← Back to sermon library

Return in your Bibles to Matthew 
chapter 9. Matthew chapter 9, we'll be looking 
at verses 35 to 38 this morning. And then, or specifically, I 
do want to read from chapter 9, verse 35 to chapter 10, verse 
4. Then Jesus went about all the 
cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching 
the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every 
disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, 
he was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary 
and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then he said to 
his disciples, the harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers 
are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the 
harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. And when he 
had called his 12 disciples to him, he gave them power over 
unclean spirits, to cast them out, to heal all kinds of sickness 
and all kinds of disease. Now, the names of the 12 apostles 
are these. First, Simon, who is called Peter, 
and Andrew, his brother, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, 
his brother, Philip, and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector, 
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Labaius, whose surname was Thaddeus, 
Simon, the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. Amen. Let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for your word, and we thank you for the Lord Jesus, 
and we pray now that you would give us grace to receive these 
things. Give us grace, Almighty God, 
to appreciate afresh the gospel. of our Lord Jesus, how we thank 
you for mercy, how we thank you for grace, how we thank you for 
kindness, and how we pray that your word would find its mark 
in each and every one of our hearts. May your spirit attend 
and may he guide, may he lead, may he instruct us. And do please 
forgive us from all sin and anything that would darken our understanding, 
that would cause us not to receive your word. And we pray through 
Christ our Lord, amen. Well, we have finished a major 
section in Matthew's Gospel. And one of the things that Matthew 
does that is a bit different from Mark and Luke is that he 
gives several discourses, several blocks of teaching where our 
Lord Jesus instructs the disciples. We've already covered one of 
those in chapters 5 to 7. We call that the Sermon on the 
Mount. Well, here the second one is being introduced. in chapter 
10 at verse 5. It will go to chapter 10 verse 
42. There the Lord Jesus instructs 
his twelve, his apostles, his disciples on mission and on persecution. And as we saw prior to our study 
in the Sermon on the Mount, there It was a bit of a transition 
passage. Beginning around chapter 4 at 
verse 23, it gives a summary report about Jesus' healing, 
about his teaching and his preaching, and then it moves into the Sermon 
on the Mount. The same structure and the same 
pattern is here. Verses 35 to 38 are transitional. They connect the preceding with 
the following sections of this particular gospel account. And 
so this morning, I want to take up verses 35 to 38 under three 
considerations. First, the summary of his ministry. Secondly, the compassion of his 
heart. And thirdly, the instruction 
given to his disciples. Chamblin, Knox Chamblin, says 
this passage that we're looking at this morning, verses 35 to 
38, forms a bridge. It both reviews Jesus' manifold 
ministry and prepares for its extension through His disciples. So in chapters 5 to 9, what the 
emphasis has been upon is the authority of Christ and His word, 
5 to 7, and the authority of Christ and His deed, chapters 
8 and 9. This transitional statement recounts 
that, rehearses that, sets forth some more information, and then 
sets the stage for that shared authority, the authority that 
he gives to his disciples to go and extend the kingdom, to 
go and preach the gospel, to go and advance the cause of God 
and truth, because the laborers are few. Jesus sees the need 
and Jesus addresses the need that the Lord of the harvest 
will raise men up and send them forth to the harvest field. So 
there is a perfectly consistent flow of thought between what 
we have studied up to this point and what we will continue to 
do. Verses 1 to 4 in chapter 10 is the appointment of the 
twelve and then instruction given specifically to the twelve concerning, 
as I said, their mission, and the persecution that awaits them 
as they take this message of the gospel to the world at their 
time. But let's look first at the summary 
of his ministry. Go back for just a moment to 
chapter 4. I've already mentioned this, but I want you to see how 
Matthew structures his narrative here. Matthew 4.23. Jesus went 
about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the 
gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all 
kinds of disease among the people. Then his fame went throughout 
all Syria, and they brought to him all sick people who were 
afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were 
demon-possessed, epileptics and paralytics, and he healed them. 
Great multitudes followed him from Galilee and from Decapolis, 
Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan." That's a summary 
statement of his ministry. It then sets the stage for his 
instruction in Matthew 5 to 7. That's what we have here in Matthew 
9.35. Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages. It's 
not just Capernaum. That's where he has been in our 
studies in chapter 9, but it's probably referring to the entirety 
of Galilee. It is referring to that northern 
portion of Israel. And Jesus not only goes to the 
cities, but he goes to the villages. There are those among us in our 
age that say the cities are what really matters. Well, for Jesus, 
cities and villages really matter. People matter. Individuals matter. Wherever they live, if they lived 
in the Vancouver or they lived in the Chilliwack, our Lord of 
Glory went about doing His thing among those who had need. That 
is the emphasis of the text. Jesus has been ministering in 
Capernaum, but this summary statement indicates that the ministry went 
out through all of Galilee. And then as we have come to expect, 
that ministry is described for us in a threefold manner. He 
is teaching in their synagogues. No doubt he would take the Old 
Testament scripture. No doubt he would take the prophets. 
He would take Isaiah. He would take Jeremiah. He would 
take Ezekiel. He would take Moses. And he would 
show how they apply in him. Remember that incident when he 
goes into Nazareth in Luke chapter 4. And the synagogue official 
hands him the scroll of Isaiah. And he reads the prophet, chapter 
63. And then he closes the scroll and he hands it back to the attendant. 
And he sits down and he says, Today, this scripture is fulfilled 
in your hearing. An amazing thought, an amazing 
reality, an amazing item of praise that our Lord Jesus is the servant 
for whom or to whom Isaiah prophesied. So no doubt when Jesus taught 
in their synagogues, He was teaching them the law, the prophets, and 
the writings. We discussed this a little bit 
yesterday. Jesus was a rabbi. He was called rabbi. Jesus knew 
the Scripture. Jesus understood the truth. Probably 
one of the reasons the scribes and the Pharisees and the other 
religious leaders hated him so much. Yes, because he was compassionate. Yes, because he received sinners. 
Yes, because he healed people. They despised his popularity 
and his fame. But probably, additionally, it's 
because he knew the Scripture. He was able to say to them, in 
that account in Matthew's conversion, He tells them, go and learn what 
this means. He sends them to Hosea chapter 
6, verse 6. Now, you mean to tell me that 
a Pharisee didn't know Hosea 6, 6? You mean to tell me that 
a Pharisee never taught on Hosea 6, 6? You mean to tell me that 
a Pharisee didn't understand that that was in the Scriptures? 
He saw it. He knew it was there. He probably 
taught on it, but he didn't know it. That's why Jesus says, go 
and learn what this means. So as he went about into their 
synagogues, he taught. And not only did he teach, he 
preached the gospel of the kingdom. This marked our Lord's ministry. In Mark's gospel, Jesus says, 
for this cause I have come. Preachers and pastors love that 
verse. Why did Jesus come? We know the 
ultimate reason. It is to die on Calvary as a 
substitute sacrifice and atonement for the sins of his people. But 
when Jesus says, for this cause I have come, to preach, that 
makes preachers happy. Imagine if you were a professional 
golfer and Jesus said, I came to golf. You'd say, hey, I'm 
in the right league. I'm doing the right thing. This 
is great. This is noble. This is dignity. 
Jesus came to preach and teach. Jesus came to expound the truth. 
This is absolutely crucial as we move through this passage. 
When he looks upon these sheep having no shepherd, the emphasis 
is primarily doctrinal. We can't expect that the Pharisees, 
we can't expect that the scribes, we can't expect that the religious 
leaders could heal disease. We can't expect that they would 
cast out demons. No, when Jesus looks, laments, 
and feels compassion, the issue is there's a bunch of sheep in 
Israel that aren't getting the truth. That's where the emphasis 
lies. In fact, as we understand this 
scripture, there is a problem worse than paralysis. There is 
a situation worse than sickness, and it is simply this, that battered 
down sheep that have not heard the truth of the gospel are in 
a very, very horrible place. Jesus Christ sought to rectify 
the situation going on in Israel at the time by teaching in their 
synagogues, by preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 
and then by sending his twelve out to do likewise. Why do you 
think Matthew 28 ends the way it does? Go therefore and make 
disciples of all the nations. He doesn't say, go, therefore, 
and heal all the sick people in all the nations. He doesn't 
say, go, therefore, and make all the poor people in the nations 
around you rich. That's not the emphasis. That's 
not where the stress lies. That's not where Christ's mind 
is rooted. It's in disciple-making through 
truthful preaching under the power of the Holy Spirit wherein 
men are brought out of darkness into marvelous light, knowing 
eternal life. The pastoral ministry, the preaching 
ministry, is tasked primarily With the truth, the proclamation 
of the Word, the primacy of preaching wasn't simply something that 
Calvin and Luther fell onto. The primacy of preaching is held 
forth in passages like these. Pray the Lord of the harvest 
to do what? To raise up laborers. Again, 
not healers, not demon caster-outers. but preachers of gospel truth. And Jesus sets forth that example 
when he ministers around Galilee, he goes to the synagogue, he 
teaches, he preaches the gospel of the kingdom, and he does heal 
all manner of sickness and disease. He is Jesus, after all. Right? It authenticates, it affirms 
and confirms that He is God's man. And when He tells the disciples, 
when He tells the Twelve to do this likewise again, these signs, 
these wonders, these miracles, this sickness healing, this demon 
casting out, all of these affirm and confirm and authenticate 
the truth that these men spoke from God. When Moses did signs 
and wonders, those were accompanying revelation. When the prophets 
did signs and wonders, they were accompanying revelation. When Jesus and his apostles do 
signs and wonders, it was accompanying revelation. Now that the canon 
is closed, now that the written word is complete, we ought not 
to look for these things in a pastor. We ought not to look for these 
things to happen at the hands of Benny Hinn. We ought to emphasize, 
we ought to stress, and we ought to make necessary that men filled 
with the Spirit preach the truth. If God plans to heal, if He plans 
to do those mighty things, He's free to do it. But He hasn't 
given that gift specifically to an officer in the church. The stress in the pastoral epistles 
does not lie upon the supernatural gifts. Paul never tells Timothy 
or Titus, make sure you have the gift of tongues, make sure 
you have the gift of healings, make sure you can cast out demons, 
make sure you read the latest books on spiritual warfare. Where 
does the emphasis lie in the pastorals? Sound doctrine. You see, brethren, the Bible 
says it's better to be a paralyzed man on your bed with your sins 
forgiven than to be golfing in your sin. Picking on golf. Waterboarding or water, not waterboarding. Water surfing or water whatever 
you do. Water skiing, that's the word 
I think I was trying to find. No, not waterboarding. Then, I don't know. It's still 
better to have your sins forgiven if you're being waterboarded 
than not having your sins forgiven if you're being waterboarded. 
You see, that's where the stress lies, when he's moved with compassion. It's again, not over the physical 
infirmity. It's not over the sickness. It's 
not over the broken arms. It's not over the cancer, though 
I'm not suggesting he's not compassionate toward those needs. But when 
he sees these sheep harassed and downtrodden, It's because 
they haven't been taught the truth. That's the emphasis. That's what Jesus is about. So 
that's the summary of His ministry, what we've come to expect. Teaching, 
preaching, healing. Notice, secondly, the compassion 
of His heart. It states it flat out. He sees 
the multitudes according to verse 36. These were the multitudes 
that no doubt reported that he taught, not like the scribes, 
but as one having authority. These were the multitudes that 
no doubt said things like, it was never seen like this in Israel. They had marveled at His power. They had marveled at His demonstration 
of majesty. They had marveled at all these 
things, but they were not yet converted. They were not yet 
Christians. They were not safely folded in 
the arms of God. They were outside of Christ. 
They were dead in their sins. And as a result of this, Jesus 
feels compassion. This is what the text says. I 
wonder about this. Does this describe us? Now, I'm 
not suggesting you've got to stay up all night and cry over 
sinners. But I am suggesting, brethren, something of Psalm 
119, 136, and something of Matthew 9, 36 must be true of the children 
of God, at least in a small sense. When Jesus saw the mass of humanity, 
the post-exilic community, the covenant people that were outside 
of Christ, when he saw them, he didn't say, well, you know, 
that's just the way it goes. Wrong place, wrong time, too 
bad for them. If your Calvinism or your Reformed 
theology or your Romans 8, 28 to 30, deadens you, to the travail of souls, or to 
the trial that men find themselves in, or you lack compassion upon 
sinners, then your Calvinism is wrong. Your Reformed theology 
is wrong. Jesus held to, if I can use an 
anachronism, Calvinism or Reformed theology. We believe the Bible 
teaches God's comprehensive sovereignty. We believe the depravity of man, 
the inability of man, such that if anyone is ever to be saved, 
it must be because God predestined. Christ died to secure their salvation, 
and the Spirit applies that redemptive work on their behalf. But that 
doesn't deaden evangelism. That's not supposed to harden 
our heart toward the missionary enterprise. That serves as the 
basis, serves as the foundation. Later on in Matthew chapter 11, 
Jesus praises the Father. Why? Because you have hid these 
things from the wise and the prudent, but you didn't reveal 
them unto babes. A declaration of the sovereignty 
of God that many of us probably wouldn't imitate. Would you ever 
praise God that he hid gospel truth from the wise and the prudent? 
Would you? It's a tough one, isn't it? You know, it's on the basis of 
that statement or that declaration, he then says, come to me, all 
who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. You 
see, it is wrong. It is a misrepresentation. It 
is a gross caricature to say that a belief in the absolute 
and comprehensive sovereignty of God will deaden and will kill 
evangelism. Because Jesus believed in the 
absolute and comprehensive sovereignty of God. Jesus understood all 
of these things better than you and I will ever understand them. 
And yet he looks upon the mass of humanity and what happens? 
He feels compassion for them. Isn't it easy to get sucked into 
this mindset? Well, you know, they got it coming 
to them. Oh yeah, they're not working, so that's the way it 
goes. Or whatever the case may be. Not to imitate or mirror 
our Lord's compassion. It's interesting, every single 
time that this language or this particular term is applied to 
Jesus, In Matthew's Gospel, it not only shows the feeling, if 
I can use that word, not only shows the emotion, the response, 
but it shows him acting upon it. In fact, here he feels compassion 
and then he has a solution to the problem, pray, and then he 
sends out his disciples. Every instance in Matthew's Gospel, 
Matthew 14, Matthew 15, Matthew 18, Matthew 20, Jesus feels compassion 
and He does something. You see, it's not just, oh, those 
poor people, that's the way it is, it's too bad. Pray. Give some money. Pass out a track. Send a link to a sermon that 
you found helpful. Right? You see, our compassion 
must have feet. France describes the verb this 
way. His response is described by 
the strongly emotional Greek verb, which speaks of a warm 
compassionate response to need. He says, no English term does 
justice to it. Compassion, pity, sympathy, and 
fellow feeling all convey part of it. But his heart went out 
perhaps represents more fully the emotional force of the underlying 
metaphor of a gut response. In other words, he sees this 
and his heart goes out. He sees this and he's affected. 
He sees this and he thinks about it. He sees this and he contemplates 
it. He sees this and he discerns. France says a further feature 
of this verb appears through a comparison with its other uses 
in Matthew, again, 14, 15, 18, and 20. In each case, there is 
not only sympathy with a person's need, but also a practical response 
which meets the need. Emotion results in caring and 
effective action. Doesn't James teach us this? 
Somebody comes to your door, and he's hungry, and he's cold. It doesn't do any good to say, 
be warm and be filled, and send him on his merry way. I hope 
things work out for you. Honey, let's eat. No! He says, emotion results in caring 
and effective action. In this case, the action of sending 
out his disciples among the people. It is a verb, and I love this, 
which describes the Jesus of the gospel stories in a nutshell. This is our Christ. He sees the 
multitudes. He feels compassion, and then 
He acts. He does something. He seeks to 
remedy the situation. He doesn't say, be warm and be 
filled, and then slams the door. He tells His disciples to pray, 
and then He appoints them, and He sends them out clothed with 
His authority, clothed with His power, to go and preach to these 
people. So his compassion is indicated 
here in verse 36. And then notice his diagnosis 
of the situation. In other words, what brings forth 
this compassion? What brings forth this response 
of compassion? And it tells us, he was moved 
with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, 
like sheep having no shepherd. It's probably better translated, 
they were harassed and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. The first term is probably better 
translated, as I said, harassed. The idea is, is they've been 
bullied, oppressed, and troubled. You gotta wonder about somebody 
that would bully and oppress and trouble a sheep. I mean, 
sheep are cuddly, right? They're cute, they're white, 
they're furry, or wooly, whatever it is. Why would you bully one 
of the sheep? Why'd you mistreat a sheep? Why'd 
you harass a sheep? I saw a news report in India, 
New Delhi, a five-year-old girl was raped for two days straight. 
Who does that kind of stuff? Somebody that harasses, somebody 
that bullies, somebody that troubles sheep. This was the current situation 
in Jesus' day. He is dealing with apostasy. 
He is dealing with them, men, that would hurt souls. They are 
harassed. The second term is thrown down 
or dejected or helpless or confused. You see, the men that were trusted 
leaders in Israel who were supposed to speak the truth concerning 
the law and who were supposed to exemplify something of conformity 
to that law were not. Remember Jesus' statement in 
Matthew 5 verse 20. If your righteousness does not 
exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you'll 
not enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus isn't saying there that 
they're so polished and so holy and so pure, you just need to 
be better. He is pointing out their hypocrisy. Chapter 5, 21 
to 48, what does Jesus say? You have heard that it was said 
by those of old. But I say to you, He's not saying 
Moses got it wrong, he says Moses got it right. It's the Pharisees, 
it's the religious teachers, it's the leaders in Israel that 
distorted it. You see, they said to you that 
as long as you didn't actually murder someone, if you didn't 
cut somebody's throat, you were okay, in terms of the sixth word. 
They said as long as you don't lie with your brother's wife, 
you were okay, in terms of the seventh word. Moses never intended 
that. The spirituality of the law never 
intended that. These men intended that. A bit 
of external conformity, a little bit of a nod of the head was 
all that you needed. You see, the Pharisees and the 
scribes in Jesus' day were butchers of souls. Probably not every 
single one of them. But as a group, as a whole, when 
Jesus looks out upon these multitudes, he feels compassion for them 
because they're harassed, they're beaten down, and they are like 
sheep who had no shepherds. Again, Chamberlain describes 
it this way, these shepherds, like negligent parents, have 
neither taught the people well nor set before them a godly example, 
so that the sheep are confused and vulnerable to assaults. More 
tragically still, the shepherds themselves have become predators 
whose false piety and intolerable demands threaten to destroy the 
sheep. You see, that's why sometimes 
we get a little animated, a little bit upset, a little bit And Matt, 
when guys stand in pulpits to preach happiness, health, and 
wealth, and prosperity, what's that doing to the sheep? Certainly 
not helping them. Certainly not advancing them. 
Certainly not bringing them into that place where they most desperately 
need to be. A couple of observations on their 
current situation. The problem is doctrinal. I've 
already emphasized that. These men couldn't have been 
expected to cast out demons and heal people. These men couldn't 
have been expected to heal all sickness. Could they? Could a 
pastor today live up to that? Well, you haven't healed our 
sick. You haven't cast out all of our demons. That's just not 
the job description. The emphasis is on truth. The lack of proper instruction 
hurts the sheep. When sheep only hear how to have 
their best life now, they are harassed and they are cast down, 
whether they know it or not. The Lord Jesus is moved to compassion 
over something more severe than physical distress. He is moved 
to compassion because these are people, they are sheep, that 
have no shepherd. They don't know the truth. They 
don't get the gospel. They don't understand the place 
of the law. They don't know what it is to serve a holy God. They don't know what it is to 
cast themselves upon a Messiah. They don't know that because 
the Pharisees and the scribes are not teaching them that. There 
is Old Testament background to this statement. Remember, this 
was Moses' request, that God ordain a successor, that God 
ordain a man after Moses. Moses spoke to Yahweh, saying, 
Let Yahweh, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over 
the congregation, who may go out before them and go in before 
them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation 
of Yahweh may not be like sheep which have no shepherd. It's 
Numbers 27. You see the same sort of thing 
in Micaiah's statement to Ahab. I saw them like sheep having 
no shepherd. Jeremiah and Ezekiel take up 
this particular theme. Jeremiah 23, 1-6. condemning 
the false prophets of his day, pointing forward to a time when 
God would send shepherds after his own heart. Ezekiel the prophet 
in chapter 34, verses 1 to 11, again it's commentary on just 
how poorly the men of God were in Ezekiel's day. You see, this 
is a theme that is replete in scripture. And so when Jesus 
takes it up here, when he looks at this massive humanity, we 
ought not to say, wow, that's amazing. This is a biblical theme. This is what God's people do. 
When they see people, they're moved with compassion for them, 
if they are like sheep having no shepherd. And then there may 
be a messianic edge to this as well. Not only did the prophet 
Ezekiel condemn the false prophets of his day, the false shepherds 
of his day, look forward in chapter 37 to a Davidic shepherd. To one who would come from the 
line of David that would shepherd his people. The prophet Micah 
picks up this whole theme as well in Micah chapter 5 verses 
2-5. We often think of Micah 5-2 in 
December. It's from Bethlehem, Ephrathah, 
that a ruler will come forth. Well, there's shepherd imagery 
there and there's shepherding themes there. And this is what's 
applied by Matthew in Matthew 2.6 to Jesus. He is the Davidic shepherd. So 
the indictment is upon the shepherds of the leaders of this particular 
age. It certainly sets the foundation for the men that he's going to 
equip and send out, but I think we're also supposed to see in 
this statement, Christ is the good shepherd, which is developed 
in John's gospel in John chapter 10. I am the good shepherd. I lay my life down for the sheep. You see what Jesus is doing here. 
He's taking these biblical themes together, and he's bringing them 
to bear upon this particular situation. Where Matthew is, 
he's telling us what's going on in the heart of our beloved 
Lord. So Jesus' reason for compassion upon these people is that they 
are like sheep. They're harassed, they're beaten 
down, and they have no shepherd. And then that brings us finally 
to consider his instruction to the disciples, verses 37 to 38. 
He changes the metaphor now. Some say, well, you know, here's 
Matthew dependent upon all of his sources. Jesus used different 
metaphors. I'm getting a little bit weary 
by reading men who want to tell me Matthew really didn't write 
this in the way that it is. And there was this Q source that 
he was dependent upon. And Mark and Luke, these brothers 
wrote theologically. They wrote thematically. Remember, 
Matthew wants us to behold our God. He wants us to see Jesus. He wants us to see the Davidic 
Messiah. So he recounts for us, he rehearses 
to us this issue, this situation. He moves from the shepherd to 
the sheep to this idea of harvest. And most of the time in the Old 
Testament, and several times in the New Testament, the harvest 
looks forward to the Day of Judgment. In fact, when you get to the 
parables of the kingdom in Matthew 13, specifically 39-42, the harvest 
is the Day of Judgment where God, via His angels, take the 
wicked and dispose of them in hell forever and ever. Now here, 
harvest doesn't mean that. Harvest here means mission. That's 
a popular word today, mission. All the churches want to talk 
about mission. Here it is. This is mission. This is what 
it's about. This is what Jesus wants for 
his church. This is what Jesus wants from his disciples. This 
is what Jesus wants from the 12. And notice the way he prefaces. He said to his disciples, verse 
37, I suppose we ought to broaden this. I don't know that this 
is just the 12. Could be all of the disciples, because it'd 
be a bit interesting for him to say, pray to the 12 and then 
the 12 are appointed. The disciples heard this, the 
12 were appointed in response to this. But notice what he says 
with reference to his harvest metaphor. The harvest truly is 
plentiful. Isn't that beautiful? Isn't that great? Our God is 
good. Our God is merciful. Our God 
is kind. You see, I think sometimes we 
get this idea that the mass of humanity will be in hell. Except 
for us. The frozen chosen, as they call 
them. Yeah, we're safe, we're in. He says the harvest truly 
is plentiful. There's a lot of people that 
make up this harvest. There's a lot of souls. There's 
a lot of sheep. There's a lot of sinners. There's 
black ones. There's white ones. There's American 
ones. There's Canadian ones. There's 
Chinese ones. There's North Korean ones. There's 
all manner of ones. If I left anybody out, it wasn't 
particular. He didn't say Middle Eastern 
people. He must be politically incorrect. 
No, there's them too. You see the point? You see the 
issue? The harvest truly is plentiful. This is why when we get to 28 
and He says, going, therefore, make disciples of all the nations. You see, this is part of a context. It connects back to Father Abraham 
in Genesis 12. It connects back to Father Abraham 
in Genesis 13, and Genesis 14, and Genesis 15, and Genesis 17. And the promise runs through 
Abraham to Isaac. It runs from Isaac to Jacob. 
It runs from Jacob to Jesus, that in him all the families, 
all the peoples, all the nations of the earth You see, we ought to expect great 
things from God. We ought to understand that the 
harvest truly is plentiful. We ought to reckon with the reality 
that God is a God of mercy and of grace. And certainly if He 
saved us as the wretched, hell-deserving, God-hating rebels that we are, 
there is grace and abundance for other sinners as well. Don't 
you love that view in Revelation chapter 5 when the church is 
assembled before the throne of God Most High and the Lamb who 
sits upon the throne? What's made up there? Men from 
every tribe, every tongue, every people, and every nation are 
standing there. They say, you have redeemed us 
by your blood. Brethren, that's the fact. That's the reality. That's what 
Jesus stipulates. We've already seen this in Matthew 
8, 11 and 12. Many will come. in that day. People from the East and from 
the West, they'll sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And 
then note, he highlights the problem. He says, the harvest 
truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. You see the problem? 
Big harvest, few laborers. If you had however many acres 
of wheat and you needed to collect it, and it was just you, what 
would you need? You'd need help, right? Well, He's Jesus, He's God, He's 
Almighty. What does He need help for? The 
second Adam is going to bring the creation to God. The church 
is His helper. The church is His Eve. The church 
preaches the gospel. The church prays the Lord's Prayer. 
The church lives in light of the Lord's prayer. You see, it's 
wrong to say the church must bring in the kingdom, the church 
must subdue creation, the church must apply the cultural mandate. No! The cultural mandate was 
given to the first Adam. He failed. Who picks it up? The second Adam. You see, we 
help. We assist. But the task is his. That's why in Matthew 16, he's 
going to say, I will build my church. We mustn't ever forget 
that. If it depends on us, forget it. Because it depends on him, it 
will most certainly come to pass. The harvest is plentiful, the 
laborers are few. You see how he's setting the 
stage for chapter 10? Do you see the ingenuity of our 
writer? Do you see Matthew at work weaving 
together his theological narrative, setting before us the word of 
Christ, chapters 5 to 7, the works of Christ, chapters 8 and 
9, and now the emphasis upon the words of the disciples and 
the works of the disciples in chapters 10 and following? It 
is a perfect bridge, as Chamberlain says, that ties us with the preceding 
to what follows here. So the harvest truly is plentiful, 
that's the fact. There is a problem highlighted, 
the laborers a few, but then Jesus proposes a solution. And 
what is that solution but to pray? Pray. Ah, you know, Jesus, we've got 
to do a lot of other stuff. I mean, there's peoples to reach, 
there's groups to get to. Yeah, pray. Ryle says it this 
way, personal working for souls is good. Giving money is good. Face it, you don't get laborers 
to the mission field without money. Guy doesn't show up at 
the, you know, Canadian Airlines desk and say, well, I'm a missionary. 
Oh, sir, sure, sir, we'll just fly you to China. Would you like 
first class? It doesn't happen. One is well 
observed, we don't live on love and fresh air. The church doesn't 
send missionaries out or buy Bibles with love and fresh air. Ryle's emphasis holds. Personal 
working for souls is good. Giving money is good, but praying 
is best of all. He says, by prayer we reach him 
without whom work and money are alike in vain. Beautiful. Beautiful. And I would hope that 
if we're attentive readers to Matthew's Gospel, I would hope 
that if we're paying attention, I would hope that when our Lord 
says, pray, we think about that prayer He taught us to pray in 
Matthew 6. Remember the priority structure 
there. Before we pray for our food, 
before we pray for our forgiveness, or before we pray for our protection, 
what are we taught to pray for? that God's name be hallowed, 
that God's kingdom come, and that God's will be done. So brethren, 
real practically, Taking those three petitions to heart, if 
we then compare it with what we find here in Matthew chapter 
9, we ought to pray the Lord of the harvest to raise up laborers 
to send out into the harvest so that men will learn to fear 
God's name, so that the kingdom will come in power and glory, 
and so that men will do the will of God. That's what he says. Pray, pray the Lord of the harvest 
to send out laborers into his harvest. No accident. He then appoints the twelve. 
Remember, a few of these men were identified in chapter four. They were fishermen. And Jesus 
makes this enigmatic statement. He says, come, I will make you 
fishers of men. Well, we've kind of put that 
on the back burner, haven't we? We spent five to seven in the 
Sermon on the Mount. We spent eight to nine on the 
authority of Christ and His actions. We've almost forgotten that those 
guys are supposed to be fishers of men. Not anymore. Because 
Jesus is going to take them, Jesus is going to instruct them, 
and Jesus is going to send them. That's what is glorious about 
this passage. His heart yearns with compassion 
for these harassed and these beaten down sheep, because they 
were like sheep who had no shepherd. But based on what we see in terms 
of Matthew's application of this word to Jesus, the compassion 
doesn't stop. He doesn't just end there. He 
doesn't say, well, that's too bad. No, he then proposes a solution, 
and that solution was as good for them as it's good for us. When we look in a world populated 
with billions and billions and billions of people that are like 
sheep having no shepherd, billions and billions and billions of 
people that are subscribing to false doctrine or false religion 
or rejecting the God of the Bible, what is the response of the church? Prayer. Now, Moriah wasn't saying, 
don't do personal work and don't give money. He's saying, prayer 
comes first. pray to the Lord of the harvest 
to raise up laborers to cast them out, to send them out into 
the harvest field where they may do what Jesus did. Teach 
in their synagogues, preach the gospel of the kingdom, in the 
first century heal all manner of sickness and disease. But 
what we find later in the pastoral epistles, 1st and 2nd Timothy 
and Titus, what's the emphasis there? How does Paul end that 
second letter to Timothy? Paul's about to die. He tells 
us that. He's going to die. What's big on the Apostle's heart? 
Remember our studies in Deuteronomy? Moses is about to die. What does 
he do? Chapter 33, he blesses the tribes. Isn't that amazing? He doesn't say, I'm about to 
die, just let me be on my own. Just leave me now. No, he blesses 
the tribes. And then you know what Moses 
actually does do after that in chapter 34? He walks up the mountain 
that he's going to die on. There's no easy life for Moses. 
Moses, I want you to go up that mountain. Lord, I'm going to 
die. Can't you just take me here at the bottom of the hill? No, 
walk up that mountain in there, spy the land, stand on Pisgah, 
see the promised land, and then you're going to die. But he blesses 
the tribes. That's what's important to him. 
What's important to Paul? 2 Timothy chapter 4, before he 
asks Timothy to bring his cloak, which he left at Carpus, and 
the books, especially the parchments. You see, if I was Paul, I'd probably 
start off with that. Chapter 4 in the Gospel of Jim would 
have been like, bring me my cloak, because I'm cold, and bring me 
my books, because I want to read. Not Paul. How does he start 2 
Timothy 4? Last letter, 11th hour. The apostle's 
going to die. He says to Timothy, preach the 
word. Man, I wish we'd get that. I 
wish we'd understand that. You know what's beneficial most 
for you is preaching of the Word. I was struck this morning in 
a prayer offered up by a sister. She started to weep. I don't 
want to look that way. Please forgive me that I made 
any motion. I don't want her to feel uncomfortable. Lord, 
we take for granted what we have. Do you realize in various countries 
of the world they're being bombed? They don't have nice churches? 
They don't have fans? They don't have cups of water? They don't 
have pulpits? They don't have clocks? They don't have ceiling 
fans? They don't have a bunch of food 
sitting up on the second floor that they're going to go mow 
down on? Notwithstanding all those things, if the Word of 
God is actually preached here, we have something to value, and 
we have something to prize, and we have something that God says 
is most crucial for our well-being. Are we going to Reject that? Are we going to thank God for 
that? It's a blessing. It's a good thing. It's joyful. I wonder what some of the people 
in North Korea would think. The way that we treat the blessings 
of God. What would our brethren in the 
Sudan think of the way that we treat the blessings of God? God 
gives you all that and you don't use it? You have sermonaudio.com 
and you don't listen to sermons? You've got amazon.com and you 
don't read books? You've got Bibles and you don't 
read them? We can't even have a Bible in 
Saudi Arabia. When I was in the 80s stationed 
in England, I wasn't even a Christian, but I remember seeing the list 
of what was forbidden to bring into Saudi Arabia. Probably either 
just above or just below alcohol was the Bible. Things haven't 
changed, brethren. And we haven't. We're glutted 
with it. It's dumped on us. It's like 
God said, open your mouth, I'm going to feed you with this fire 
hose. What do we do? Can't be bothered. Too busy. May God indeed cause 
us as sheep to be very happy for the blessings and the benefits 
that he has conveyed upon us and to make us greedy to use 
those things in a manner that is consistent with those who 
have been so blessed. Well, in summary, we see the 
ministry of Christ. Verse 35 captures chapters 5 
to 9. Verse 35 captures chapters 5 
to 9. Jesus taught, Jesus healed. We see secondly the emphasis 
upon the heart of Christ. He has compassion. In case you missed that when 
we were going through chapter eight and nine, in case you missed 
it when the leper said, Lord, if you are willing, you can make 
me clean, in case you missed it when the centurion said, Lord, 
just speak a word and my servant shall be healed, in case you 
missed it when Peter invited him in to see his mother-in-law, 
in case you missed it with those two wretched men filled with 
a legion of demons at the tombs, in case you missed it when that 
paralytic was lowered down through the roof, In case you happen 
to miss it, when he raises Jairus' daughter from the dead, or when 
he heals that afflicted woman, in case you missed it, when he 
casts out that demon and that mute man starts to speak again, 
or when he takes those two blind men and he makes them see, in 
case you missed it, he's got compassion. Our God is not a 
harsh taskmaster. Our God is not... Isn't that our conception of 
God at times? I'm angry. I'm mad at you. There's 
the holiness of God. There's the consuming fire of 
God. There's all that to be sure. There's the smile of God. There's 
the mercy of God. There's the kindness of God. 
There's the love of God which is shed abroad in our hearts. And this is what is set forth 
in this particular instance of our Savior. He was moved with 
compassion for them. And you know, probably all of 
the them there weren't necessarily elect. It's not like you gotta 
know who's elect before you feel compassion upon them. I gotta 
know who's predestined in order to feel compassion upon them. 
No, they're a sinner under the wrath and fury of God's holiness. I'm gonna feel compassion for 
them. And I think that we ought to learn likewise that we, too, 
demonstrate something of this. Ryle asks the question, Now, 
what are our feelings when we see such a sight? This is a question 
that should arise in our minds, shouldn't it? If our Savior looks 
like that, if our Savior feels compassion when he sees multitudes 
like sheep having no shepherd, what should we be like? Ryle 
says there are many such to be seen on every side. He says there 
are millions of idolaters and heathen on earth, millions of 
deluded Mahatma-tans, Muslims. He says, millions of superstitious 
Roman Catholics. He says, there are thousands 
of ignorant Protestants near our own doors. Do we feel tenderly 
concerned about their souls? Do we deeply pity their spiritual 
destitution? Do we long to see that destitution 
relieved? Again, I'm not suggesting all-night 
prayer vigils. I'm not saying that you've got 
to be on your knees and soil your carpet with your tears. 
There's some that would bind your conscience and say, if you're 
not praying five hours a week for the lost, then somehow you're 
not godly. But I am suggesting, brethren, 
that the blood-bought child of God cannot continue long looking 
at sinners heading to hell and not feel something for them. Something. And finally, we end 
with this question. Do you pray? Do you pray? Not for your food, not for your 
forgiveness, and not for your protection. I assume that Christians 
do that. I really do. I hope that's a good assumption. 
But those three first petitions in the Lord's Prayer, the God 
ones, his name be hallowed, that his kingdom come, and that his 
will be done. Do those find their way into 
your closets? Are you praying for men in this 
church that they study, that they be equipped, and that we 
send them out? There'll be no greater joy than 
when we lay hands on a man to send him out. Much as we love 
that man, as much it'll break our hearts to see that man go. 
Praise be to God Almighty. We can send a church planter 
out. We can send a preacher of the gospel out. We can send someone 
out who's not going to preach how to have your best life now, 
but believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. That will be a great 
benefit, a great boon, a great joy on that day. Certainly that 
will call for rejoicing and feasting and praising our God. Brethren, 
look around you. See the situation in which we 
live. Look at the day and age in which 
we live. Look at Islam. Look at Rome. Look at atheism. Look at their 
arguments. Look at the money they're spending. 
Look at the animosity and the antipathy toward biblical Christianity. Look at how we're being marginalized, 
how we're being, ultimately, going to be persecuted for the 
faith. Certainly we ought to pray, certainly 
we ought to beseech God, if I can't go and preach to the Mahatma-tins, 
if I can't go preach to the Roman Catholics, if I can't go preach 
to the Hindus and the Buddhists and the atheists, God, raise 
men up who can! You see, this is something every 
Christian can do. Never tell me or never express 
the thought, boy, I wish there was something I could do to reach 
the lost. Do you pray? Well, I haven't thought of that. Oh, let me just encourage you. 
This is the time to think of that. Pray the Lord of the harvest, 
to raise up laborers, to send them out, and to notice His harvest. It's God's. It's about Him. It's for His glory. And that's 
the kind of men we need to promote that particular cause. And if 
you don't know Jesus this morning, look at Him in this text. Look 
at what His heart is towards sinners. Never doubt for a moment 
the saving ability of our Lord Jesus. He looks upon sinners 
and He feels compassion for them. Because they're like sheep having 
no shepherd, He feels compassion because they're harassed. He 
feels compassion because they're cast down. If that's the character, 
if that's the mindset, if that's our Savior, then by all means 
come to Him, believe on Him, look to Him, and you will have 
everlasting life. That is a promise from Holy Scripture 
that no one can ever mess up. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you shall be saved. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for the emphasis 
of our text, and we do pray that You'd raise men up and equip 
them cause them to think righteously, and to think biblically, and 
to be filled with the Spirit, and to be filled with courage, 
and to be prayerful in preaching men that you may send to the 
uttermost parts of the earth, that you may raise up for cities 
like Chilliwack, and cities like we have in the lower mainland. 
God, certainly there are sheep around us that need to hear the 
gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. So we pray to that end, we pray 
for your glory, we pray for your honor, we pray for the coming 
of your kingdom and obedience to your will on earth as it is 
in heaven. And we pray through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. We'll close with a brief 
time of meditation, then I'll come back up and give thanks 
for the food and we can be dismissed to go eat.