Daily Bread 2010
Matthew 9
The Workers Are Few
35Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
There are two roads to greater effectiveness and fruit-bearing in the work we have been called to. One is to work harder, and the other is to work smarter. In Matthew: chapters 4 thru 9, we see Jesus teaching us all about God and then showing us what God is like through the many miracles, healings and deliverances he performs amongst a wide diversity of people, age groups, and ethnicities.
The verses above in 9:35 close out a literary device called an “inclusio” which started verses 4:23 (ie. they both say the same thing…”Jesus went through all their towns and villages…). As we study Jesus’ life, he spent time doing one of three things: “teaching the believers”, “preaching to Good News of the Kingdom to the unbelievers” and healing every disease and sickness, as a manifestation the Kingdom coming here on earth.
Then, at end of chapter 9, Jesus realizes something. He realizes he cannot do all this own his own. He realizes he will need to equip others to do what he has been doing, if he is to have any hope of meeting the needs of all the people out there that are harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. Then comes the classic line, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few, as the Lord of the harvest to send out workers to the harvest field.”
We will see tomorrow how Jesus works smarter not harder, stay tuned!
The Workers Are Few
35Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
There are two roads to greater effectiveness and fruit-bearing in the work we have been called to. One is to work harder, and the other is to work smarter. In Matthew: chapters 4 thru 9, we see Jesus teaching us all about God and then showing us what God is like through the many miracles, healings and deliverances he performs amongst a wide diversity of people, age groups, and ethnicities.
The verses above in 9:35 close out a literary device called an “inclusio” which started verses 4:23 (ie. they both say the same thing…”Jesus went through all their towns and villages…). As we study Jesus’ life, he spent time doing one of three things: “teaching the believers”, “preaching to Good News of the Kingdom to the unbelievers” and healing every disease and sickness, as a manifestation the Kingdom coming here on earth.
Then, at end of chapter 9, Jesus realizes something. He realizes he cannot do all this own his own. He realizes he will need to equip others to do what he has been doing, if he is to have any hope of meeting the needs of all the people out there that are harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. Then comes the classic line, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few, as the Lord of the harvest to send out workers to the harvest field.”
We will see tomorrow how Jesus works smarter not harder, stay tuned!
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