The harvest

But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. – Matthew 9.36-38

After the Sermon on the Mount Jesus had spent some time doing a whole series of great miracles. He healed the sick and gave the blind sight and raised the dead and even healed a woman who had merely touched the hem of His garment.

But now, as He leaves the city, something happens. He turns back to the crowd and his ‘bowels are stirred.’ He sees something literally gut wrenching. As He looked at the crowd He saw them scattered like sheep without a shepherd. He turned then to His handful of disciples and said some to the saddest words ever spoken ‘there is indeed a plentiful harvest, but there are so few workers.’

Here we are 2000 years on and we still have the same issue. Experts tell us that in Jesus’ day there were about 300 million people on the face of the whole earth. That was indeed a big harvest field. Today we have a harvest field of seven billion.

But we have the same problem as 2000 years ago. Where are the workers?

Most Christians like going to church. We like fellowship and times together. We just like the comfort of being together.

But when it comes to the going out it gets much harder. The world still needs harvesters to bring in the fruit of the gospel. Where are the believers willing to gather the harvest? Our harvest may be our neighbour of co-worker or the guy at the bus stop or those in some unreached part of the world. God just wants us to be willing workers.