JESUS AND THE MULTITUDES
Matthew 9 v. 32 - 38
1. What the Lord shared with the multitude v. 35 " And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom."
Notice the :-
(a) Revelation of the Saviour
(1) Jesus Christ is a loving Saviour v. 35 ( teaching and preaching the gospel, in all the cities and villages.)
(2) Jesus Christ is a gracious Saviour ( preaching the gospel of the Kingdom )
- the good news of salvation
(3) Jesus Christ is a mighty Saviour ( and healing every sickness.) v. 34 some of which was attributed to devil directly.
(4) Jesus Christ is a willing Saviour v. 35 ( Jesus went about.)
- freely, fully, & faithfully
(b) Response to the Saviour v. 33 "it was never so seen in Israel"
-the multitudes were filled with wonder
(c) Rejection of the Saviour v. 34 "but the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of devils. " - by the religious world
2. What the Lord saw in the multitude v. 36 "he was moved with compassion"
(a) He saw their departure from God
- They were:- defenceless "fainting", divided "scattered abroad", and directionless
"with no shepherd"
(b) He saw their distress -misled by false prophets, false props, and false priorities.
(c) He saw their despair - no shepherd to guard, guide and go before.
(d) He saw their danger (being scattered) -The dangers of:- sin, of self, and of satan
(e) He saw their destiny - as sheep to be sought, to be bought ( redeemed), and to be brought home
(f) He saw their desire -Here were a people ready to listen to Jesus, ready to look to Jesus, and ready to learn from Jesus. The harvest was ripe.
3. What the Lord said about the multitude v. 37 "the harvest truely is plentous" Notice:-
(a) What He said - He emphasizes:-
(1) The largeness of the task - it is a plentiful harvest, "go ye into all the world"
(2) The limitations of the task - it is in peril,
Notice the perils of:-
(A) of the task - (it’s so huge)
(B) of the time - (it’s so short)
(C) of the tools (they’re so few) it was said of a doctor in a train crash that he paced the crash scene saying- "How many could I not have saved, if only I had my instruments"
(3) The labour of the task-the answer is labourers who will:-
labour in love, labour with loyalty, and labour legitimately,"go work today", or the harvest may be lost
(b) Who He said it too - v. 37 "His diciples" those close to him, not those afar off
(c) Why He said it :- Notice:-
The lesson of the task - "pray ye therefore" -he wanted his disciples to:-
(a) visualize the need
(b) agonize in prayer
(c) and evangelize the lost
4. What the Lord sought for the multitude v. 38 "pray ye therefore"
He sought:-
(a) the prayers of the disciples - very specific prayer - he told them:- when to pray, what to pray, and why to pray
(b) the pity of the disciples v. 36 " they were to be moved with compassion" - as was the good samaritan, so he told them, to go and do likewise
(c) the profit of the disciples:- they were to labour because the harvest was:- passing, it was perishing, and it was pressing -" the night cometh when no man can work."
(d) and the produce of the disciples "He that winneth souls is wise"
