The Harvest Is Truly Plentiful (But The Laborers Are Few) Series

We have been looking at what we are supposed to do while waiting for Jesus’ return. As we examined over the past two weeks the parable Jesus told concerning a nobleman who left ten Minas with his servants prior to leaving for a distance country to receive a kingdom (Luke 19:11-27). The charge the nobleman gave his servants is the theme verse for this series:

Luke 19:13 (NKJV) So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’

We are to do Jesus’ business till He returns. And what business is that? We had determined the mina each of us, who are servants of Jesus, have been entrusted with is the Gospel, the life giving good news of Jesus. The question is, will we be good stewards of the gospel and do his business, or will we be like the wicked servant and hide the gospel away?

Today’s message and passage deals with why we need to be busy doing His business with the gospel. It is a familiar passage I have preached before and will preach again.

Matthew 9:35–38

When I was the Sunday School director for the church I belonged to in New Mexico over 30 years ago, I remember asking one gentleman, an older, and supposedly mature Christian if he would teach a Sunday School class. I received the standard "churchy" answer I have heard time and time again. “Brother Doug, let me go and pray about it.” After a week I called on the man for second time, and the response was the same, “I still need to do some praying about it.” After a third week I asked once more, and the response I got was not unexpected, “I’m not sure God is calling me to teach, beside I don’t think I’m gifted to teach.” I must admit that I was disappointed. I guess my call for Him to teach was not quite the same as God’s call to teach. I was in my early 30’s at the time and this man had been a Christian nearly twice longer than I had been alive. The writer of Hebrews has something to say about that. In scolding the more mature Christians in the early church, he said;

Hebrews 5:12 (NKJV) For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

However, one of my greatest joys I ever had as a Sunday School director was about 25 years ago at another church. I made an announcement that I was looking for teacher for an international class, where English was a spoken as a second language. And immediately I had one person jump up and say they were that person. I was taken back by this so I asked, “Don’t you want to pray about this first?” And the quick response was, "No, I had already prayed about it and your announcement was an answer to my prayer." Wow! why can't all my teachers be like this one!.

There is a need to disciple Christians, there is also a great a great need to reach the lost. This is not just a job for the paid professionals. To the church in Ephesus, Paul explained the work of ministry:

Ephesians 4:11–12 (NKJV) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ

Jesus did not give the church pastors and teachers to equip the saints and do the work of ministry He gave pastors and teachers to equip the saints so they, the saints can do the work of ministry. The work of ministry is function of every member of the church. Having said all this, we begin to understand what Jesus is saying in today’s passage. Jesus, as a man, could not do all the work Himself.

Matthew 9:35 (NKJV) 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.

Jesus was busy. He was going from here to there, hither and yond, preaching, teaching and healing.

There is a fine line between teaching and preaching. Jesus was doing both. He was teaching and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, which in the NT is also referred to as the “gospel of Jesus, the Gospel of God, or the Good News with the focus being on repentance, forgiveness and restoration with God.

Healing and the performance of miracles was subordinate to the teaching and preaching. Healing and miracles were done to validate the message and Messenger.