Participating in Jesus's Mission -- Matthew 9:37-38
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” — Matthew 9:37-38
Jesus calls us to participate in his mission to redeem sinners by prayer and action in Matthew 9:35-10:15. We are to pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers, and we are to participate in the harvest. Notice the following four points about Jesus’ life, ministry, and expectations for his disciples in this passage.
First, Jesus was actively involved in a ministry that demonstrated and exercised the power of his kingdom (9:35). He taught in the synagogues. He proclaimed the good news of his kingdom. And, he healed every disease and affliction.
Second, Jesus had compassion on the crowds of people who had gathered around him because they were harassed and helpless (9:36). They were weary, tired, exhausted, exposed, and dejected. Their leaders, who were supposed to care for them, had abandoned them, burdened them, and blamed them.
Third, Jesus relieved people’s burdens (9:35). He healed their afflictions in his grace and mercy. This healing, however, was not merely a physical one. Jesus proclaimed the good news of his kingdom while healing them of their diseases and afflictions. The outward healing illustrated the inner healing of the gospel in their lives.
Fourth, Jesus expects his disciples to have compassion on people as we participate in his ministry of relief (9:37-38). The harvest is plentiful. We need more laborers. And, the need is urgent.
Therefore, pray earnestly for laborers for the harvest (9:38). Pray for spiritual eyes and a compassionate heart so that you may see people as they really are and discern their needs (9:36). And, be prepared to be the answer to your prayer as you participate in the harvest by doing gospel ministry (9:35, 10:1-15).
Having thought of these three imperatives as ways that we can respond to Jesus's teaching in Matthew in faith, I think some practical pointers of how we can participate in the harvest are in order. The two I have thought of most often are: inviting people to church and telling them of God's great love for them.
Inviting people to Church is easy. In fact, it's so easy that many of us never think of it in terms of evangelism or witness. We just simply want our friends and family to enjoy the activities we enjoy. But, it is evangelistic in the highest degree. When you bring someone to church, you are inviting them to join with the people of God as they gather to worship the one true God of the universe, fellowship with one another, offer their prayers to the God who hears them, and listen to their God's holy and infallible word. In other words, you give your family and friends the opportunity to see God's amazing grace and love as the church participates in very means of that grace. It's also a highly effective evangelism strategy. Over 80% of church members report that they came to church the first time at the request of friend or family member they trusted.
Similarly, telling people of God's great love for us is natural for Christians. We love to tell the stories of our lives. They cover a variety of details like: How did I get to where I am? What was it like growing up? What are the ups and downs of my life? How did I meet my spouse? The stories are limitless. As biblical Christians, we are to understand that all of these stories are evidence of the grace, mercy, love, and providence of God in our lives. So, when we tell our story, we should always tie it to our great God and his great love for us in Christ. Sadly, we make this far more difficult than it is. Evangelistic witnessing is simply telling the good news story of Jesus and his work in our lives.
I hope you've been encouraged with the simple teaching of Matthew 9:35-38. We have a wonderful privilege to participate in the mission of God to save sinners for his glory. Will you take advantage of this opportunity and be faithful to his commands? Will you pray for the harvest? Will you invite people to join you at church? Will you tell of his great work of redemptive love in your life?