The Harvest is Plentiful – Pentecost 3

The Harvest is Plentiful

Propers 6 T Matthew 9:35-10:20

INI

There’s more work to be done than there are workers. You’ve seen that play out before in busy restaurants when there are more tables than waiters and cooks. There are more angry customers waiting for food than hands to cook it or bring it to the table. The scene can be pretty chaotic. And it’s not that the workers are being lazy or inattentive – there’s just too much work for the staff to do alone. They need help.

            Jesus has compassion on the crowds that He serves in His ministry. He heals them. Feeds them. Even raises some from the dead. He does everything He can to serve their needs, and yet, they still press in on Him. Jesus has compassion on them – primarily because they were sheep without a shepherd. The Pharisees did a poor job of taking care of their own. This led Jesus to say – “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”

            Said another way – there’s more work to be done than there are workers. Everywhere Jesus looked, there were people burdened by sicknesses, weighed down by their sins, wandering around aimlessly in life, like sheep without a shepherd. They needed more than temporary relief though; they needed God’s mercy. They needed forgiveness. They needed the good news that the kingdom of heaven draws near to them.

            Then Jesus tells the disciples “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” And Jesus sent out the 12 disciples to show the imminence of God’s kingdom breaking through to humanity. Through the reign of Jesus, God’s own hand extends to care for and shepherds God’s people. Jesus gave these disciples the authority to cleanse lepers, cast out demons, heal the sick, even raising the dead! Thus, Jesus’ compassion to the crowds extended through the hands of the ones He sent. But most importantly, the kingdom of God is announced– and the kingdom of God is this: the power and domain of Satan is driven back. Death and its symptoms are reversed by the kingdom of God. The serpent’s head is crushed by the bruised heel of God’s own Son.

            It’s a beautiful message isn’t it? It’s the good news that every soul on this earth needs to hear, that they may have salvation in the one and only name it can be granted by – Jesus Christ!

And even today, it still reigns true. We have the best message worth sharing with the world. Our epistle lessons put it so impactfully – Christ shows His love for us that He died for us even while we were still sinners. That is, He didn’t wait for humanity to start acting godly before He died for them. Because who would die for a sinner? One MIGHT die for a righteous person. But Christ died for us even WHILE we were trapped in our sins, separated from our heavenly Father.

Yet, through Jesus’ sacrificial death and justifying resurrection, we are RECONCILED to our Heavenly Father! That is, our sin doesn’t separate us from His presence. That’s what Christ’s death atoned for. That’s what God has been working to bring into His creation ever since the fall of Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 3!

Even though sin came through the one man, Adam, and infected all humanity since then, grace came to all humanity through the righteousness of one man – Jesus Christ. And this grace that’s been won on the cross is delivered through the word and promise of Christ here in Church – and sometimes that word and promise has visible elements, like water, bread, and wine, through which, God delivers His grace and promise.

Isn’t this a message worth sharing? Don’t you think there are a lot of people out there wounded by sin, calloused from living in a sinful world, who need to hear about the redemption of Christ and reconciliation with their creator?

The harvest is plentiful. People are ripe to hear this message. Because we live in a world where people often unknowingly walk around battered, bruised, and wounded from sin. And to find relief, they try to pursue happiness in all the wrong things – whether it be drugs, alcohol, gluttony, entertainments, money, power, wealth, you name it. They pursue an ever-fleeting happiness in this world while ignoring the lasting joy and satisfaction that comes in the kingdom of heaven.

 To bring this message of forgiveness, reconciliation with God, and the hope of a new, restored creation and bodily life, God sends messengers.

In the early Church, God sent the disciples. But even now, God sends laborers into the harvest. That is, He sends men to be pastors. He sends men to be shepherds of His sheep. But there’s still the same problem today that there was back then. There’s more work than there are workers.

At our seminaries, call night always highlights the shortage of workers in Christ’s holy church. For the last few years, there are around 50+ churches who ask for pastors from our seminaries but aren’t granted one. Because the numbers of seminary enrollment is down historically. There aren’t enough men to fill church vacancies. And the problem is only going to be exaggerated as the baby boomer generation completely retires out of ministry.

Our church body, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, has set up an initiative to combat this – it’s called “Set Apart to Serve”. The goal of this initiative is to encourage pastors in local congregations to identify qualified men and talk about and encourage them to consider pastoral ministry. And it’s not just for men becoming pastors, but women too that they might consider church work vocations like Lutheran School teacher or becoming a deaconess.

            God sends messengers to extend His kingdom. He sends the messengers to preach the Word of God which creates faith in people. Paul says in Romans 10 – “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? (Rom 10:14-15)”

            We need to pray for God to send messengers. There’s much work to be done, and not enough workers. We need more shepherds to tend to the Lord’s flock, that they are not harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

            But the task of bringing the message of Christ’s salvation to the world doesn’t just belong to pastors. As members of the royal priesthood of all believers, you also have this calling. In 1 Peter 3:15 it says “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.”

            Think about the people God has placed in your life. Your family members, co-workers, classmates, and friends. These are people you already have a relationship with and who trust you. But these are people I’ve probably never met. Yet, God has placed you in their lives for a reason.

            Now, this doesn’t mean you’re called to be their pastor. God hasn’t entrusted the public pastoral office to you. But He’s given you opportunities that pastors often don’t have. So, when questions arise, and suffering bubbles up into their lives, when someone wonders where a lasting hope and joy can be found, who is better positioned to speak to them? Their Christian friend they already know and trust? Or a strange guy in a collar?

            You are called to share the hope you have. To share the peace that comes through Christ, knowing that your sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake.

            What usually prevents Christians from sharing their faith? Usually, it’s that they aren’t confident. They aren’t clear on how to articulate the story of salvation. Well, come to Bible study. Learn the story. Read the Scriptures. Pray. Live the Christian life, full of joy and hope. Don’t be miserably saved, but embrace the life Christ calls you to! Because there’s more work than workers. And Christ needs us to share it! Not to impress Him, but because there are many that need to hear this good news.

            Finally, what’s Jesus’ advice to us all as we spread the kingdom of heaven? He says, you’re sheep going in the midst of wolves. So, be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Expect opposition to the kingdom. You’ll encounter roadblocks. But when the wolves lunge at you, don’t just stand there. Step aside. When lions open their mouths, don’t jump in. But don’t retaliate either. Be innocent in their sight. If when you suffer, let it be for righteousness sake. Don’t seek revenge. That belongs to the Lord, for He says “vengeance is mine”.

            In essence, be like Jesus. Jesus was gentle. Non-threatening. Scriptures describe Him as someone who wouldn’t quench a smoldering wick. He led a pure, holy life, acting with compassion toward the lost. He was as innocent as a dove.

            Yet, Jesus also acted with righteous anger, like when He drove the money changers out of the temple. Thieves and wolves had infected God’s house, and Jesus rightly cleared them out.

            Jesus was also as wise as a serpent. He never stepped into the traps laid for Him by the Pharisees. He always evaded them by appealing to the truth of God. So likewise, be like Jesus. Risk your lives as vulnerable, non-combative, sheep-like, courageous witnesses. But try to find ways to give your witness in a way that doesn’t bring unnecessary persecution.

            The harvest is plentiful because sinners still need God’s mercy. Christ’s compassion leads Him to send messengers to them, that they may learn the good news that He has died for them. May He continue to send faithful pastors to preach His Word, and may He use each of us to share the hope we have in Him until He gathers all His sheep into His eternal kingdom.

INI

Pastor Joshua Ralston