And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 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 9:35-38 ESV)
I trusted Jesus as my Savior and Lord at age 8 in a Christian and Missionary Alliance church plant. My formative years were spent in the C&MA, where “Missions is their middle name.” Faithful Kingdom workers from places like Irian Jaya, Zaire, Mali, The Philippines, and many other countries visited our church and sat at our table for meals (my mom and dad were lay leaders with a gift of hospitality). Missionaries were among my childhood heroes. With that kind of childhood, it’s unsurprising that the verses above were best known in my young life. They were the focus of sermons. They were a common call to prayer.
One of the earliest and most essential truths I was taught about reading and studying the Bible was that the chapter breaks are not part of the original text. While they help us locate and share portions of the Scriptures, they can also cause us to lose some of the flow of the narrative. The chapter placement of Matthew 9 & 10 is an excellent example of this. The paragraph above (at the end of chapter 9) is an introduction to the events and teaching of chapter 10.
After chapter 9, Jesus calls on the disciples to “pray earnestly for the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers in His harvest.” Immediately in chapter 10, we see that Jesus sent them to be the answer to their own prayers!
Jesus instructs them in verses 5-15. He tells them where to go (5-6), what to do (7-8), how to be supplied (8-10), what to do when received (11-13), and what to do when rejected (14-15). The call of the Master to the field is accompanied by clarity, instruction, and provision…but it is a walk of faith, not sight!
Jesus warns them in verses 16-25. Proclaiming the kingdom of God has always been resisted by the kingdoms of this world. We are called to pray earnestly (9:38) because the world reacts harshly! Going into the harvest field is difficult, demanding, and dangerous work. There is great risk on every level: physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual.
Jesus reassures them in verses 26-33. “So have no fear.” The Bible is filled with the command, “Fear not.” I read once that the phrase appears 366 times in the Bible – one for every day of the year, including leap year! Going into God’s harvest field, whether near or far, brings us under the attack of the enemy of His kingdom. As I write this, a young family who just 12 days ago arrived on the field in Estonia is facing unimaginable circumstances. Their 7-year-old son was suddenly overcome by an undetermined respiratory condition that left him under sedation with intubation and a ventilator. The fear is real. God’s presence and His peace are greater.
Jesus calls them to complete surrender in verses 34-38. Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Jesus makes it clear that a kingdom-centered life and our counter-cultural message will bring harsh reactions from the world around us. As the days “go on from bad to worse” (2 Tim. 3:13) and Christianity is increasingly marginalized, mocked, and mistreated, the cost will continue to rise. Gospel workers must be prepared to pay the ultimate sacrifice for the souls of the lost.
Jesus reminds them of eternal reward in verses 40-42. Keeping our eyes on the prize is a concept found throughout the New Testament. The sacrifices made on every level, physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual, will fade into insignificance in the presence of the Lord. Think of the sacrifices made by the competitors in the recently completed Olympics in Paris. The physical, emotional, and financial costs of their training and performance are incalculable. They pay the price for the applause of people and a piece of metal.
We are called to a great task, at great cost, with an even greater reward. We are summoned to work in the harvest field of God. We participate in His work of redeeming lost souls destined for destruction. We are privileged to see Him transform lives, families, communities, people groups, and the world.
And the price paid will vanish in the glory of His presence and His pleasure.
Bob Marsh, Director
International Baptist Church Ministries
Bob Marsh is an IBCM Board Member. He served with the IBC as church planter and pastor of Converge International Fellowship in Darmstadt, Germany and on the church planting leadership team. He currently serves as a Regional Leader in the Europe and Mediterranean Region for Converge International Ministries.