Matthew 9:35 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.”

When we visited Wales and Scotland, we saw far more sheep in the fields and on the hillsides than we had seen in our whole lives. These sheep were well cared for. Fencing, shepherds and sheepdogs were quite effective at preventing them from wandering off the property and becoming lost sheep.

But the photos below, from the UK, show what happens when a sheep does wander off the range. So helpless!  Strong shepherding hands come to the rescue! I can understand a few sheep escaping through a whole in their fence in the left photo, but don’t ask me how that sheep at the right managed to get stranded on top of a roof! But isn’t that sheep a lot like us when we mess up? We think, “I know I slipped through God’s fence, but how did I ever end up in this position?!”

Often, when today’s Harvest Field passage of scripture is taught, you only hear about the last two verses. There’s a danger in doing this, though. The last 2 verses used alone can be used to put you on a guilt trip. It goes something like this : “If you don’t tell them about Jesus, their blood is on your hands !” Then the person I talk to becomes more of an object to assuage my guilt than someone I deeply love and care for.

That is why I would suggest looking at all 4 of these verses together. Jesus had it in the right order. He saw the disease, saw the sickness, saw how messed up people were. Seeing all this struggle and need, then Jesus calls “Please! I need people to help these poor souls.”

Jesus is not proclaiming only the good news of once saved always saved, but the good news of entering God’s kingdom. What a heart Jesus had for these people, and he invites us to share the same heart.

These people really are like sheep without a shepherd. So, the good news of the kingdom must include care for them, not only in eternity but now, too. In the Lord’s prayer, we are praying that the Kingdom comes on earth just as it is in heaven.

Jesus does rescue our soul for eternity but he radically impacts our day to day life for the rest of our lives on earth. Isn’t that what the whole good news of the kingdom really means for us and for those we want to invite in?

 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.  And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. ⁴¹ If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.  Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.  (Matthew 5:38-42)

“What? How dare they bill me! This test was supposed to be 100% paid by my medical plan!” Even though the bill was for only $45, I was furious. I spent hours trying to get that bill to disappear.  I wanted to cling to every penny that was mine.

Compare my reaction to what Jesus says in today’s scripture. Is Jesus telling us to be a doormat? Not necessarily. Indeed, in Acts 22, even Paul stood up for his rights as a Roman citizen.

But my question for today is, how aggressive should I be in standing up for my own interests? When does a legitimate reason to do so morph into an obsession with “mine! mine! mine!”

First, consider Philippians 2:4. I am asked to “Look not just to my own interest, but also to the interests of others.” This scripture is not saying that looking to my own interest is wrong in and of itself, but that it’s wrong when it consumes me so much that I stop looking to the interests of others.

Just think, what other, more worthwhile “noble, right, and admirable” (Phil. 4:8) things I could have done instead of stewing and fretting over the incorrectness of that $45 bill. Next time, by the grace of the Lord, I will think twice before getting so bent out of shape. By walking in the Spirit, I can learn to hold what is mine loosely in my hand, and be ready to let go if the Lord says to.

Not only does that attitude please God, it’s a less stressed out way to live.

 

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.  News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.  Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.   (Matthew 4:23-25)

Are the large crowds due to who Jesus was and what his teaching was, or due only to the benefits they are getting?  Jesus ended up crucified as a criminal on the cross. Where were they when Jesus was crucified?

Should I worry about whether I love Jesus for Jesus and whether I will love him for himself when the going gets tough? There are many great things Jesus has given to me.  Having a good wife, a pleasant home, good times running, nice food and a pint of beer, fellowship meetings I love, and more. Yet he tells me that I should love him more than any of these good things.

Should I worry about whether my love for Jesus would fade out if I lost the good things in life that I enjoy?

Did you ever mix colors to dye Easter eggs? Yellow dye for yellow eggs. Blue dye for blue eggs.   Now to get my green eggs I mix the yellow and blue dyes. But once I have the green egg dye, can I separate the blue and the yellow back out? No way.

In the same way, how much I am a Christian for my love of Jesus and how much for what I get from him is a mix that can’t be separated. But I don’t think I need to obsess over it. Because as I continue to seek Jesus, there is one thing I can hold onto as true with confidence.

“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1 :6)

What a relief! It’s not mainly up to me to complete it.  Since the Holy Spirit began a work in my heart, I know that He never gives up until it is completed. This is my confidence.