As You Go

By Dean Collins

Over the years I imagine I have heard pastors and teachers quote Matthew 9:37-38 more than a hundred times. Actually, I am sure it is significantly greater than a hundred times.

“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.’”

This verse is used at Christian youth and college conferences to indicate that the church needs more of the next generation to become pastors and youth ministers and missionaries and so forth. And that is true. The pipeline for church leaders is getting pretty thin. 

And for those who are older, when we hear this text explained in a sermon or Bible study, we are encouraged to do exactly what Jesus said: “Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” There is an implication that if you can’t go, then pray that God would send someone else. But I am pretty sure that is not what Jesus had in mind. Yes, he told us to pray, but I am pretty sure the implication is that we would also be willing to be a laborer in his harvest field.

Sometimes we lock onto a particular verse, and we may even use the verse in our spiritual discipline and as a guide for our actions. But sometimes when we lock on to a verse, we skim over or miss other important things in the verses just before or after our favorite verse. Just proceeding this passage, we read that “Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.”

While I don’t think Jesus was one to rush, he was one who understood and modeled for his followers that we are always going somewhere. We go to work, we go to the gym, we go to our kids’ ballgames and concerts, we go to family gatherings, we go shopping. We tend to go all the time. What is noteworthy here is that Jesus was always going as well. He went from town to town, from the seashore to synagogue, to the houses of sinners, and to the houses of saints. And as he went, he was teaching, proclaiming, healing, and living what was the essence of God’s kingdom.

The last verses of Matthew’s gospel contain what we call the Great Commission, where we are told to go into all the world and make disciples. And a good translation of this passage supports my point that what is meant is that as we go, we share the gospel. Matthew knew exactly what Jesus meant in Matthew 9 and understood that the instructions from Jesus in both Matthew 9 and Matthew 28 were truly the same message.

But let’s not forget the importance of Matthew 9:36, where we learn that when Jesus looked up on this particular day, he saw dozens, maybe hundreds, of people coming and going. Yes, they were coming to him, but they were coming from work, from home, from poverty, from broken places with broken bodies and spirits. And when he saw them, Matthew tells us that he looked on them with compassion because they were like sheep without a shepherd.

I am going to go out on a limb here, but if we don’t have the compassion of Jesus in our hearts when we see people, then we probably shouldn’t go because our motivation may not have anything to do with sharing the love of Christ. And when we go, we need the heart of a shepherd or otherwise we might just be acting like what Jesus described in John 10:12:

“He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.”

 A hired hand doesn’t act like the shepherd because his heart is not in it. Jesus has called us to be laborers in his harvest who have the heart of a shepherd. We are not to force our opinions or our ways on others but rather show them the love and compassion of Christ. When we do, the Good Shepherd will do the rest.

Father, today as we go, we pray that you would open our eyes to see those all around who are harassed and helpless and need a shepherd. Fill our hearts with your love that we might act with compassion to those we encounter and that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit we might share your good news in word and deed. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Matthew 9:35-38, 28:19-20; John 10:12 ESV

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