It’s harvest time

Matthew 9:35-38

The ambassadors of Jesus

40 blogs of Lent: Day 2

And 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. 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 labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.”
Matthew 9:35-38 ESVUK

The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few was the cry from British fruit farms last year. Brexit was blamed by the Remainers, but not enough seasonal workers from outside the EU allowed in by the government was another factor, along with the resident population wanting full-time jobs, not seasonal work. The result was fruit that could have been picked rotted and was wasted.

This is one of those transitionary passages in Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew structured his writing with a narrative section followed by teaching the narrative was in chapters 8 and 9 which was three sections each of 3 miracles. Chapter 10 will be teaching; instructions to people going out to preach and heal, these verses neatly bridges the two.

The harvest Jesus was talking about is people. Jesus can see that the need of the people around him is greater than he can manage on his own so he chooses and sends people out to be his ambassadors.

We could emulate Isaiah in this:

I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
Isaiah 6:8

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