Scripture
36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Matthew 9:36-38
Observation
The very next verse in the very next chapter shows the answer to the disciples prayers for more harvest hands, “Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.” (Mt. 10:1). The disciples were the answer to their own prayers! I can picture the disciples thinking, “Wait! What? I thought we were praying for someone else to help. We’re pretty busy. We’ve got things to do. We are guarding Jesus. That’s not our job. We’re pretty tired. Jesus was showing us the problems that someone else wouls solve right?” Wrong. I don’t blame them. Following Jesus and serving people is not for the faint of heart. In this one chapter Jesus faced many accusations:
• He was accused of blasphemy.
• He was accused of low morals.
• He was accused of ungodliness.
• He was accused of being in league with the devil.
You can’t serve in the harvest field without getting your hands dirty and getting dirt thrown at you. No wonder the disciples were trying to pass the buck. Who would sign up for this? Yet, Jesus was still filled with a deep compassion and he knew his disciples needed to see what he saw. So he told them to pray. We can’t go in person where we won’t first go in prayer. There was no time for disciples on the side lines. As they prayed they saw the massive need. Mt 10:1 is Jesus handing them the tools to join him in the field. Here’s the sickle, here’s the shovel, here’s the souls. In this moment they looked down at their hands and realized what Jesus was doing around them was what Jesus was about to do through them. They were the answer to their own prayers.
Application
The 80/20 principle must change. For too long in modern ministry it’s been 20% of Christians doing 80% of the work. Which obviously leaves much undone, many unreached, and everyone exhausted. This is due to many factors. The growth of celebrity Christianity, the ivory tower effect created by professional ministers, the siloing effect of the “my ministry” mentality. Then, you have pastors like me, that don’t want people to leave so we keep “the ask” to a bare minimum. Yet, as Charles Spurgeon points out, there’s no time to “soft sell” the urgency of the moment. “We are to pray that the Lord would send out laborers: “Now the Greek is much more forcible, it is that he would push them forward, and thrust them out; it is the same word which is used for the expulsion of a devil from a man possessed. It takes great power to drive a devil out, it will need equal power from God to drive a minister out to his work.” I had a conversation with a brother recently who asked how he could help out at The Father’s House. I said, “if every mature believer, men and women alike, just grabbed a handful of people around them and invited them to do life together” this church would change over night and needs would be met.” What we don’t need is more programs. Jesus didn’t say, “pray for programs.” He said, “pray for people who care for people.” The answer to our prayers are resident in the room! We are the answer to our prayers to change our city. If we’re not careful we will keep praying for harvest hands with the very hands that should working the harvest.
Prayer
The word used for compassion in this passage is the strongest in the Greek language. It speaks of a man moved from the very depths of his being. Move me with what moves You Lord. Break my heart with the things that break Yours Lord. I will pray for harvest hands and use these hands You’ve given me to reach the harvest! Give me the heart for it because you’ve given me the hands for it! Sometimes I can get so overwhelmed by the massive need and the lack of help that I forget You’ve already given me everything I need to do the job in front of me.
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