This Harvest
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Late fall has us preparing for winter and celebrating the harvest. For most of us, not living close to the land, it is far more symbolic than it once was, but we still have a vestigial, cultural celebration of harvest. Looking for themes of harvest in the Bible is fruitful (pun intended). We run across a couple places where Jesus speaks about a harvest. His references fall into two categories:
This Harvest, and
That Harvest
Transition
Luke 10 is one example (along with Mt 9 and Jn 4) of This Harvest.
Illumination
1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. 2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.
A global harvest with a local beginning, 1
A global harvest with a local beginning, 1
1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.
70 seems like a random number, but it is not.
70 nations in Genesis 10 represents the whole world
70 elders in Numbers 11 represented the whole nation
70 years in Psalm 90 represent the whole of our life
When Jesus commissioned 70 disciples, they represented the whole of his followers being sent into the whole of his creation.
A great harvest with a small beginning, 2
A great harvest with a small beginning, 2
2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
When we consider the global scale of the harvest, we can see whey Jesus thought it was great. With our limited understanding of what is really going on around the world, we don’t know just how great it is. Even in our small section of the world the potential harvest is great too: the need certainly is.
The greatness of the harvest and our inadequacies cause us to pray for Divine aid
The greatness of the resistance and our weakness, cause us to pray for Divine motivation
A gracious harvest with a resisted beginning, 3
A gracious harvest with a resisted beginning, 3
3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.
There always has been, and always will be, resistance to our mission.
8 But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. 9 For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
Conclusion
The instructions in verses 4 and following were specific to the seventy Jesus sent. However, the broad strokes of this passage apply, inform, and even obligate us to see our role in fulfilling His goal.
God will provide through willing human agents
God will produce through willing human agents
God will prevail over unwilling human agents (not us)
Application
God commissioned us in much the same way He commissioned them.
44 Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things.
49 “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
Yes, we are local, small, and face resistance. We are exactly whom Jesus is sending out to gather His harvest. We should pray that He would send us.
