S158P1 – Harvest imagery: help wanted
Mt. 9:35-38
And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he 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 pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
I know a farmer who rents out his fields for others to plant their crops. These tenants all operate by the same pattern. In the right season, they begin preparing their fields for planting. Then, they plant their seed and tend to their crops as needed while they grow. Good seed in fertile soil receiving the right nutrients and water will produce a good crop. When it is time for the harvest, each tenant gets to work. Although the full-grown crop appears to be a sign that the work is done, that crop needs to be brought in. With the right tools and enough hands, the crop can be grown and harvested efficiently. For the one working alone without any equipment, the harvest will seem to take forever.
God has a harvest to collect from this world. It is a harvest of souls, and He has no desire to do the work alone. He has enlisted us as co-laborers with him to help in the fields. There is a lot of work to be done to get from the barren soil to the bumper crop. We know that many hands make light work, and in the kingdom of God it is no different. There is work for each of us to do, but that does not mean that we each do the same work. One will plant, and another will water, yet neither works alone. Many will plant, and many will water, and they need their fellow laborers to pitch in. Christ himself said that the laborers are few, which is a call to action in the form of prayer because there is still much work to be done.
The good news is that the harvest is plentiful. There is an abundance of souls to be saved. In fact, our work here will not be done until God’s kingdom is complete. What we need are workers to go into the field and teach the gospel, to be Christ to the lost, to make disciples of the nations. Jesus seems to indicate that our prayers are sufficient to increase the number of workers in the field. We would be wise to follow this instruction and pray for God to send us fellow laborers. How glorious it would be to help usher in that harvest day during our lives here! Father, we ask that You would send the laborers into your harvest to help us gather the souls who have a place in your kingdom.