36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
THE PRAYER OF HOPE
These verses form the hinge of Matthew’s gospel. Up to this point in his narrative Matthew’s focus has been on who Jesus is together with Jesus’ mission. Attention now turns to the preparation of Jesus’ disciples for their mission.
Matthew begins this passage by describing Jesus’ compassion for the crowds who were harassed and helpless. We can feel his emotion for people who had no hope: they were sheep without a shepherd who could direct them to green pastures. However, with this note of hopelessness, there is a positive encouragement: the harvest is plentiful;… ask the Lord…
The news of the kingdom of God is for everyone,’ Jesus was saying. ‘Once this news gets out there’s going to be no way you will be able to do all the work yourselves. Those of you who have been chosen by me and trained by me are not going to be sufficient for such a vast task – even seventy will not be enough. My kingdom is such that before it is complete the crowds who will be drawn to it will be countless in number. The work will require workers far more numerous than you think. Your first task is to look, not for converts, but for colleagues. “The harvest is plentiful,” Jesus said, “but the laborers are few; pray the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field.” ‘Unless you see that God is the one who must raise up these people the task is foiled before it has begun.’ Our first response to the work of the gospel is not activism but prayer.
God has ordered his government of the world in a way that includes our prayers – not least when it comes to mission: praying for those who do not yet believe and praying for the ongoing work of the gospel. (See also Colossians 4:2-4)
It is very easy to feel overwhelmed and exhausted when we read of Jesus’ agenda: ‘The job’s too big,’ we say. ‘What can I do?’ Jesus tells us, ‘First pray for colleagues – pray that the Lord of the harvest will raise up a mighty number of people. The Book of Revelation tells us that in the last day the Kingdom of God will include a huge multitude, drawn from every nation and tribe and from every generation. It will be as countless in size as the stars in the sky. A vast international company like this cannot be reached by just a few. Many thousands will be needed – thousands who are willing to leave their comfort zones and serve the cause of Jesus Christ; thousands who, left to themselves, would sit comfortably in church on Sundays and for the rest of the week forget about their faith and the great task of the church. Pray the Lord of the harvest that he will raise up the missionary mindset and resource that is needed.
You may want to consider:
the compelling description of Jesus’ compassion for the crowds;
your own response to people you know and others you see – the cynical friend, the amoral colleague, the plight of God’s people in the Middle East and elsewhere;
Jesus’ call to us to pray, literally plead, that God would raise up people to tell the gospel.
1 Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The reference here to ‘veils’ and ‘glory’ shows that Paul has in mind a contrast he has made between the old and the new covenants in an earlier chapter. In chapter 3 he argued that the Jewish people really didn’t understand their Bible: there is a ‘veil’ over their hearts and minds, he said which was blinding them spiritually. Now in chapter 4 he includes all men and women. Anybody, he says, who hears the gospel, and does not make sense of it, is like a Jew reading the Old Testament law – they do not see the glory of God in the person of Jesus.
He tells us why: the god of this age is blinding their eyes. Many consider this a reference to the work of Satan. However, there is another way of reading the sentence. The phrase, ‘the god of this age’ is an appositional phrase, meaning ‘the god who consists of this age’. People make this age their god: it is the idolatrous preoccupation with the material things of this world that makes people blind to the spiritual realities of the next.
This line of interpretation is consistent with the overall teaching of the Bible – it is because men and women have chosen to worship what is less than God that God has given them over to a darkened mind; in turn, the devil finds it so easy to steal the word of God from their hearts.
How then does anyone come to believe? Surely we are all in the same spiritual boat of ‘blindness’ Paul would agree. However, he is certain that God himself is pleased to accompany the human work of proclaiming the gospel with his miracle of illumination.’ In verse 2 he says: We do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as servants for Jesus’ sake. In other words it is not the gifts of oratory, charisma and charm that win men and women to faith, it is an encounter with Jesus. Paul sees that his task is to introduce people to Jesus. And, says Paul, ‘As I do this, God by his Spirit takes the veil from their hearts and enables them to see the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ. It’s just like opening the blinds in the morning – darkness gives way to the dawn.’
Paul’s words go to the heart of gospel ministry: to proclaim God’s good news that Jesus Christ is ‘the Lord’. It is by God’s grace that we who are blind to this truth come to see Jesus as he truly is – the Son, the true image of God, who reveals God and who brings us to God.
You may want to consider:
what Paul says about the ‘god of this age’ blinding human hearts to God’s good news;
the implications of Paul’s analogy: just as God brought light physically into the world of darkness, so he is committed to bringing light spiritually; why prayer is so important;
It is sometimes said that the Bible teaches that money is evil. That is not so. The Bible tells us it is the love of money that is the problem. In fact, the Bible makes it clear that we should view money as our servant, something to be used for service.
In 2 Corinthian 8:7-9 we read: 7 Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking. 8 I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.
In 2 Corinthians 8 & 9 Paul writes of an Appeal he was taking up in Asia to assist impoverished Christians in Judea. At first the Corinthians had responded well to the idea. But they seemed to have forgotten that they had pledged further contributions. They needed reminder.
Part of Paul’s strategy was to point to the generosity of the poorer churches in Macedonia in the north: ‘You don’t want to be outdone by the churches up-state, do you?’ he asks. Many churches in the western world today deserve to be embarrassed when we hear of the generosity of some churches in the emerging world.
GIVING
What Paul writes is a model fund-raising letter as he sets out why God’s people should give.
* Sacrificial giving. Macedonia was an exploited impoverished colony. God’s people there had suffered persecution, often losing jobs and property. Yet instead of using lack of resources as an excuse for reducing their contribution, the Macedonians had increased their giving (8:2-3a).
* Enthusiastic giving. The Macedonians were begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints (8:4). They counted such an opportunity a privilege, literally a ‘grace’. They really believed what the Lord Jesus taught: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’.
* Faith-driven giving. In 8:5 Paul tells us that the Macedonians were not just giving money to the church in Jerusalem, they were giving themselves to the Lord. Their genuine concern for others sprang from their own relationship with Jesus Christ. It was because their lives were centered on him that they were motivated to extravagance and cheerfulness in their giving.
* Incarnational Giving! 2 Corinthians 8:9 is sometimes described as the jewel in the crown of Paul’s appeal to give. He speaks of the existence of Christ before his birth – he was rich. From all eternity Christ had been enthroned in the splendor and glory of heaven. Paul speaks of the birth of Christ – he became poor. He took to himself something that in all eternity he had never known – poverty. We also see Christ’s generosity – so that you through his poverty might become rich.
Christ condescended to a monumental humiliation – his lowly birth in Bethlehem and his ignominious death at Calvary – so that he could enrich us. We give, says Paul, because God gave. Anyone who understands what Christ has done cannot help but be generous themselves.
You may want to consider:
1. the context of Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians;
2. the example of the giving of the Macedonians;
3. the impact of verse 9 – we give because of Christ.
1 We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; 2 for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, 4 begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints— 5 and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us, 6 so that we might urge Titus that, as he had already made a beginning, so he should also complete this generous undertaking among you. 7 Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.
8 I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.
GENEROUS GIVING
It is sometimes said that the Bible is against money, saying that it is evil. That is not so. The Bible tells us it is the love of money that is the problem. In fact, the Bible makes it clear that we should view money as our servant, something to be used for service.
In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 Paul writes of a collection he was taking up in Asia to assist impoverished Christians in Judea. And Paul had talked with the churches in Greece, especially the Corinthians, about this. In chapter 8:10 he tells us the Corinthians had responded well to the idea of an appeal, being not just the first church to contribute, but also one that had pledged further contributions.
Chapters 8 and 9 form a model fund-raising letter, for Paul sets out why God’s people should give.
GENEROSITY
The Corinthians needed a reminder of the Appeal to which they had given at first. Now, in Paul’s mind, some competition wouldn’t go astray: ‘You don’t want to be outdone by the churches up-state, do you?’ he is asking. Many churches in the western world today deserve to be embarrassed when we hear of the generosity of some churches in the emerging world.
* Sacrificial giving. Macedonia was an exploited impoverished colony. God’s people there had suffered persecution, often losing jobs and property. Yet instead of using lack of resources as an excuse for reducing their contribution, the Macedonians had increased their giving (8:2-3a).
* Enthusiastic giving. The Macedonians were begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints (8:4). They counted such an opportunity a privilege, literally a ‘grace’. They really believed what the Lord Jesus taught: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’.
* Faith-driven giving. In 8:5 Paul tells us that the Macedonians were not just giving money to the church in Jerusalem, they were giving themselves to the Lord. Their genuine concern for others sprang from their own relationship with Jesus Christ. It was because their lives were centered on him that they were motivated to extravagance and cheerfulness in their giving.
* Incarnational Giving! 2 Corinthians 8:9 is sometimes said to be the jewel in the crown of Paul’s appeal to give. He speaks of the pre-existence of Christ before his birth – he was rich. From all eternity Christ had been enthroned in the splendor and glory of heaven. He speaks of the birth of Christ – he became poor. He took to himself something that in all eternity he had never known – poverty. We also see Christ’s generosity – so that you through his poverty might become rich.
Christ condescended to such monumental humiliation – his lowly birth in Bethlehem and his ignominious death at Calvary – so that he could enrich us. We give, says Paul, because God gave. Anyone who understands what Christ has done cannot help but be generous themselves.
You may want to consider:
the context of Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians;
the example of the giving of the Macedonians;
the impact of verse 9 – we give because of Christmas!
9And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes. 10‘Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth,* who will entrust to you the true riches? 12And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? 13No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.’*
MONEY: A RESOURCE FOR MINISTRY
Back in 1985, Neil Postman in his Amusing Ourselves to Death, wrote that the average American was exposed to one thousand TV advertisements a week. When you factor in cell phones and computers, how many more ads are we exposed to thirty years later! Money and what money can buy dominate our minds more than we realize.
Two thousand years ago Jesus knew how money tugs at the human heart. In fact, he spoke more about money than about anything else.
With the first words in Luke 16:9, there is a change of subject: ‘I tell you’ (literally, ‘To you I say’), make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth, so that when it is gone they may welcome you into the eternal homes.
In 16:1-8, Luke records Jesus’ parable about a dishonest manager who faced an existential crisis in his life. Now, in 16:9-13 Jesus urges his listeners to consider how they should live in the light of the temporary nature of life. Specifically, how will they view and use their money and resources?
The words translated dishonest wealth capture the idea that it is possible to obtain money or hold on to it by unworthy means. Jesus may have in mind the way some fail to pay their taxes. He is not saying that money in itself is necessarily wrong or evil.
In Luke 12:33 we noted Jesus’ injunction that we need to acquire ‘treasure in heaven’. Here he is saying, ‘win friends now so that ‘they may welcome you into the eternal homes.’ While ‘they’ has been thought to be a reference to God or to the angels, it is more likely to refer to people who heard the gospel through the generous giving of God’s people.
‘It is absurd to make money and possessions your life’s goal,’ Jesus is saying. Support the ministry of God’s gospel in your church and beyond. Alongside this, show practical compassion to the poor.
There’s a story about two men laying bricks. Both were asked what they were doing. The first replied that he was building a wall. The second responded that he was constructing a magnificent cathedral. Jesus wants us to see life now in the context of eternity.
How do we do this?
Here are some practical ways we can apply Jesus’ principles:
Adopt a biblical pattern of percentage giving: 10% is the guide.
Support the ministry of your church as a first commitment. We may not always agree with all the policies of our church, but if the Bible is being taught and the gospel proclaimed we should have no hesitation. It is through the effective witness and ministry of Bible-based, gospel-centered local churches that people are normally built into God’s kingdom.
Invest in the training of ministers: the future of the church depends on it.
Support mission in the wider world and include Christian ministries that care for the poor.
God has ordered his government of the world in a way that includes our prayers – not least when it comes to mission: praying for those who do not yet believe and praying for the ongoing work of the gospel. (See also Colossians 4:2-4)
How then does anyone come to believe? Surely we are all in the same spiritual boat of ‘blindness’ Paul would agree. However, he is certain that God himself is pleased to accompany the human work of proclaiming the gospel with his miracle of illumination.’ In verse 2 he says: We do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as servants for Jesus’ sake. In other words it is not the gifts of oratory, charisma and charm that win men and women to faith, it is an encounter with Jesus. Paul sees that his task is to introduce people to Jesus. And, says Paul, ‘As I do this, God by his Spirit takes the veil from their hearts and enables them to see the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ. It’s just like opening the blinds in the morning – darkness gives way to the dawn.’
* Enthusiastic giving. The Macedonians were begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints (8:4). They counted such an opportunity a privilege, literally a ‘grace’. They really believed what the Lord Jesus taught: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’.
The words translated dishonest wealth capture the idea that it is possible to obtain money or hold on to it by unworthy means. Jesus may have in mind the way some fail to pay their taxes. He is not saying that money in itself is necessarily wrong or evil.