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Scripture reading – Luke 10
Luke 10
The closing verses of Luke 9 record three men who encountered Jesus. The first volunteered to follow Him. The second was one whom Jesus called to follow Him. Like the first, the third man volunteered to follow Jesus but wanted to do it later. When they heard the demands of following Jesus, they turned back (Luke 9:57-62).
After that, “the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come” (Luke 10:1).
The Messengers of the Gospel (Luke 10:1)
The number of disciples sent out, being seventy, probably comes as a surprise to some. Besides the Twelve, there were many followers of Jesus. Having chosen seventy disciples out of the multitude that followed Him, Jesus instructed them to go before Him, two by two, into every city and village where He would soon come and minister (Luke 10:1). He then challenged the seventy with the spiritual need of those to whom they would labor (Luke 10:2).
The Mission of the Gospel (Luke 10:2)
Luke 10:2 – 2Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
The Potential of the Harvest (Luke 10:2b)
The seventy were challenged with the opportunity: “The harvest [i.e., of needy souls] truly is great” (Luke 10:2a). They were assigned to go before Christ “into every city and place, whither He Himself would come” (Luke 10:1c). Like a field ripe and ready, their calling was to prepare the way for where Christ Himself would labor.
What about you? Where is your harvest field? I suggest that it is your sphere of influence: your neighborhood, school, workplace, family, friends, and acquaintances. Your privilege is to take the Gospel where you live!
The Predicament of the Harvest (Luke 10:2c)
While the potential of the harvest was plentiful, Christ observed that “the labourers [preachers, teachers, and witnesses] are few” (Luke 10:2c).
Using the metaphor of a ripened wheat field, the soil had been cultivated, the seeds planted, and the stalks of grain were ripe and ready; however, there were not enough workers. Christ promised He was sending the seventy where He would come, but there were not enough to go before Him and prepare the way.
The Prayer for Workers (Luke 10:2d)
What might be done in preparation for the potential and predicament of the harvest? Christ challenged the seventy to Pray: “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2d).
Who is “the Lord of the harvest?” It is Jesus Christ. The harvest gives us the image of judgment as the workers use sickles to cut down and harvest the grain. The prayer was for Christ to call and send witnesses before His judgment while there was time for sinners to call on the LORD, repent of their sins, and be saved.
Understanding His appointment with the Cross was only months away; there was an urgency for the Gospel to be taken far and wide throughout the villages and cities of Israel (Matthew 9:37-38). While the opportunity to reach lost souls was stunning, the reality was that few were willing to take the Gospel.
John wrote in His Gospel: “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields [of lost souls]; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35).
Closing thoughts –
As I look at the moral decay of our society and world, I see everywhere the signs that mark the coming of God’s judgment (Luke 17:26-27). What can believers do in the face of the great need of lost souls? Pray!
Pray for laborers. Pray for men and women to dedicate their lives to serve the LORD and take the Gospel to their sphere of influence. Pray with urgency, knowing “the harvest truly is great” (Luke 10:2a). Pray with fervor, for “the laborers are few” (Luke 10:2b). Pray until the LORD answers your prayers and sends laborers (preachers, teachers, missionaries, witnesses) who will faithfully sow the seed of the Gospel. As you pray, ponder the question:
Are you willing to go?
Copyright © 2024 – Travis D. Smith
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