We began Mission: Possible last week with a serious look at the call for the church, in general, and disciples in particular to be ON a mission from God. It isn’t enough to see ourselves as being IN missions, but rather on a continuing mission. To be sure, being engaged in mission work is part of what we’re called to as the body of Christ in the world, but there is an overarching mission that encompasses all that we do. It might best be said that being engaged IN mission work is the living out of THE mission of the church. We explored the “call” to the mission that Christ extends to us, but underlying the call is the “cause”—the why of the mission. The “WHY” of the mission is the focus of this message.
There really is an easy answer to the question of “why” the church is on a mission—the crowds. Matthew tells us, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (v. 36—NIV).” “When he saw the crowds…” People are the reason for the mission. The “crowds” are the object of his ministry, and they are the motivating force of his mission. Jesus saw the crowds and was moved with compassion. When Jesus saw the crowds, he hurt in the pit of his stomach. The word Matthew uses to describe what Jesus felt literally means a gnawing in the stomach. He saw them (the NIV says) as “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Sheep and shepherd is an image that goes deep into Israel’s history. It was King David who said, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,” and it was Jesus himself, who in John’s Gospel said, “I am the Good shepherd; I know my sheep…” Even further back in Israel’s history, Joshua was the “shepherd” of God’s people in Numbers 27: 17 after Moses died, so that “the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” Yet, Jesus looked out over the crowds, and they were like sheep without that shepherd. They were, in a word, lost.
Let’s take a look at those people Jesus saw. They were the nation of Israel. Think about all that Jesus saw as he surveyed the national landscape of Israel. He saw the common, ordinary people who were beat up religiously. Jesus, in Matthew’s Gospel to this point, has had a number of run-ins with the Pharisees. As near as a few verses back in chapter nine, Jesus has called Matthew, the tax collector, to be a disciple. Matthew invites Jesus to supper with a few of Matthew’s friends. The Pharisees see Jesus eating with the dregs of society (scum they’re called), and he simply responds, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” The Jewish religious leaders, who should have been giving the “crowds” strength to live, were bewildering them with subtle arguments about the Law, which had no help and comfort in them. When they should have been helping the “crowds” to stand upright, they were bowing them down under the intolerable weight of the Scribal Law. They were offering the “crowds” a religion which was a handicap instead of a support. We must always remember that Christianity exists, not to discourage, but to encourage; not to weigh people down with burdens, but to lift them up with wings. The people were broken religiously. Jesus saw it, even if the people didn’t.
I’ll also mention, but only briefly, that the “crowds” were under political oppression, too. The Romans occupied Israel, and the call of Matthew (who was an agent of the Roman government) is meant to give hope that Christ can even overcome that oppression. Also, images from Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount give evidence of this oppression. That “turning the other cheek,” and “going the extra mile” are images that involved conscripted service to the Roman solider. Pilate’s presence as governor in Jerusalem was a daily reminder to the people that they were under the hand of a government who thought none too kindly toward them. They were broken politically, and they knew it, even if they didn’t know what they could do about it.
Not only were the “crowds” broken religiously and politically, but they were broken personally. See, the crowds came to Jesus, not for religious or political reasons, but for personal reasons. They came for the healing of their diseases and the casting out of demons. Jesus has been busy in Matthew’s Gospel raising the dead and calming stormy seas. The “crowds” came for miracles in their own lives because death, disease and demons were real to them. The evil they faced was not only religious and political…or even primarily religious or political…but, it was personal.
Jesus saw a lot of brokenness as he saw the crowds. Moreover, he knew the source of the brokenness—sin. Sin is the source of all the brokenness in our world. Sin, that basic separation from God that began all the way back on the Garden of Eden, and has been leaving its mark on us and God’s creation ever since. Sin and the idea of being lost are not fashionable these days. We try not to talk about them too much. It might damage our self-esteem. And, what does it mean to be “lost” anyway? Jesus knew and understood sin and lost-ness. Jesus said to the Pharisees when he was at supper with Matthew that, “I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough.” Sin is the culprit of humanity’s distress. If there is religious oppression—sin is making its presence known. If there is political oppression—it finds its foundation in sin. If there is brokenness in our lives—sin is at the bottom of it. Even death itself is caused by sin. The Apostle Paul reminds us that the wages of sin is death (Romans 3:23).
The “crowds” came to Jesus looking for a miracle. The greatest of all miracles, though, is often the one least noticed. The greatest miracle is the miracle of forgiveness. Jesus came to forgive sins and reconcile the sinner to God the Father. He did this by becoming the “suffering servant,” and that’s exactly what it means to have compassion. Our English word means “to suffer with.” Jesus came, took off the coat of glory that he had worn throughout all eternity, traded it for a coat of humanity and humanity’s sin. He became sin so that we could overcome sin. He became as the “crowds” were so that the crowds could become as he is. There was their miracle. There is our miracle, too. There was his mission. There is our mission, too.
As we survey Jesus’ response to the crowds, let us see if we can understand our own response, for you see, the crowds are still with us. There are even some here today who are in the crowd, harassed and helpless, wondering what’s happening in your life. But, there are even more out there in the world. There are many confused about life, confused by death, trying desperately to understand disease and divorce and discouragement and depression and desire and even demons. They don’t know where to turn, but they know they have to turn somewhere because they can’t find the answers within themselves. The world is full of people looking for a miracle, and they just don’t know where to look.
Those of us on the mission must become Jesus to the “crowds” today. They are the cause of our mission still. What did Jesus do then, and what must we do now? First, we must go where Jesus went. Matthew tells us that Jesus was also on the move…going into the towns and cities of the region. Jesus went to where the people were. Certainly, there were some people who searched Jesus out, but by and large, it was because Jesus was always on the move that he encountered the most people. And, do we understand that Jesus even went to the religious places to teach? Jesus went, and so must we!
Why do we do 40 days of Service? Because it gets us out where the people are, and it engages us with the crowds. The crowds are hungry, but they’re not necessarily coming to church. We serve because it’s one of the ways we go where Jesus went, and it provides the open door for others to experience the miracle and grace of forgiveness. And, that in and off itself becomes the greatest form of evangelism.
Someone asked me, “Why are we doing a sunrise service in the park? My answer? Because it makes us go where the people are. Research has shown us that today, unchurched and de-churched people are more likely to attend spiritual events in neutral locations than they are to come to events on a church property. Our text says “Jesus traveled…” Jesus went to the people. From the post-WWII years through the turn of this century, people came to worship as a first step toward faith. It was expected…it was the norm. It’s not the norm anymore, and guess what…it wasn’t the norm in Jesus day. It wasn’t the norm in John Wesley’s day. John Wesley left the church house…went to the coal mines and industrial towns. He engaged in field preaching. He changed England. His preachers in America carried the message of salvation in Jesus Christ to the American frontier, and it changed the face of America. There was a day when 20% of the people in America were Methodists. It happened because the preachers went to where the people were.
Jesus’ compassion led him to face-to-face encounters with broken people. Ours should do no less. You see, Jesus went, but then Jesus sent. Matthew 9: 35 – 38 is really the bridge of Matthew’s Gospel. They look backward and they look forward, for they make the transition from the miracle-working ministry of Jesus to the disciple-making ministry of Jesus. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few.” As Matthew begins chapter 10 of his Gospel, he calls his disciples and sends them out with the authority to do the same miracles he has done. Jesus first went, but then Jesus sent. And so, we go. I remind us that the Great Commission begins with the word “Go!”
Secondly, we must do what Jesus did. Jesus suffered with the crowds. Jesus got his hands dirty. That, too, is why we serve. Compassion is costly. Compassion can be inconvenient. But, the crowds are worth it to us because they are worth it to Christ. We have a lot of ministries going on in the church now, but we have barely enough people to keep them going. We have all kinds of new ideas of things we would like to do and could do, but there are just not enough people willing to do them. A few people are doing a lot, and a lot of people are doing very little. Pastors have what they call the 80/20 principle. It means that 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. What would happen in this community if every disciple was involved in just one ministry? What if every person who calls themselves Christian was in the harvest field? This community would be transformed overnight.
Well, my friend, the harvest field is your school. The harvest field is your office. The harvest field is your sports league. The harvest field is in your grocery store…your golf course…your hospital…your psychiatric ward…your street corner…your homeless shelter…your home for unwed mothers…your foster care system. Look around…the harvest is plentiful…there is brokenness all around us…there is brokenness in us. But, our brokenness is the very thing God desires to use to harvest those around us. Why? Because it’s all we have? It’s our brokenness he transforms for His glory…and He receives glory anytime our brokenness draws others to Himself.
Many of us have our lives so full of things we have no time to serve God or invest in the lives of others. It is not that our lives are filled with bad activities, most of them are good. The greatest enemy of the best things in life are the good things in life. Our distractions with the good things in life keep us from experiencing the best things in life. What the Lord is asking us to do is to set our priorities so that we are choosing, not between what is good and bad, but between what is good and what is better — between what is good and what is best.
The “crowds” need Jesus. We need Jesus. We’re here today because we say know Jesus, and we’re his church. Let me remind us all of the words of William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury in the middle of the last century. Archbishop Temple said, “Church is the only society on earth that exists for the benefit of non-members.” We’re not here for ourselves. We’re here for others…for those who don’t know Christ yet. They are the cause for the mission, and we believe it’s a mission that’s entirely possible.
