St Louis UBF UBF Bible Study : Matthew 9:35-10:4

Bible Study Materials

Matthew 9:35-10:4

by Paul Choi 05/31/2015

Question

Harvest is Plentiful, the Workers are Few

Matthew 9:35-10:4

Key Verse: 9:37-38

1. Read 9:35. How is Jesus' ministry described? What is the good news he proclaimed? How is he revealed through his ministry as the Messiah? As Deity? (Isa 35:5, 6; Mt 9:6,27, 25)

2. Read 9:36. How did Jesus regard the crowd? What does it mean to have compassion? What does it mean to be sheep without a shepherd? What does it mean to be a shepherd?

3. Read 9:37and 38. What did Jesus say to his disciples? What was the harvest he saw? What prayer topic did he give them? What does this mean?

4. Read 10:1-4. Who did Jesus call to him? (9:12) Think about each pair. How did Jesus equip his disciples? (10:7,8) Why? How does this verse fit with his ministry and prayer topic in 9:35-38?

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Mt9_35-10_4questions-revised.doc

Message

The Harvest Is Plentiful, But the Workers Are Few

Matthew 9:35-38

Key Verse: 9:37,38 “Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

These days I have more reasons to come to church with joy than for worship, prayer, and fellowship; to pick ripe mulberries from the tree on the side of the church. These mulberries are free for anyone to pick and eat! Whenever I pick and eat them, I remember two things: God’s grace, and the lack of mulberry reapers. First, I didn’t work at all for the mulberries, but I can eat as many as I want. God’s grace is the same. I didn’t do anything for my salvation, but I was saved by what Christ did for me. Second, there are plenty of mulberries, but there are few reapers. The mulberries on the tree are as numerous as the stars in the sky. I am sorry to see that there are so many ripe mulberries which fall, and are trampled on and squashed. The season for mulberries is short. I hope that many of you may join me in reaping the mulberries and share my joy and lessons.

Today’s passage is short, but its meaning is deep and wide. We learn about Jesus’ compassion and his vision for the people and for the world. One pastor summed up this passage with one statement, “We must visualize, agonize, and evangelize.” (Preparing for the Harvest; Kevin L Jones) I pray that through this passage we may have the heart of God for lost souls and the eyes of Jesus to see the world. Amen.

First, the ministry of Jesus (35) Look at verse 35. “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every diseases and sickness.” This verse sums up Jesus’ ministry with three things; teaching, proclaiming, and healing. Jesus did not just sit down and do nothing. He travelled through all the towns and villages in order to take care of God’s people. On the Sabbath he taught God’s word in the synagogues. Jesus knew that all Scripture is able to make people wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (2 Ti 3:15) Jesus believed that only the word of God is the truth which sanctifies them and makes them God’s holy people. (Ps 119:9,10, Jn 17:17)

Jesus proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of heaven because the kingdom of heaven is our real hope and the meaning of our lives on this earth. Jesus’ first message was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Mt 4:17) People work hard and keep themselves busy every day. When we look carefully at what they are doing, we come to realize that they labor hard for three meals a day, for better food, a bigger house, and a better paying job. If our life on this earth is only for eating and drinking, we will become sorrowful because our life is too meaningful to spend on eating and drinking, and too short to enjoy. Our life on this earth is short, but life in God’s kingdom is eternal. John the Apostle described God’s kingdom as a new heaven and a new earth, where there is no more death or mourning or crying or pain. (Rev 21:1-4) Because of this hope for God’s kingdom, we live on this earth with peace, joy and hope for the future. Jesus not only proclaimed God’s kingdom but also brought God’s kingdom to this earth. Whoever repents and believes in Jesus Christ will be saved and will enter the kingdom of God. Paul said that the wages of sin is death, but eternal life is God’s gift in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Ro 6:23)

Jesus healed every disease and sickness. As we have studied thus far, Jesus healed a man with leprosy (8:1-4). Jesus healed a servant of the centurion and Peter’s mother-in-law. Jesus drove out demons from two demon-possessed men. (8:32) Jesus raised the dead daughter of a synagogue ruler and healed a sick woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. Last week we studied how Jesus opened the eyes of the two blind men, and the mouth of a mute by driving out the mute demons. (9:27-33) The ministry of Jesus reminds us of the prophecy of Isaiah concerning the coming Messiah, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…” (Is 61:1-2) I believe that Jesus heals sickness and diseases even today. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb 13:8) Jesus heals our sickness and diseases according to our faith by the power of the Holy Spirit. (9:29) Last week we studied that all those who came to Jesus by faith were healed. Our Lord Jesus is a merciful and mighty God. Amen!

Second, Jesus’ compassion (36) Look at verse 36. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” What is compassion? The word ‘compassion’ is composed of ‘com’ which means ‘with’ and ‘passion’ which means ‘suffering’. Rev. Billy Graham said that compassion means to share suffering together. Compassion is to share in suffering out of love. Compassion is the heart of God. The Scriptures say that our God is gracious and compassionate.( Ex 34:6; 2Ch 30:9; Ps 103:8; Joel 2:13; Jnh 4:2). God had compassion on the people of Israel, who suffered under Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The Lord God said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.” (Ex 3:7) David sinned against God. He suffered much from the consequences of his sin. Still, he came to God for forgiveness of sin because he knew that our God is the God of mercy and God of compassion. He prayed in Psalm 51:1, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.”

When Jesus saw the crowd, he had pity on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Sheep are vulnerable and dependant animals who need a shepherd to guide them to the pasture, protect them from wild beasts and thieves, and provide them with food. Sheep cannot survive without a shepherd. Jesus saw the crowd as harassed and helpless sheep without a shepherd. People were harassed by the Roman power. They were harassed by their religious leaders. They were harassed by their own sins, demons, diseases, and death. They were helpless before the power of darkness. Jesus had compassion on them.

Someone said that we are born indifferent and selfish. Do you agree? To the eyes of those who live in the world of the survival of the fittest, people are their rivals and competitors. To the eyes of those who live in this materialistic and individualistic society, we are just parts of a gigantic structure. Everybody is busy taking care of themselves, not concerned about others. Can we see young people walking down the street with the eyes of compassion? Is your heart broken when they refuse to believe in Jesus, but follow the way of sin? Or does your heart become numb and unfeeling even though we believe that they are going to hell? Then where does compassion come from and how can we obtain it? Compassion comes when we see people with the eyes of Jesus. Compassion comes when we share the heart of God. People saw the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well as an immoral woman. Jesus saw her as one lost soul. People saw Levi as a selfish and greedy tax collector. Jesus saw him as a lost sheep. People saw demon-possessed men as destructive and burdensome troublemakers. But Jesus saw them as harassed and helpless sheep without a shepherd. When we see people with the eyes of Jesus we have the compassion of God. Our view in seeing people makes us different in dealing with them.

When we see people with the eyes of Jesus, our hearts are broken. When Jesus saw a man born blind, his heart went out to him. He touched the man and healed him. I met a student who was anxious about his parent’s divorce. Outwardly he looked okay, but inwardly he was struggling to overcome sorrow and fear. As a pastor said, we must visualize and then agonize. When we see others with the eyes of Jesus, God gives us a broken heart. God encourages us to pray for those who suffer. May God help us to see people with the eyes of Jesus and fill our hearts with his compassion!

Third, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. (37-38) Look at verses 37-38. “Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Here Jesus changed the metaphor from sheep farming to wheat harvesting. When Jesus saw the crowd, he saw them as ripe for harvest. This reminds us of Jesus in John 4. Jesus helped one Samaritan woman with compassion and patience. When she opened her spiritual eyes to see Jesus as the Messiah, she left her water jar and ran to her town to witness about Jesus. Her townspeople came to Jesus. When Jesus saw them, he said to his disciples, “Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (Jn 4:35) As Jesus saw the townspeople in Samaria as ripe for harvest, Jesus also saw the crowd as harvest. Another version says that they become white for harvest. The harvest is plentiful means that people are ready to be reaped for salvation. It also means that there are many people who need to hear the gospel for their salvation. As ripe crops are waiting for harvest workers, so suffering and dying souls are waiting for Bible teachers to share the message of salvation.

What problem did Jesus see in the plentiful harvest field? It was a lack of workers. He said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” Jesus meant that there are not many reapers for the crop. Harvesting needs many workers. My grandfather was a farmer. When I was in sixth grade, I had a chance to watch harvesting in my grandfather’s field. My uncles took sickles and reaped the crops. They tied them up in sheaves. My aunts cooked food for each meal, and brought it to the workers. After collecting the crops, my grandfather and his friends sorted them and winnowed them before putting them into sacks. In the harvest season, all family members, relatives, friends, and even neighbors joined the harvesting. I also participated in carrying water bottles for my grandfather and uncles. Suppose there are no workers in the harvest field! All the crops will spoil, rot, and be lost.

In the Bible, harvesting day is described as the day of God’s judgment. The prophet Joel said in Joel 3:13, “Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow---so great is their wickedness!” In Revelations 14:14-20 the Apostle John said that a son of man (Jesus Christ) with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand said to an angel, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. (Rev 14:16) This means that Jesus will collect his chosen people and bring them into the kingdom of heaven. Another angel came down and swung his sickle on the earth and collected its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press. (Rev 14:19,20) This harvest is the picture of God’s judgment over the wicked and unbelievers. At the harvest time Jesus will come and bring his people into the kingdom of heaven and will throw all the wicked into the fire of hell. (Rev 21:8)

What did Jesus ask his disciples to do for the harvest field? Look at verse 38. “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into the harvest field.” Jesus asked his disciples to pray to God for the harvest workers. Our God is the Lord of the harvest. This means that God will harvest his crop. He is the owner of the harvest field. The crop in the field is his. We are workers in his field. Jesus asked us to pray for the harvest workers. When Jesus saw the harassed and helpless people, he had compassion on them. When he saw the plentiful harvest and the lack of workers, he had compassion on the crop.

According to Pastor Steven Lutz at the University of Pennsylvania, who wrote a book, “College Ministry in a Post-Christian Culture”, only 2% of students are active in worshiping God and participating in Christian fellowship. I am sure that Washington University in St. Louis is not much different than this. People think that our harvest field, mission field is Tanzania in Africa, Nicaragua in Latin America, China, North Korea, and so on. But our urgent harvest field is America, where we live in now, not far distant countries. When we see young people with the eyes of Jesus, they are ripe for harvest. Some are dying spiritually and going into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Others are suffering from sin-sickness and being tortured by the power of Satan. They are waiting for a shepherd who leads them to green pasture and quiet water. They are waiting for hearing the gospel message through Bible study and prayer. They are waiting for sickles which reap them and put them into the heavenly barn. Who are the harvest workers? We don’t have to look around at others. WE ARE the harvest workers! When God saw the lost people, he asked, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah answered, “Here am I. Send me!” (Is 6:8)

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. There are many campuses around us in St. Louis, but gospel workers are few. Students are waiting for Bible teachers, Christian friends, prayer partners, and even spiritual advisers. Let us pray that God may send many harvest workers into these campuses. We don’t have to wait. We ourselves may go and reap the crop. Before I finish my sermon, I will introduce an interesting report from the sermon “Principles of the Harvest” of Pastor Ronald Hughes about how people come to the Lord Jesus. Here is the statistic:

.0001% .........TV or Crusade 1-2% ............. Cold turkey evangelism
2-4% ............. Church program 3-6% ............. Sunday School
4-6% ............. "Walk-in" 6-8% ............. Minister
74% ............. Friends and relatives

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