† 15. The Harvest is Great

The main idea of this passage in Matthew is that the Lord has compassion for us. His compassion is shown first by the fact that He went everywhere teaching, giving us the words of eternal life. But also, whenever He saw crowds coming to hear His teaching, He felt sorry for them because of their suffering—both their physical and their spiritual suffering.

By saying the harvest is plentiful, the Lord tells the disciples that it's time for deliverance—the people have suffered long enough. And Matthew's allusion to "sheep without a shepherd" contrasts the spiritual leaders of the day against the Lord.

The disciples' prayer, then, is for the peoples' deliverance from their spiritual oppression, and for faithful spiritual leaders to shine forth—most notably the true Shepherd of our souls, Jesus.

1 Peter 2:25
For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Finally, we note that the readings supplied in Mark and Luke do not in fact come from the same episode as Matthew. Mark's reference to "sheep without a shepherd" comes in his account of the feeding of the five thousand (Mark 6:30–44); Luke's reference to "the harvest is plentiful" comes in his account of the sending out of the 72 (Luke 10:1–12).

The fact these sayings appear in different episodes, however, should not be taken as disagreement or inconsistency between the accounts. Rather, we must remember what John said about this kind of thing: the gospels record what we need to know in order to believe in Him. The Lord said and did so many unwritten things that we should rather be surprised to find so little repetition!

John 20:30–31
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 21:25
Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

Matthew 9

35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for 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 laborers are few;
38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

he had compassion for them

Having gone everywhere teaching publicly and privately, and having done many miracles, the Lord still retains the power to feel compassion for the crowds. The Lord is not tired and impatient, but compassionate. The key to His compassion is the way He sees them:

harassed,
helpless, and
shepherdless!

Jesus teaches about compassion in at least three parables in the gospels.

In the parable of the merciless steward (Matthew 18:23–35), a certain servant owed his master a debt impossible to pay back in several lifetimes. The 27th verse records, "Out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt." The servant's cruel turn to throw a fellow servant into prison for a much smaller debt stands in stark contrast to the greatness of God's mercy toward us in the forgiveness of our sins.

In the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32), one of a man's two sons decided to leave home and squander his entire inheritance. The 20th verse says the prodigal made up his mind to return, "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." Here the father's concern is not with the wrongs his son has done him in the past but rather the fact that he has come back. As he says in the 32nd verse, "Your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found." God also shows us great mercy when we come to Him, meeting us early to rejoice.

And in the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37), a man is overtaken by thieves and left for dead. The 33rd verse records, "A Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion." This parable intends to clarify that a person is justified by his actions, not his birth. We, too, ought to have the kind of compassion God has for us when we seek to help and to teach others.

harassed and helpless

The term for "harassed" (σκύλλω) in the original language refers at its base to being torn apart or else clean shaven. However, it's also used to convey a more general trouble or mistreatment (e.g., Luke 7:6; 8:49). Either way, the prospect is frightening. The people have seen enough close shaves.

The term for "helpless" (ῥίπτω) in the original language refers at its base to being thrown or tossed. It was used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament in some notable ways:

throughout Daniel 6, referring to being "cast" into the den of lions;
in Genesis 37:20, 24, referring to Joseph being "thrown" into the pit by his brothers; and
in Exodus 1:22, referring to every Hebrew male-born child being "cast" into the Nile.

Upon consideration of these passages, there is an undertone of being forsaken or discarded. It seems no one has been genuinely concerned for these crowds, but now the Lord has compassion for them. This idea is very consistent with the Lord being Shepherd of His people, as we shall see.

like sheep without a shepherd

This saying comes from two very important and powerful passages: Numbers 27 and Ezekiel 34.

Numbers 27: "As Sheep That Have No Shepherd"

The direct quotation comes from Numbers 27:12–21. After the Lord makes clear to Moses that he is about to die, Moses asks the Lord to "appoint a man over the congregation" to lead them, so that "the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep that have no shepherd" (v17). In Moses's formulation, it reflects on the Lord if the people cannot be saved. The answer of the Lord to appoint Joshua is amazing:

On the one hand, "Joshua" means, "The Lord saves."
On the other, "Joshua" translates into the Greek, "Jesus."

Jesus Christ is the salvation of the Lord today.

Numbers 27:12–13
The LORD said to Moses, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was….”
Numbers 27:15–18
Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.” So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.”

Ezekiel 34: "They Were Scattered, Because There Was No Shepherd"

Ezekiel 34:5, identifying a people with no shepherd to care for them, clearly alludes to the quotation from Numbers 27:17. However, the chief point of the chapter as a whole is God's promise to take the place of the failed spiritual shepherds of Israel Himself. Once again, there is incredible detail, both to explain what "harassed and helpless" means (Matthew 9:36 above) and also to foretell the coming Christ, the Son of David.

Ezekiel 34:2–6
Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.
Ezekiel 34:11, 15
For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out…. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 34:23–24
And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the LORD; I have spoken.

pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers

The word here translated "pray" is literally "beg" (δέω).

Interestingly, there are several examples in the New Testament of someone begging permission or knowledge that leads to a harvest of salvation:

Verse	Text
Acts 4:31	And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
Acts 8:34	And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?”
Acts 21:39	Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.”
Acts 26:3	…especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.
Romans 1:10	…always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you.
2 Corinthians 5:20	Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
1 Thessalonians 3:10	…as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?

Mark 6

6b …And he went about among the villages teaching.
34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.

Luke 8

1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him,

Luke 10

2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

§ 8. Jesus' Ministry in Galilee Continued