The Great Sending, Chapter 16

by Reverand Dr. Larry Stoterau

Matthew 9 is a chapter of healing miracles of Jesus. Jesus heals a paralytic carried on a stretcher by friends. He raises from death the daughter of a ruler, and on the way to see that daughter, he cures a woman who for years had been victim to severe bleeding. He heals two blind men and restores speech to a demon- possessed man. The result of all this healing is not only restored people but great crowds who follow Jesus, some seeking healing for themselves and others who are just plain curious about this miracle worker.

As Jesus looked out over the crowds, “He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (v. 36). The Missio Dei is to love and care for those who are hurting, helpless, and lost. That love, direct from God, would culminate on a cross. While Jesus is preparing his disciples to take over his ministry, he teaches them by example how to love. This at times includes loving the unlovable.

Jesus points out the crowd to his disciples and uses agricultural imagery to emphasize the urgency of loving people with the love of God. Harvest time is always an exciting time. Months of hard work and prayer culminate in the farmer bringing in the fruit of his labor. Prior to the invention of big machinery, friends and neighbors would work together to harvest the crops. Time was of the essence because bad weather and bugs were current threats to the harvest. If left in the field too long, the crop might spoil.

While Orange County, California, is an urban community with 3 million people, it is still home to small acreages of land where strawberries are grown every winter and spring. When the strawberries are ripe and ready for harvest, it is not unusual to see 10 or more workers in the strawberry patch, working together to harvest the ripe fruit. Workers are critical in the field when the harvest is ready.

Knowing the urgency, Jesus says to his disciples, “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (v. 38). First, he instructs them to pray. Then, he sends them out.
This text is often read at the installation of professional church workers and is certainly applicable to that setting. But this passage is not limited to the work ahead for professional church workers.

Jesus points each of us to the harvest, and he calls us to work. As each of us demonstrates the love of God to one who is hurting, lonely, or lost we are participating in the harvest. We pray for workers to participate in the harvest, and we also pray for each of us to see those in our lives who need to know Jesus. Through our baptism we are called to participate in the harvest by loving people and pointing them to Christ. More important than harvesting strawberries is harvesting the people for whom Christ died as he waits to welcome them into his kingdom.

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