Part 17 – Lord of the Harvest – Matthew 9:27-38
July 21, 2019Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Speaker: Jerry Cisar
At one mission’s conference, the conference theme emblazoned behind the podium read, “Just go!” It was more reflective of the Nike culture than the Biblical mandate. At a minimum, that slogan begs a lot of questions: Just go where? Do we all go now? Is there any qualification? What do we do when we get there? Anyone who has been on the mission field might add that there is nothing “just” about going; going is costly.
The scenes we arrive at this Sunday show how the authority of Jesus is central in the mission of the church. He is Lord of the harvest. We shouldn’t be surprised when we arrive in 28:18 and find that the Great Commission begins with, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…”.
The harvest is plentiful! What is the Harvest? When Jesus says, “The harvest is plentiful,” what comes to your mind? I’ve always assumed that it meant, “There are a ton of people just ready to be saved, all we have to do is share the gospel with them.” That raises questions: Is the harvest still plentiful today? Are those the conditions necessary for mission? You might suspect that I think the harvest being plentiful means something else.