The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few

 

 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.  But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."  And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these:  first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.  

 

- Matthew 9:35—10:4 

 

Yesterday we read that two blind men followed Jesus, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!"  And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him.  And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you."  And their eyes were opened.  And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See that no one knows it."  But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.  As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed.  And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke.  And the multitudes marveled, saying, "It was never seen like this in Israel!"  But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons."

 

  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.  But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."   This phrase, like sheep having no shepherd, is similar to the language in Mark 6:34, which we read as a description of the crowd of 5,000 which Jesus will feed in the wilderness (see Mark 6:30-44).  Here the words weary and scattered describe the crowd, meaning that they were like those cast aside from the world, exhausted in their struggles.  In a sense, it's a description of those who are figuratively "homeless" -- like sheep having no shepherd, who need His good guidance and love, His compassion.  In yesterday's commentary, we remarked upon Christ's gathering of the outcast, the poor in spirit, the outliers in some sense.  Here the description of these people exemplifies those to whom He has come to extend His care, His church.  His comment,  "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest" teaches us that this is indeed how He views these multitudes.

 

 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these:  first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.   My study Bible comments that disciples and apostles are often used interchangeably for the twelve.  Jesus gave them power to perform miracles, while He performed them by His own power.  It notes that he names of the Twelve are not the same in all lists, because many people had more than one name.  Here the names are given in pairs, which suggests who might have traveled together on their "first missionary journey," as St. Mark tells us that they were sent out two by two (Mark 6:7).  

 

It's very interesting to note how Jesus fulfills the needs He encounters in the people, as He goes out preaching, teaching and healing.  At this point in His ministry, He's encountering multitudes who are like sheep without a shepherd, weary and scattered.  As commented above, this description gives us a sense of people who are beleaguered by life, in some sense cast off by the society that does not feed them what they need.   They need a true leader, someone to guide them, and clearly that Someone is Jesus, who is our true and good Shepherd (see John 10:1-30).  This description of the multitudes sounds like something that many "multitudes" could relate to today in our world.  Wherever we are, it seems that there are a lot of people feeling like they are in need of a shepherd, who may feel cast off and even without a deep sense of community.  Christ responds in a characteristic way, which is not sad nor diminished in optimism, but rather quite the opposite.  He sees these seemingly lost multitudes as a harvest which is plentiful for His future Church, but that there is simply a need of more laborers to gather them.   These are the people He has come to gather to Himself, to guide as Shepherd.  They are the lost sheep who need Him.  And now is the time not simply to minister to them, but to expand His ministry by extending His power to His disciples who will now become apostles.  After calling the Twelve, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. This is what Christ has come to do, and it is an opportunity for the glory of God and the power of Christ to manifest itself and grow within human beings.  These are the ones He has come for, and this is the way that His Church will be built.  Christ at once gives us many things characteristic of Himself and His work:  if something is sad, or weak, or broken, or in need of healing or care in our sight, it is an opportunity for His work, His power, His energy.  If something is cast off, He can gather it to Himself, and the ones who are scattered He can gather into His community.  And He will do this by extending His power through human beings, the faithful disciples.  This is also, if we look closely, the characteristics of the Cross, for in what appears to us sad or broken or needful, and invites despair, there is God who can work even through all things.  Just as St. Paul was told that God's strength was made perfect in his weakness (1 Corinthians 12:9), so grace works through the things that look "less than" to us, and Christ's greatest power continues to work through the Cross, even defeating death.  Let us look to that grace for all the surprising, uplifting, and beautiful things it can bring into our lives as well.  For we may all be laborers in whatever ways we are called.  

 

 

Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?

 

 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying:  "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.  Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'   And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'"  Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.  And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

 

- Luke 18:1–8 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."  Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.  And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!'  Do not go after them or follow them.  For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.  But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.  And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.  In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away.  And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.  Remember Lot's wife.  Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed:  the one will be taken and the other will be left.  Two women will be grinding together:  the one will be taken and the other left.  Two men will be in the field:  the one will be taken and the other left."  And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?"  So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."

 

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying:  "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.  Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'   And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'"  Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.  And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"  Of Christ's parable, my study Bible says that persistent and faithful prayer is the remedy for the tribulation which was just described by Jesus (Luke 17:22-37 included in yesterday's reading, above).  My study Bible also refers us to the words of St. Paul:  "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).  Regarding Christ's final question ("Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"), it says that the Lord often uses this form of question when speaking of characteristics that are rarely found (see Luke 11:11, 12:42).  

I personally find Christ's final question extremely poignant.  Here Christ has come into the world on this tremendous mission of salvation, preaching the kingdom of God whose access is through prayer and worship.  On this, His final journey toward Jerusalem and the Cross, He asks if, when He returns, "will He really find faith on the earth?"  It gives us a sense of the struggle of this world, how troublesome and difficult our faith can sometimes be.  We're told repeatedly that the prince of this world is the evil one, and that our struggles are against "principalities and powers."  St. Paul writes, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).  The struggle for faith is real, as every form of heresy or discouragement seems to come our way at times.  There are also the false expectations about faith.  People seem to think that leading a good life means one will never be troubled, or down, or face particular hardships.  But that's not really the experience of the Church, nor is it the picture that Christ is painting for us.  We will face all kinds of temptations, for example, and temptations are not the stuff of cartoon imagery or a list of sins of which we need to beware.  Temptations are the things that trip us up because they are the places we're vulnerable, our cherished wishes and desires, the things we wish were true, the shortcuts we'd like to take.  These are not easy nor simple things.  Life is complicated in a grownup struggle against one's own weaknesses, or ignorance, or lack of experience with something.  Our greatest weapon in this struggle is prayer, as Christ indicates in the parable we're given.  And He teaches us that we must be prepared to be persistent.  This is not going to be easy or simple, or a one-off request.  This is a life of effort -- and faith, He implies, is worth it.  It's possibly the most precious thing that we have.  After all, it is those with faith for whom He will return.  He seeks us out.  Let us justify the faith He places in us.

Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?

 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying:  "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.  Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'  And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'"  Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.  And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

- Luke 18:1-8

Yesterday, we read that when Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."  Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.  And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!'  Do not go after them or follow them.  For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.  But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.  And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.  In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away.  And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.  Remember Lot's wife.  Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, in that night there will be two men in the bed:  the one will be taken and the other will be left.  Two women will be grinding together:  the one will be taken and the other left.  Two men will be in the field:  the one will be taken and the other left."  And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?"  So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."

 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying:  "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.  Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'  And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'"  Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.  And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily."  My study bible suggests that here Jesus is referring to times of tribulation that He has just described.  In yesterday's reading, above, Jesus states, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it."  Elsewhere also, of course, the description of the times of the end and its difficulties is more vivid -- see Matthew 24 with its mixed descriptions both of the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem, and also of the time before His Return.   The remedy for these difficult times?  Persistent and faithful prayer.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, St Paul describes prayer "without ceasing" (or constantly) as a proper practice for all believers.

"Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"  Jesus poses a question in a form He uses elsewhere to indicates something rare (see also 11:11; 12:42).

When Jesus speaks of Judgment, it is usually to indicate the terms on how we will be judged.  But here, He speaks of justice on different terms, and it is in a tradition of the Old Testament of a judge who is a deliverer, someone who requites wrongs done to the innocent, a liberator.  Job, for instance, wants more than anything else to be given a hearing with God, and of course, for God to answer (see Job 38-42 for this event).  Jesus is giving us fair warning of the difficulties that will come to believers in the world, and teaching us how we are to respond:  with persistence and prayer.  The widow is also a character who appears all over the Old Testament as one who is both poor and powerless, and for whom God would demand justice (see these few examples out of many in all of Scripture).  James says in his epistle:  "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27).  Often coupled with orphans in a plea for justice and righteous conduct, widows represent those who have no clout, no one to defend them nor to fight for them, the humble of the world.  Even in today's world and the best of justice systems, we understand the difficulties and disparities in justice between the poor and unworldly and those for whom connection -- and still family connection -- power, and wealth may be at work.  In ancient times, justice really depended upon the family or clan and its capacity to render a claim or redress a wrong.  Such is the nature of the world we live in that this stands as a universal experience.   God's plea throughout all of Scripture is that God's people must be concerned for the widow and the orphan, for righteousness to the humble and powerless.  Indeed, when describing Judgment, Jesus names those things in which we may be remiss as that which will cast us out of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 25:31-46).  But here, He clearly indicates the position of the faithful as those who are among the poor and powerless, those whose ways aren't "worldly."   While the world demands that we be an insider, Christ calls us to be outsiders (see John 15:19).   And we have our Judge, our Deliverer, and the way to His hearing is through constant and persistent prayer.  Humility means a dependence upon God, a persistent attempt at relationship through prayer.  Our job is to never lose hope --  or rather, "lose heart."  Actually,  the Greek word ("enkakein") translated as "lose heart" indicates a state of being inundated with weariness from what is evil.  God's love demands of us not only our own righteous behavior, but also that we persist in our faith.   When Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount that we must keep "asking, seeking, and knocking" (Matthew 7:7-12), this is also understood to indicate a state of constant prayer.  So when it comes to understanding "justice," and by this we are given to know He speaks of God's justice, there are really two demands upon us.  The one is for righteous behavior as in the passage on the separation of sheep from goats; that is, we picture Christ Himself in the place of the widow and the orphan, those who are in need particularly of justice.  The other is when we find ourselves in this place, we are asked not to sink into despair nor give in to the evil with which we may find ourselves perpetually surrounded, to continually pray to the Judge and not "lose heart."   We also have examples of widows in Old Testament Scripture who convey such a message, such as Ruth or even Judith.   Let us note that consistently in both cases, the Judge is Christ or God; we are not the judge.  The struggle He paints for us is real; and it is an internal struggle at all times.  Whatever it is we are faced with in the world, there is always one thing necessary, our faith and our dialogue with God.  And there we are to remain until the very end.  Like Job, we may find that God's answer isn't always the one we demanded, but we will find, with wisdom, that it is actually better than what we asked for.