Matthew 9:35-38
Then 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. 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 ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
The authors of the gospels, as we have noted before, were not merely court stenographers, taking down everything that Jesus said and did. (If so, they would agree in all details or be considered poor stenographers indeed!) Rather, they were artists, working with the raw materials of eye-witness accounts, sermons and songs of the community, and a variety of other sources in order to compose a story that reveals through its plot and dialogue not only who Jesus was, but also what his life and death and resurrection meant and, most importantly, still means to those who follow him.
Working as an artist, Matthew offers two important glimpses into the person and mission of our Lord in these brief verses. Keep in mind what has been happening throughout the last chapters: Jesus is healing all those who come to him no matter their ailment or station in life, and in his healing and affirmation of their faith we learn not only of his glory and power but also about the characteristics of discipleship: recognition of need and belief that Jesus can respond to that need.
Now, in this story, we realize that Jesus responds to all of these various people not primarily because they model the characteristics of true disciples but because he is first, foremost, and forever sympathetic to their – our! – need. Earlier Jesus had commanded one who had been possessed and mute not to share word of his healing, perhaps so as to not impede his ministry. And yet to no avail, as crowds stream to him with all their hurts and hopes. And he tarries to heal them all because, as Matthew writes, he has compassion for them because they are harassed and helpless.
But Matthew not only tells us something of the character of Jesus, he also reveals the failure of the leaders of that time. For when Jesus says that they are like “sheep without a shepherd,” he draws on a long tradition of describing Israel’s leaders as shepherds. Matthew, as we’ve seen throughout our study of his gospel, is the Evangelist who draws most regularly and self-consciously on the story of Israel to make sense of God’s activity in Jesus. And so here he calls to mind what Israel’s leaders should be like – good and faithful shepherds to tend the needs of their flock – but are not. And so Jesus has compassion for these people because they are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Which is why Jesus implores his disciples to ask the Lord of the Harvest for more laborers. There is simply so much need in the world. And the more people helping by offering compassion, care, and understanding, the better.
There are times when I have felt like the people Jesus tends: harassed and helpless, twisted and turned by the challenges of life in this world, and longing for the guidance and help of the Shepherd. But as I read this passage again, I am mindful that there are plenty of other times when I am called to be another laborer, to work with the Shepherd to tend his flock, to gather in the harvest of broken people and distraught souls by offering whatever I have that might meet their need.
Where are you today? Harassed and helpless, or prepared and eager? No matter, the Lord of the Harvest and Shepherd of the sheep will respond to you just where you are. For, indeed, the harvest is still plentiful.
Prayer: Dear God, when we are harassed, help us; when we are prepared, send us; when we are lost, guide us; when we know the way, use us to show others. All and always in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Recent Comments