Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.” (Luke 10:2-3)
Jesus was preparing His larger group of 70 followers to spread His message through the region of Galilee. Using the analogy of a ripe field of grain, Jesus told them the harvest truly is great. Jesus was urgent about His work, because He considered the multitude of humanity to be like a harvest field ready for gathering. He thought of the greatness of human need and saw it as an opportunity.
Using the picture suggested by Jesus, we can say that the field itself is large, and the ready harvest is also large. This wasn’t the only time Jesus said this; some time before and at a different place Jesus said basically the same thing (Matthew 9:37-38). Perhaps this was almost a proverbial statement of Jesus, something He observed and said often.
This is still true: the harvest truly is great. And it is also still true that the laborers are few. This means not only that there must be more workers, but also that those engaged in the work must have appropriate focus on their work. When there is a lot of work and few workers, one must be busy about the work.
This is a harvest that needs laborers. The good of a harvest can go to waste if there are no laborers to take advantage of the bounty. Jesus warned us that opportunities to meet human need and bring people into His kingdom may be wasted because of a shortage of laborers.
Considering all this, Jesus told them pray the Lord of the harvest. The work before them was so big that it could not be accomplished without much prayer. Specifically, they were to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. This speaks powerfully to:
– The need for prayer in the work of evangelism (therefore pray).
– The maker of the harvest (the Lord of the harvest).
– The need for workers in the work of evangelism (laborers).
– The calling of God for the work of the harvest (to send out).
– The nature of harvest participation, work (laborers).
– The need to recognize to Whom the harvest belongs (His harvest).
Jesus also sent them as lambs among wolves. Going as lambs among wolves doesn’t sound very attractive; yet it was exactly how Jesus was sent, and how the power of God worked through Him mightily.
Find a way that God can use you to further His great harvest in the world today. You are only one worker among the many, and we pray God sends even more. Yet the work Jesus gives us to do is important, and we must do our part.
It’s His harvest – praise God, He gives us work to do in His field!
Click here for David’s commentary on Luke 10
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