"Laborers in the Harvest"

“Laborers in the Harvest”

A sermon on Matthew 9:35-10:8 preached at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri on June 14, 2020. 

In the name of Jesus, the Good Shepherd and Lord of the harvest,

            Since Jesus lived and ministered in a rural area like ours, it’s no surprise that He often used agriculture in His parables and sayings. Later Jesus would tell parables about a sower, weeds, mustard seeds, and laborers in a vineyard. But before all of that, He gives us this saying about the harvest. “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”

            Now many of you have either just finished or are hopefully close to finishing planting for this year. Wouldn’t this be a better text for us to hear sometime this fall while we’re harvesting? Maybe. But really, everything you are doing now as you plant, is done with the harvest in mind. If it weren’t, you wouldn’t go to all that trouble, would you now?

            Let’s take a look at the harvest Jesus is talking about here and then let’s see how we participate in it.

Harassed and helpless then

            As Jesus goes around to the cities and villages of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues, we get a view into His heart. We get to see what He sees. Jesus sees that people are “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” There it is, another farming metaphor.

            Why were these people harassed and helpless? There’s lots of reasons. They were living under Rome’s thumb that was certainly oppressive. Life was hard in those days. Many people were barely making a living. Then there were the Pharisees who added rules and regulations to God’s Word. People either fooled themselves into thinking they were good enough or realized they could never match up to God’s standard.

            But they weren’t just harassed and helpless by things from the outside. They each had their own sin. They used bad language, skipped worship, disobeyed authority, lusted, hated, stole, and lied just like we do. They were harassed. They were helpless.

We don’t just to see what Jesus sees. We get to feel what He feels. Jesus has compassion on them. His stomach gets all in a knot. His heart goes out to them. He is the Good Shepherd, so He has come to help these sheep who are straying.

How will He do this? It was all prophesied in Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Jesus came to save these people from their sin. As the Good Shepherd, He laid down His life for His sheep. He didn’t just lay it down on the cross, He took it again when He rose from the dead. His resurrection fulfilled what His miracles pointed towards: He is going to restore all things.

Harassed and helpless now

            You could say a lot of similar things about our world today. People are harassed and helpless. Between the double whammy of Coronavirus and racial tension everyone is calling each other names and feeling completely helpless.

            Do you feel harassed? Do you feel helpless? Does it feel like people have kicked you to the curb? We’ve all felt like this at some point this year. Maybe it was not being about to be with someone in the nursing home, maybe it was missing a funeral or wedding. Maybe it was watching violence and hatred, destruction, and disrespect. What is there that we can do?

            Yes, we have our own sins. We’ve also used bad language, skipped worship, disobeyed authority, hated, lusted, stolen, and lied. We are also staying like sheep. We certainly haven’t helped this mess get any better.

            Jesus the Good Shepherd is here for us just as He was here for them. Though His death and resurrection happened nearly two thousand years ago, the results and benefits are still here for us today. You are already a part of this harvest because someone was a labor in the field. Your parents brought you baptism. Your pastors and teachers taught you God’s Word. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) This is what happens in God’s harvest field. We are brought in and receive forgiveness.

The labors then  

            Jesus sees the problems in the world and asks for prayer. His disciples are to pray that God would send workers into His harvest. Then look what happens! Those disciples who are asked to pray are also called and sent out as apostles.

They are an interesting group for sure! You have fisherman like Peter, Andrew, James, and John. We know them well. But a few only are mentioned a few times. Matthew for example, was a tax collector who left his job when Jesus said, “follow me.” He had been working for the Romans and their puppets. Then you have Simon who is call the Cananean, which is the Aramaic word for Zealot. The revolutionary group known as the Zealots hadn’t formed yet, but the anti-Roman sentiment was certainly there. This other Simon (not Simon Peter) probably had that sort of radical revolutionalry political leanings.

            You have to wonder if Matthew, who many probably saw as a traitor for collecting taxes that ultimately went to Rome, and Simon the Zealot, who wanted to get rid of the Romans got along. Really, we don’t need to wonder because the Bible never says anything about that. Whatever their differences were before, their unity in Christ was more important. Jesus’ mission is more important than where you come from, your occupation, your political views, or anything else.

            This is true because Jesus is the one empowering the mission. Their ministry is an extension of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus goes around preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, healing every disease and every affliction. In first part of this chapter and the one before we hear how Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead, cleansed lepers, and cast out demons. Now He tells the disciples to do the exact same thing, “Proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons.” (Matthew 10:7-8)

See, now that Jesus is here, all of this is happening! God’s kingdom is for the harassed and helpless. Jesus is here for them. The power of sin and death is falling apart. This is the Good News the disciples bring. This is also the good news we must bring.

The labors now

The mission Jesus began with these twelve apostles, continues with us. It continues because we see the same thing Jesus saw as we look out at the world. A world that is harassed and helpless. But rather than be pessimistic, Jesus calls us to see it as a field ripe for the harvest.

The compassion we have for people comes from the compassion Jesus has for people. The message we have for people is the same message Jesus and the disciples proclaimed. The kingdom of God is here! “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) God is working in our midst through His Word, through His Sacraments. Come and be part of it!

Just as Jesus asked His disciples to pray that labors would be sent, so He continues to ask us. Are you praying that God would raise up pastors, teachers, and missionaries to do this work full time? Are you encouraging young men and women to consider full time work in the church? We should be doing this.

Jesus not only asks us to pray, He also asks us to go. That’s what we heard last Sunday in the great commission. As we go, wherever we go, or wherever are called to stay, we are called to make disciples of all nations. God’s solution for being harassed and helpless is for His people to go, proclaim the Gospel, and share Jesus’ compassion.

Here’s His promise: Just as Jesus empowered the message His Apostles proclaimed, He empowers what we do today. As we invite people to church or share God’s Word with them we can be sure that the Holy Spirit is at work creating and sustaining faith. We have the message of life and forgiveness this world so desperately needs.

            You know this harvest metaphor. You know the urgency that comes with harvest time. You’ve got to get everything in while there is still time. Whether it’s corn or beans, you know your racing against the calendar or the weather to get the grain out of the field. If you don’t get it in time, it could be lost.

            We need to have that same urgency as we participate in Jesus’ mission. The harvest field that we’re looking at in the United States today is probably less like a field of corn or beans and more like a blackberry patch. It doesn’t have the nice neat rows. It’s going to take you out of your climate-controlled environment. This harvest has thorns. It’s going to take some looking. But oh! That harvest is sweet! What is sweeter than knowing the people you love will be with us forever?

            There is a sense of urgency because we know that like harvest, there’s a deadline. There’s a time when we won’t be able to reach anyone else. That’s going to happen when Jesus comes back. That’s our hope, but it’s also the end of our opportunity to bring people into this harvest.

            Participating in this harvest can be as simple as inviting someone to church. It’s as simple as reading a devotion or a Bible Story with your family. It also includes encouraging people who are already laboring full time and encouraging others to consider fulltime church work.

            After the isolation from coronavirus and all the emotions that have come with the current upheaval, more people may be ready to hear this message of the kingdom. We have what the world needs! We have the forgiveness of sins! “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) We have everlasting life! God is giving it away here among His people. Let’s bring this good news to people because they are harassed and helpless. Amen.