The Workers Are Few - Matthew 9:35-38
The Workers Are Few
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Reflection: This section ends a section of teaching where Jesus is modeling the life he would like the disciples to live after he goes. Note if you look at Matthew 4:23, it is an identical verse as 9:35. These are the parentheses of the great ministry of Jesus, and in the next chapter he will make the great transition to sending out the disciples, and by application us to make disciples of all nations (see the Great Commission Matthew 28:19-20). Notice the three mainstays of Jesus' public ministry: preaching, or proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom of heaven, teaching what it looks like to live in that kingdom, and then the works that flow as a response to the kingdom being at hand and among us.
So then as Jesus looks at the crowds that had assembled as word and testimony had spread about him, he realized that they needed a shepherd. He could not personally care for all of these people. While they had initially welcomed the message he brought, they would need to be cared for and discipled if they were to grow to maturity in Him. So what was needed? He calls them workers, or we might say, "co-shepherds", who could care for these lost sheep. So what does Jesus call for? Prayer! Prayer that God would send out workers into the harvest field.
Now traditionally this has been interpreted to mean sending out missionaries to far away fields. And of course sending out missionaries to proclaim the Good News is a good thing, especially if there is a plan in place to care for and disciple these people through the local churches. But what about the workers in our own churches. The typical situation is for a church to hire professionals who do the work of the ministry, while lay people fund them through offerings. There is only one problem with this, it is not the model Jesus showed us and gave us to reach the world for Christ.
If the local church is going to thrive again it must realize the harvest is plentiful and the workers need to be trained and sent out to care for and disciple people. Of course this will mean pastors and staff will not be measured by how many they can personally care for and disciple, but how have many others they have sent out to care for and disciple the plentiful harvest.
How is God calling you to get into the harvest field? What experiences has God given you that help us reap the rich harvest God has prepared for us?
Jesus we pray that you will raise up and send out more workers to reap the harvest you have prepared. Help us to eac see our role in this as we are led by Your Holy Spirit, Amen.
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Reflection: This section ends a section of teaching where Jesus is modeling the life he would like the disciples to live after he goes. Note if you look at Matthew 4:23, it is an identical verse as 9:35. These are the parentheses of the great ministry of Jesus, and in the next chapter he will make the great transition to sending out the disciples, and by application us to make disciples of all nations (see the Great Commission Matthew 28:19-20). Notice the three mainstays of Jesus' public ministry: preaching, or proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom of heaven, teaching what it looks like to live in that kingdom, and then the works that flow as a response to the kingdom being at hand and among us.
So then as Jesus looks at the crowds that had assembled as word and testimony had spread about him, he realized that they needed a shepherd. He could not personally care for all of these people. While they had initially welcomed the message he brought, they would need to be cared for and discipled if they were to grow to maturity in Him. So what was needed? He calls them workers, or we might say, "co-shepherds", who could care for these lost sheep. So what does Jesus call for? Prayer! Prayer that God would send out workers into the harvest field.
Now traditionally this has been interpreted to mean sending out missionaries to far away fields. And of course sending out missionaries to proclaim the Good News is a good thing, especially if there is a plan in place to care for and disciple these people through the local churches. But what about the workers in our own churches. The typical situation is for a church to hire professionals who do the work of the ministry, while lay people fund them through offerings. There is only one problem with this, it is not the model Jesus showed us and gave us to reach the world for Christ.
If the local church is going to thrive again it must realize the harvest is plentiful and the workers need to be trained and sent out to care for and disciple people. Of course this will mean pastors and staff will not be measured by how many they can personally care for and disciple, but how have many others they have sent out to care for and disciple the plentiful harvest.
How is God calling you to get into the harvest field? What experiences has God given you that help us reap the rich harvest God has prepared for us?
Jesus we pray that you will raise up and send out more workers to reap the harvest you have prepared. Help us to eac see our role in this as we are led by Your Holy Spirit, Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment