

Malachi 3 .1. Jesus came in his first coming as the messenger of the covenant. He won't come as the messenger of the covenant at his second coming. He won't come to preach. He won't be a messenger. He'll be king.

Malachi definitely had his first coming in view. And he worked on those sons of Levi, as the gospel of John tells us. Time and time again, coming down to Jerusalem and upsetting them all. Sending lepers down to the priests to go through the mosaic ritual of cleansing.

Getting them all fed up and annoyed when the lepers confessed that Jesus had made them whole. Until they got so mad they crucified him. He was purifying the sons of Levi. And here at last, in Acts chapter 6, there came a break.

And a great company of the priests, the sons of Levi, were obedient to the faith. Wouldn't it have been a wonderful day? I would have liked to have been there. To see the persecutors and the persecuted embracing one another.

Forgiving one another. Tears of joy and pardon. Tears of discovery at the revelation of Jesus Christ to their hearts. Wonderful days. Why, it looked as though God was just pulling out favor upon favor on Israel.

And the twelve disciples were as happy as larks. Happy as schoolboys or children making sand castles. They thought, this is just it. This will go on forever and ever. But if only they had read more carefully Isaiah 49, they would have known it doesn't go on forever.

Let's turn back that just a moment. A wonderful messianic chapter. Messiah answers to the Lord. Then I said I have labored in vain. I have spent my strength and naught and in vain. Yet surely my judgment is with the Lord and my work with my God.

But now saith the Lord that called me from the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob again to him. Though Israel be not gathered yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord and my God shall be my strength.

Yes the nation to whom he was sent rejected him and crucified him. His mission appeared to be a failure but he was glorious and the Lord was his strength. God raised him from the dead to be a prince and a savior.

And he said it is a life thing that thou should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserve of Israel. I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou mayest be my salvation to the ends of the earth.

Praise the Lord. Way back in Isaiah folks say the church dispensation wasn't in view in the prophet. Well there it is. The Gentiles brought him and there are lovely words there. Listen to them. Oh thou saith the Lord in an acceptable time my son have I heard thee.

In a day of salvation have I helped thee and I will preserve thee that is the father speaking to the son and give thee for a covenant of the people to establish the earth. The cause to inherit the desolate heritages that thou mayest say to the prisoners go forth to them that are in darkness show yourselves.

They shall feed in the ways and their power mercy on them shall lead them even by the springs of water shall he guide them and I will make all my mountains away and my highways shall be exalted. Behold these shall come from far these from the north and the west and these from the land of maybe China.

So there it is right back in Isaiah very clearly outlined the failure of God's prince in Israel the Israel within the Israel the failure of Messiah to gather Jacob back to God and God said it's all right I know that mission is a failure I know you're a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief but look I will give you a light to the Gentiles hallelujah so there it is in in prophetic for view.

Chapter six then Acts chapter six still the blessings are there the twelve apostles are very pleased that Jerusalem is in such favor everybody's happy the church is enlarged but God's program is moving on time is running out the divine appointment written way back in the prophets the very year being indicated is drawing near when the favor showed to Israel will be turned to the rest of the world and in association with that the nation of Israel had to be told that she was rebellious against God as the prophets had told her as Jesus had forewarned it wasn't all going to be blessing not all honey and cream.

But there was a day of judgment coming when the nation from afar would surround Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed not one stone left upon another. But do you think the apostles wanted to preach that not a bit of it.

They wanted to preach blessing for Israel. They were so keenly nationalistic. And when the Lord Jesus from heaven wanted someone to preach that message he could not find among all the twelve one who could carry it.

But happily just before this there had been a little argument in the church about the grecian widows that is the widows who had some gentile connection. Probably they had married a gentile and then um you know the husband had died rather like um Naomi.

And now they were widows and they were neglected in the daily ministration. That's how narrow-minded that early church was. Hear that they weren't perfect. But she married a gentile. She's not coming in on this.

And the complaints got back to the apostles. And so they said look here you you see to this this isn't our business. We're here for the word of God and prayer. You sought out seven honest men among you full of the holy ghost and wisdom and set them to see that things are done fairly.

And the early church had was sufficiently tender-hearted to repent of their rotten attitude to the widows. And so they chose seven men all with greek names not jewish names. That was nice wasn't it. Uh here they are.

Um stephen philip greek name procorus nicanor timon parmenas nicholas a proselyte of antioch. He wasn't a jew at all he was only a proselyte. So there you are. They chose to sort out this matter mainly a gentile bias who weren't so dyed in the wool jews as the apostles were.

And stephen um went beyond his commission. And instead of just counting the money as the offerings he went a bit further. And being full of the holy ghost and power and wisdom he began to preach. And he preached the message that jesus wanted him to preach and which the apostles didn't like.

I'll prove to you in a minute they didn't like it. A message of judgment a message that roused up opposition. Just when the church was settling down and escaping all persecution you know they were being accepted as one of the jewish saints.

And everybody was happy. Then stephen gets out. No one told him to do it except jesus. And and he began to preach judgment to his nation. He said things aren't always going to go on like this. If you harden your heart against god that which jesus foretold is going to happen.

He was soon in trouble and found himself brought before the same council which had tried and condemned his master just over three years before. And not one apostle stood with him conspicuous by their absence.

When they were on trial the man who was healed was there to back them up. When stephen was on trial not one stood with him. His message was not popular in the early church. Act seven is devoted to his address.

He was told to speak for himself. And the heading in my bible says stephen's defense some defense. It was all a tank. This is no way to get yourself off. He magnificently and with wonderful wisdom drew again the familiar and ever popular picture and story of the history of the nation.

Oh how they loved it. It was like buttering on a hot toast to them. They just delighted in hearing the grand old story again and again all the way from abraham right down through david david and solomon and a temple.

Oh how beautiful it was. But there was an edge in everything he said. And he showed how the fathers had rejected every messenger that god had sent. How when joseph was sent that the fathers had put him in a pit.

And when moses was sent they wouldn't receive him. And when the prophets were sent they persecuted and destroyed them. And then he said you in your turn have been the betrayers and murderers of the son of god frozen in their seats.

I should think they gnashed on him with their teeth. They couldn't find any words. They came into the meeting respectable pharisees and sadducees. But now the wild beast nature in them was breaking through and they couldn't articulate their jaws were moving but no words were coming out.

And stephen looked above that miserable show and saw above the courtroom ceiling the heavens opened. And jesus hallelujah a man they rejected standing having risen from his holy seat standing looking down in approval from a high to stephen his faithful witness.

And he said i see the heavens open and jesus standing at the right hand of god. He stopped there he is and rushed upon him and dragged and pulled and got him out of the meeting room somehow dragged him through the streets and outside the city wall and could guess could guess his stop to form themselves in order to stone him.

Why didn't they go to pilot and say please sir may we have permission. Because they've lost all self-control. And you remember that that tremendous hint at the end of the chapter they laid their the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet whose name was saw a change is on the way god is moving on.

The Witness from Jerusalem to the Ends of the Earth

Now in act chapter one verse eight jesus gave them the outline which was beginning at jerusalem. Let's put it down here. There was the program which he had laid out for them except for one verse eight he shall receive power.

He shall be witnesses unto me beginning at jerusalem and judea and unto samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth. There it was. He didn't say you've got to witness. He said you shall be if you're full of my spirit praise the lord.

The great thing is to be filled with the holy ghost to be filled with the love of jesus. And this business about being a witness isn't a command. It's a promise. Oh glory. Isn't it lovely to meet people who witness because their hearts are full.

And isn't it disappointing when you meet people who witness because it's their duty. Yes there was the program. And already the witness to jerusalem and judea had taken place for a period of about three and a half years.

Uh if you want to know how i get that date i'll tell you i forget it takes a long time. And now was the time to move on. Saul was consenting to his death after eight verse one. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at jerusalem.

Now do you remember jesus ever giving the apostles instructions about persecution when they persecute you in this city dig your heels in. Is that right. When they persecute you in this city flee to the next definite instruction from the lord jesus.

And now i'm going to read verse eight right through saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at jerusalem. And they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of judea and samaria.

Except the apostles. Oh the very ones who had been told to use that signal as from god to move on were the ones who stayed behind. Did you think the apostles were all perfect. Did you think that they were sort of glass window saints with halos permanently tacked to the back of their heads.

Oh no. We know of course in the in the gospels that they made lots of mistakes especially peter. But of course when they were filled with the holy ghost then well that was different. They all became infallible.

Did you. When you received the holy they were human people. It's church tradition which has set them up so high. The the bible tells us very simply and plainly that not only did they make mistakes before pentecost but they made some after as well.

And if you read galatians chapter two you can read about some of their mistakes. Chapters one chapter two. Yes. And fleeing where. Remembering the instructions of jesus. Should they have gone then samaria.

But they didn't. No i have no doubt that the lord wanted to send them as he had told them. But they weren't broad-minded enough to go to samaritans. Jews have no dealings with samaritans. The samaritans worship worship in ash's head on mount gerizim.

We have nothing to do with them. Doves of samaritans keep away from that lot. A mixed race worse than gentiles. The poor samaritans were neither fish nor fowl. They they couldn't be proper jews. All they wanted.

The gentiles wouldn't receive them either. They were halfway between the two speckled birds indeed. And so no fear. The apostles weren't interested in that. They were probably holding a prayer meeting in jerusalem.

Dear me lord bring back the revival again. Remember this corner of my vineyard. Dear lord we pray for the peace of jerusalem. They shall prosper. But lovely. Go round about jerusalem. Counter towers. Mark of bulwarks.

My they must have had a fine prayer meeting. Only nothing ever happened. For god was moving on. And when when philip stephen's friend also with a little bit of gentile blood in him godless power of samaria before they could tell him not to hallelujah before the committee got on to him he began to preach jesus and god was with him.

The hand of the lord was with him. And the samaritans began to turn by the thousand to christ. Uh the people with one accord look at that gave deed to the things which philip spake. And seeing the miracles which he did for unclean spirits crying with loud voice came out of many that were possessed of them.

Many that were taken with pulses and that were lame were healed. There was great joy in that city. And simon heard him preach concerning the kingdom of god in the name of jesus christ. That's what an evangelist preaches about the kingdom of god in the name of jesus christ.

You know that an evangelist preaches the kingdom. It doesn't require a special dispensation of this teacher in in an elite bible school to teach the kingdom. An ordinary evangelist does it. Hallelujah.

In fact preaching the kingdom is almost the same thing as preaching the gospel. That's why in the very end of that you'll find that paul in his own hired house preached the things concerning the kingdom of god which is not meat and drink but righteousness peace and joy in the holiness.

And so stephen was preaching. And there's a tremendous move of god up in samaria. God was moving on while the apostles were still hanging around and not moving. So the news got back to jerusalem which after all isn't very far away.

Just about a day's march away. And so the apostles discussed the matter. And i guess they said something like this. Well our master did go you remember to samaria. And he did say something when he talked to that horrible woman at the well uh about the fields being white already for harvest.