His Harvest Field
“‘As you go, proclaim this message: “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.’”
Today’s Text: Matthew 10:1-15 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
Jesus had told His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:37-38). So Jesus sent out His disciples into “His harvest field” to “gather the harvest.”
And the tools that they had for harvesting were the message of the kingdom of heaven and the authority given to them to “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons [etc].”
The condition of this world is much the same with respect to the harvest field and the workers. And the calling of Christ to His disciples is exactly the same, as well. Why? Because “Freely you have received; freely give.”
Of course, back then, Jesus had twelve disciples to kickstart the mission of the church. Today, Jesus has hundreds of millions of disciples. Some of them may not have the capacity or resources to be sent out, but then, how many do—especially here in the US?
I was just in Matthew 25 and the Parable of the Bags of Gold (Matthew 25:14-30). And I don’t know why it just dawned on me that there is a reason Jesus uses money as a metaphor for (among other things) the church. It seems so clear that Jesus is telling us to be as excited about multiplying churches as we are about multiplying wealth.
Some people may say, “Well, Jesus hasn’t given me the authority to heal the sick, raise the dead, etc.” However, the whole point of that is to help people as they need. What everyone needs ultimately, though, is the message the kingdom—the gospel of Jesus Christ.
If we want discipleship, then we must be willing to be disciples, which involves, among other things, being the hands and feet of our Lord Jesus Christ to deliver the gospel of salvation to a dying world until Jesus returns.
Other people may say, “Well, what about people right here in my neighborhood and in the South Bay?” And Jesus’s answer to that is, “Yes! By all means! The people right here in your neighborhood and in the South Bay.”
But in the end, Jesus never limited the scope of our mission to our “Jerusalem” and “Judea.” Jesus gave us a command and the authority to go to our “Samaria” (which was loathsome to the Jews) and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19-20), also.
And He did not tell us to go to only those places that are loathsome to us, either. So then, what is the criteria for where we should go? It is wherever Got puts in our hearts to go and wherever God opens up an opportunity for us to go (Acts 16:6-10)—obviously here at home, but to the ends of the earth and everywhere in between. Because the whole world needs Jesus and the whole world needs Jesus now.
The debate about why we should devote our energy and resources for missions overseas when there are so many lost souls here at home is an ongoing debate. But we cannot come to any conclusion on that matter using any human reasoning. However, Jesus did reveal to us,
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
—Matthew 24:14
Ultimately, we go because our Lord commands us to go. And when the work is done, He will return. And so, with respect to going to “the ends of the earth,” if not us—to whom so much has been freely given—then who?
Father, Your ways are true and right and flawless. Our ways always fall short. Forgive me for trying to “figure out” what to do and where to go using my own “logic.” You are the God of logic. Let my logic be Your word. Build in us Your heart for missions. Help us to see that glorious day of Your coming so that we would be eager to see that work come to a completion. Send us out, Lord. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
