Praying for Preachers (Matthew 9:35-38)

Verses 35-38 contain one of the best-known statements of Jesus concerning prayer for the growth of his kingdom. It reveals the place of prayer in the fulfilling of the divine purpose. Here is a reminder that everything we do should be preceded by prayer. 

The ministry of Jesus 

Obviously, Jesus was engaged in a busy preaching ministry. We are told where he preached, how he preached, and why he preached. The locations where he preached are said to be the synagogues. One reason for this would be the fact that people gathered there and he had access to speak in them because he was recognised as a rabbi. We should observe that he did not only go to prominent places, but went to the next one that came his way, whether it was in a large town or small village. 

Regarding how he preached, we are told that his sermons included two features – he taught and he proclaimed. Obviously, the teaching describes the content of his sermons – he provided information. Proclamation describes how he taught. He spoke with real authority. It is not possible to ignore a proclamation. We may not like it what is proclaimed, we may reject what is proclaimed, but we will be aware of what has been proclaimed. 

Why did Jesus have such a ministry, which in addition to teaching and proclamation also included comprehensive healing of diseases and other troubles? The basic reason was that he was showing to people that he was the promised Messiah. Those features were predicted in the Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming of the Saviour. So we can see that Jesus provided the public with plenty evidences as to who he was and why he was here. 

The theme of the preaching of Jesus was the gospel of the kingdom. He declared that another kingdom would soon appear of which he would be the king. Usually, an announcement of such a possibility would have caused trepidation because it could imply war and trouble for those the new ruler would attack. In contrast, the kingdom that Jesus was concerned with was good news for those in need of pardon, for those whose lives were without peace, and for those who did have real prospects. His kingdom would give the blessings of pardon, peace and prospect to all joined it by repenting of their sins and trusting in him. 

The heart of Jesus 

Sometimes we say of a person that he or she has a big heart. By it, we mean that they can embrace and care about a lot of people at the same time. It is obvious from this description of Jesus that he had a very big heart because his heart embraced the crowds that came to listen to him. 

The word that is used to describe the response of Jesus is compassion. There are different ways to see a crowd. Some people are attracted by a crowd, perhaps because it provides security. Others have apprehension of a crowd, perhaps because it might get out of control. Jesus’ response was to feel for them – the word translated as compassion is connected to the inner entrails of a person. He felt an overwhelming sense of love for them. After all, he perfectly loved his neighbour at all times and what else should we expect from him on any occasion but love? 

What was it about them that drew his compassion? Matthew tells us that Jesus saw they were living without care. He recognised in them the traits one would see in a flock without a shepherd. They were without direction, without provision, without protection and without restoration if hurt. We know that a sheep without such care will soon die, for one reason or another. Jesus wanted them to experience the shepherd care of his kingdom. 

Who or what was harassing those people? We can mention several reasons: one was that they were not depending on God to be their shepherd; a second was that each of them had a predator who was determined to destroy them – the devil; a third was that they were looking for spiritual provision and refreshment in the wrong places; a fourth was that the cause of God seemed weak and religion did not give them much satisfaction. 

The description of the people as being harassed and helpless is one that could apply at any period of time. After all, the various features I have just mentioned could apply as much today as it did back then. The fact that this is the case should create sympathy within our hearts for the needy people all around us. It is good that we know that Jesus still has a big heart that is full of compassion, and his big heart recognises the needs of his people.  

One is meant to ask where the shepherds are. Here we have a description of sheep who have been abandoned by their shepherds. It is not difficult to work out that the Saviour, the true Shepherd, is condemning the false shepherds who lived in Israel at that time. This is not the only occasion when Jesus did this. The false shepherds were the religious leaders, people like the Pharisees and the priests, who claimed to be serving God, but in fact were not because they way in which they would serve him would be by providing protection and provision for those who needed it. 

What would we expect the remedy from Jesus to be? After all, he has all power and all wisdom. The way he answered such a possible question is to change the imagery from shepherding to farming, and to the time of harvest.  

The challenge of Jesus 

The response of Jesus to the situation was to explain it to his disciples and then command them to pray about it. His explanation was that the harvest time had arrived and that there was the potential for a good harvest. The problem was that there were not many labourers working in the harvest field. 

A question that comes to mind is whether Jesus is only referring to that period when he says that the labourers were few. Obviously he was describing what it was like at the time he spoke because as yet he had not even sent out his chosen apostles to preach. Who else was preaching? John the Baptist had been arrested and could no longer declare his message to the crowds. But even after the twelve began to preach, it was obvious that there was a need for many more. And that is still the case today, even although there may be millions of preachers throughout the world. John Calvin made this comment about the church of his time: ‘There never was greater necessity for offering this prayer than during the fearful desolation of the church which we now see everywhere around us.’ 

A second question that will arise concerns the type of labourers that Jesus wants to get involved in the harvest. He knew that these men would soon be sent out by him on a first attempt at preaching, but before he sent them out he wanted them to have a prayer burden about the number of labourers that were needed. In addition to having a desire to spread the message, they had to have a prayer life that brought them into real contact with the Lord of the harvest. 

What does it mean to pray earnestly? At a basic level, it means to pray with energy. But where does spiritual energy come from? One answer is that it comes from spending time with Jesus. These disciples were able to do so in a physical way and they would have observed his attitudes about the harvest and his desire for others to get involved. What is the energy required for this kind of praying? The energy that is needed is that which comes from love in one’s heart for the glory of God and the good of man. We find that energy by spending time with Jesus in his Word.  

We should also observe the title that Jesus gives to the heavenly Father here – he is the Lord of the harvest. This title points to the Father as the one who owns the field. At that time, the field was the nation of Israel and in the next chapter Jesus sends out his disciples into that field. The owner of the people of Israel was the Father. He had made them for himself and there they were, waiting in a sense for labourers to come. 

The heavenly Father has more than that field now. There are fields ready for labourers all over the world. All the fields belong to him because he is the Creator of each person who lives in them. It changes the estimation we have of places when we realise that they are in the middle of fields ready to be harvested. 

What kind of person does Jesus want in the fields of the Father? He wants labourers. A labourer is someone that works hard and does what his Master wishes.  

Application 

We can learn several important lessons from this brief command by Jesus to his disciples. The first is that he is informing them that he will not be the one to complete the mission as far as contacting people is concerned. Obviously, historically he would be present for another year and more, and spiritually he will always be present whenever someone is converted. But he would not be there physically, as we know. 

A second lesson is that the disciples would always have to look ahead and pray to God to send more labourers. The ones to whom Jesus was speaking would receive from him incredible gifts, yet their time would pass and others would be needed to take their places. So even in the present activities they would show they had their eyes on the future as well by praying for more labourers.