Matthew 9:37-38
37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
Luke 10:2
2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
Setting – In Matthew chapter 9 we see Jesus coming to his own city (Nazareth), then onward to other cities and villages.
Matthew 9:35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
Matthew records the statement about the harvest and laborers after he had healed the woman with an issue of blood and had raised a little girl from the dead. Just after this, at the beginning of chapter 10, we see him giving the 12 Apostles power over unclean spirits and sending them out.
Matthew 10:5-7 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Luke records the same statement in chapter 10, as he sends out the 70 disciples.
Luke 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. (about to – G3195 mello)
Context – By the time these words were spoken, Jesus had already called his Apostles and was well into his ministry. He was teaching and healing in that entire region just before he sends out his disciples. Here are the verses immediately before our text.
Matthew 9:35-38 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
Audience relevance –
The statement was given to those he was sending out (both the 12 Apostles and the 70 disciples).
Matthew 9:37 “Then He said to His disciples, The harvest truly is plentiful, …“
Time to harvest –
John 4:35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!
John 4:33-38 (after speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well)
33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
Revelation 14:15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.”
The laborer solution –
38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
The Apostles would soon oversee the incoming laborers, so Christ asks them to pray that the number might increase. Who was “… the Lord of the harvest” to whom they should pray?
Laborers with excuses –
At first he was able to send out 12 Apostles, then the 70 disciples. However, it was difficult to find really committed disciples. Some gave excuses, as in this reading in Luke:
Luke 9:59-62 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” 61 And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Many went out –
Mark 16:20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
Acts 8:3-4 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. 4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.
The 70 disciples sent to teach this –
Luke 10:8-12 Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. 9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ 12 But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.
Teach the kingdom was coming –
Here are the 113 verses (in just the gospels) concerning preaching that the kingdom was coming.
Matt 3:2; 4:17,23; 5:3,10,19,20; 6:10,13,33; 7:21; 8:11,12; 9:35; 10:7; 11:11,12; 12:25,26,28; 13:11,19,24,31,33,38,41,43,44-45,47,52; 16:19,28; 18:1,3,4,23; 19:12,14,23,24; 20:1,21; 21:31,43; 22:2; 32:13; 24:7,14; 25:1,14,34; 26:29. (54 verses)
Mark 1:14,15; 3:24; 4:11,26,30; 6:23; 9:1,47; 10:14,15,23,24,25; 11:10; 12:34; 13:8; 14:25; 15:43. (19 verses)
Luke 1:33; 4:43; 6:20; 7:28; 8:1,10; 9:2,11,27,60,62; 10:9,11; 11:2,17,18,20; 12:31,32; 13:18,20,28,29; 14:15; 16:16; 17:20,21; 18:16,17,24,25,29; 19:11,12,15; 21:10,31; 22:16,18,29,30; 23:42,51. (43 verses)
John 3:3,5; 18:36 (3 verses)
As you can see, Christ considered it imperative that the Jews of that generation (Luke 11:51; 21:32) knew that the kingdom was coming and was very near! It was very important to have a large number of disciples going out to teach the coming kingdom. This is why he needed the laborers.
Brent E. Hughes