Matthew 9:36-38 says "When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, `The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'" When Jesus and the Pharisees looked on the crowd of ordinary men and women, they saw them in very different ways. The orthodox religious leaders saw the common people as worthless chaff to be thrown away. Jesus, on the other hand, saw them as something good, a harvest to be reaped.
Matthew continues in the next chapter to describe how Jesus confronts the "problem" of how to gather in the harvest. Jesus recognizes that He can not do it all, that He must have help. He gathers the disciples together and gives them their instructions. The work Jesus gave them to do was the same He himself did. In Matthew 9:35, just before he summoned the disciples, we are told "Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness." Jesus taught, proclaimed, and healed. Likewise, when Jesus sent the disciples out, He told them "As you go, proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.'" They were to proclaim the closeness of the Kingdom, because in Jesus the Kingdom of God had come to all. But the task of the twelve was not confined to speaking words, it involved doing deeds. Just as Jesus had done, they were to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. These instructions were all to be taken PHYSICALLY, because Jesus Christ came to bring health and healing to the bodies of all people. But they are also to be done SPIRITUALLY, since they also describe the change brought by Jesus to the souls of all. When they healed the sick's body, they were also to strengthen the weakened spirit in addition to the weakened immune system. When they raised the dead body, they were also to raise those dead in spirit. When they cleansed the lepers, those totally rejected by society, they were also to reach out to and include all who society had rejected.
Jesus did not send out the disciples unequipped and alone. He sent them out armed with His authority, the authority that his Father had given him. And He sent them out in pairs because He knew the importance of having a community of faith. But, perhaps most importantly, he sent them out with the promise that THEY did not have to do all the work. When He said "If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.", He was telling them that God has to open people to His Word and Healing. If a person is not so opened, it is not the fault of the proclaimer or healer. If that has not happened, there is little that the disciple can do but go on to another.
The harvest is STILL plentiful and the laborers are STILL few. Like the first twelve, Jesus calls us, as His disciples, to proclaim and heal. He has given us, through the Holy Spirit, authority and power to do both. The most powerful proclamation we can make of the Gospel is with our lives. People DO watch how we live. If we “practice what we preach” as Christians, people notice. And there is incredible healing power in love. By reaching out and touching someone (often physically, if someone is lonely), healing occurs. We do none of this alone. Jesus has promised to be with us in all we do in His name. He will give us the words and strength and courage. That support often comes through our church.
"Jesus said to his disciples, `The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'"
