The Harvest Is Plentiful!

This morning I am reading Matthew chapter nine.  What an amazing chapter full of miracles and significance.  I love how Matthew just gives the basics sometimes, and understates what we know to be really significant events, for that is often how the Lord works, in hidden or low-key ways, not much for fanfare, or publicity.  

In this chapter Jesus starts by healing and forgiving a paralyzed man (see Mark 2 or  Luke 5 for the expanded version), then calls Matthew the tax collector, releases revelation about being sent to sinners, releases revelation about the need for new wine skins, heals the woman with a flow of blood, raises the dead girl, heals two blind men, heals a man who was mute and demonically oppressed, and finally ends with the following verses which sets up Matthew 10, where Jesus sends out the twelve.  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.”

Wow, I am tired just thinking about all of these events, each of which if they happened in our close circle of friends of in our churches would be life changing!  I love that Matthew just globs a whole bunch of towns and villages and healing "every disease and sickness"  into a single sentence!  Sometimes we read such a sentence and just skim over it without recognizing the true impact of what was recorded.  Imagine if the Lord went to each and every congregation in your area, preaching about the kingdom and healing EVERY DISEASE AND SICKNESS, demonstrating that this New Kingdom did exist and was real and present!!!  Wow!  What an incredible impact He would have, certainly worth more than two lines.  However, I think this should help us to understand the immensity of the ministry of Jesus, what was life changing for a whole region was just a couple of lines in the overall story of His ministry!

He came to release healing, miracles, signs and wonders, defeat the enemy, and change the world's view of the Father!  The world has never been the same, and in light of the 2000+ years of impact, these few months of ministry, recorded here by Matthew, are indeed small.  

I am reminded of a scholarly two volume book called "Miracles, The credibility of the New Testament Accounts" by Craig S. Keener, that looks at miracles over roughly the last two generations.  His books are 884 pages long and he has nearly 300 pages of bibliographical sources and indexes.  He writes about the church around the world, alive and well and experiencing miracles, healings, raising of the dead, casting out of demons, all of which we find in this single chapter form Matthew.  His point, in short, is that not only are these accounts from likes of Matthew's Gospel believable, that these same signs and wonders are still happening in the church today!  

As amazing as Dr. Keener's recounting of these thousands of miracles and experiences of God are, he is only scratching the surface of the real move of God that is happening all around us. In spite of this unbelievable continuance of Jesus' ministry on the earth today, there remains a large portion of the worldwide population that has yet to be impacted by the touch of the Lord, by His healing, deliverance, or restoration.  The need is greater than ever before, and we are invited into the ministry field that is all around us.  We don't need to go overseas, the need is right in our own towns, villages and neighborhoods. The harvest remains plentiful and there are still not enough workers in the fields!  

Help us Lord!

Amen and Amen!