Being A Part Of The Harvest

Being a Part of the Harvest

Luke 10:1-16

Rabbi Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

Luke 10:1 Now after this the Lord appointed seventy-two others, and sent them in

pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. 2

And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;

therefore plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

3 “Go; behold, I am sending you out like lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no

money belt, no bag, no sandals, and greet no one along the way. 5 “And whatever

house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ 6 “And if a man of peace is there,

your peace will rest upon him; but if not, it will return to you. 7 “Stay in that house,

eating and drinking 2what they provide; for the laborer is deserving of his wages. Do

not move from house to house. 8 “Whatever city you enter and they receive you,

eat what is served to you; 9 and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The

kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 “But whatever city you enter and they

do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your city

which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the

kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 “I say to you, it will be more tolerable on that

day for Sodom than for that city.

Luke 10:13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the 1miracles

that occurred in you had occurred in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long

ago, sitting in 2csackcloth and ashes. 14 “But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and

Sidon in the judgment than for you. 15 “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted

to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades!

Luke 10:16 “The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects

you rejects Me; but the one who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”

In Luke’s gospel chapter 10 verses 1 to 16, we have the story that Jesus sent out his 12

disciples and 70 other men and women to spread the work of the gospel. Jesus tells

them that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Let me spend a few moments

explaining the culture of work in Jesus’ day in the Near East because it will make clear

what his message was all about.

It was men that would go out to work because the women would be at the house doing

the household chores and raising children, or grandchildren. Men in the Near East did

not like to work for other people. If a nobleman or person of wealth lost their wealth,

they would prefer to see their children starve than go work for another person.

Unemployment was unknown in the Near East in Jesus day because there were not

enough people to perform all the tasks that needed to be done.

A master of the house would tell his servants to go out and cut the wheat during the

harvest season. This became a problem because those servants had to perform all their

daily chores and do the harvest. When it became impossible for the servants to keep up

with the harvest, the master of the house, very reluctantly, would go and try to hire

people. Many times, they couldn’t hire anyone because it was no one available, especially

during the harvest season.

Many farmers were able to grow more wheat than their family needed. Thus, they had

a surplus. People used wheat as money during the harvest season. In addition to that,

the master of the house could buy supplies and other implements that when necessary

for his household and for the harvest, and he would pay in wheat.

Jesus sent out his people to spread the gospel. He told them upfront that the field is

large, and the workers are few. Just imagine being in the Galilee 2000 or so, years ago.

The known world was the Roman Empire, the barbarians in the north, and the

Parthians in the East. That’s a pretty big world, and, of course, we know it’s not the

entire world. So, the field that needed to be harvested is far too big for 70 people.

Therefore, Jesus instructs them that while they are trying to spread the gospel, they

should also pray for these people that when they accept the gospel that they will join

them to spread the word of the gospel.