Sent Into the Harvest

This morning I was reading through Matthew and came across one of my favorite verses, one that inspires me to try to love and accept everyone I interact with in my day to day life.  Here are the verses - Matthew 9:35-38 NIV:

[35] "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. [36] When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on 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 workers are few. [38] Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

I love the fact that Jesus' primary reaction to seeing crowds of people, who were hungry for the touch of God, was compassion!  The Greek word that is translated as compassion is the word Splagchnizomai.  It is defined as follows:

1. to be moved as to one's bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity)

The root of that word is Splagchnon and it is defined as follows:

1.  bowels, intestines, (the heart, lungs, liver, etc.)
    a.  bowels
    b.  the bowels were regarded as the seat of the more violent passions, such as anger and love; but by the Hebrews as the seat of the tenderer affections, esp. kindness, benevolence, compassion; hence our heart (tender mercies, affections, etc.)
    c.  a heart in which mercy resides

Matthew writes that Jesus had compassion on the crowds of people when He saw them.  It wasn't when he interacted with them, or healed their diseases or wounds, but rather at his first sighting of them.  I pray that compassion will be my first reaction as well, for at present I am much more inclined to classify people and judge them when I first see them.

Secondly, Matthew writes that Jesus had compassion on them.  The word he used, and the root of that word talk about deep feelings, being moved in one's deepest places, having a heart of mercy towards someone or something.  When I read through the definitions, in my mind this is much more than just kindness or gentleness, but rather something that is visible and moving.  I think that Jesus' emotions were visible to everyone, and that they could see Him being physically moved by the crowds, and see His heart expressed in actions towards all these people.

I love the fact that Jesus was moved deeply by the crowds.  Later in John 5:19 Jesus says that everything He does comes from the Father, so if Jesus is moved with compassion, then the Father is moved with compassion when He sees the crowds of people who are hungry for His visitation!

What an encouraging thought as we prepare to gather with others on a Sunday!  We should go to church with an expectant heart, knowing that the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all moved with compassion when they see us.  They desire to fill us with their love, to touch us and heal us, to let us know that they care for us deeply!

Finally, Jesus encourages the apostles to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into the fields that are ripe for the harvest. I believe He is looking at the hearts of the people when He says this, and we should recognize that people truly are hungry for God, ready to be harvested (to receive salvation and God's touch).  Specifically Jesus says to ask that workers be sent into the Lord of the harvest's fields.  In other words, He will direct and guide us to His fields, to the ones where the harvest will be plentiful because it is already ripe for the harvest. Notice that Jesus said this to His disciples, the very ones that He would send out to world as His last words on earth, recorded by Matthew as follows - Matthew 28:18-20 NIV:

[18] "Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Amen!