Seeds for 07/28/2023 - Matthew 9:35-38
Scripture: 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.”
Observation: These verses draw the previous episodes to a conclusion with a general statement of Jesus’ ministry, then shift gears. Let’s reflect on three phrases in particular.
“He had compassion on them” - The crowds are interested in Jesus. They don’t seem as committed as the group of disciples or of the Twelve. Rather than be frustrated, however, Jesus “had compassion on them.” Why? Because they “were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus could see the difference between lack of desire and lack of direction. They had the desire; they needed someone to give them direction, to lead them like a shepherd. In the beloved 23rd Psalm, we read, “The Lord is my shepherd.” In John 10, Jesus proclaims, “I AM the good shepherd,” forever linking the psalm with the Gospel. To Jesus, the crowds signal that they need to be shepherded into the flock of God. Perhaps that can shape our thinking too.
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” - Plenty of demand, not enough supply. There’s a worker shortage for the Gospel and the kingdom. So, what’s the solution to this problem?
“Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers.” - Prayer. Rather than complain or lament, Jesus tells His disciples to pray. Pray for workers. When we turn the page from chapter 9 to chapter 10, we will see that Jesus is going to answer that prayer with the disciples themselves. They’ll go from tagging along with Jesus to being sent to minister in His name. They’ll experience the joys and challenges of being kingdom servants. Through it all, Jesus will be answering His own prayer with the very ones He instructed to pray it. And that’s us too. Pray first. Don’t rush into fixing or solving. But having prayed, if Jesus is calling, training, and sending you, it’s time to get with it.
Application:
What is your response to the curiosity of the crowds?
How might Jesus being calling you to be a worker for the Gospel harvest?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, what do you want to do through me? Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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Ps 19:Last verse