Rooted in Jesus’ Mission

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

Today we are continuing our sermon series through our summer readings of Matthew - called Rooted in God’s Kingdom. Last week we focused on the call of Jesus on our lives. How our place in God’s Kingdom is Rooted in the power and call of Jesus, not our own qualifications. Today, we are continuing this conversation - as members of God’s Kingdom - we are Rooted in Jesus’ Mission.

We have all had those moments where offers we have heard about seem too good to be true. In the mail, or your email inbox you receive the best deal. It reads something like: Receive the next year of this streaming service on us. Or this product is now have the price of full market value. Or come watch the Royals for 5 dollar tickets. But before you click the “Accept Offer” your eyes search where everyone searches when you receive an offer like this: the fine print. You gloss the fine print at the bottom of the page. No one likes the fine print. Because often times it will say things like, “In order to qualify for this offer you need to be a new customer.” Or “In order to receive this offer you need to refer 5 different people to this service.” Or in order to qualify you need to share the message on all of your social media and you may be one of the people selected for the prize.” No one likes fine print. And after reading fine print for great deals, we often decide you know this too much work, or the effort I may put into this to try and get this offer simply isn’t worth my time. This simply is just another thing to do - that I don’t have time for. The time required by the fine print isn’t worth adding something to our lives for the deal.

We are busy people. We always seemingly have things happening in our lives. There are days of travel for work meetings across the country, or kids events that we have taken a leadership role in - that the group is looking for us for guidance. Of there are moments when groups at church are asking you for more, and you just don’t have the time to give. And in our busyness we often have to decide: is it worth my time to give to this thing? or Do I have enough time to this activity to my plate? Or when an opportunity is put before us - we see it as another thing to do in our busy lives.

Often times when we talk about being in Mission for God; or telling other people about the good news of Jesus we treat this as just another activity to get done. We treat it like any other thing our to - do list. Or before we commit to it, we decide if we can fit it into our busy lives. Often times we view mission for God as a duty or other thing to be completed rather than a calling; rather than a bi-product of who we are as Disciples and Followers of Jesus. What if we viewed mission or sharing the good news differently? What if saw mission not as something we do occasionally when we have time, but as something this is lived as followers of Jesus? What if mission wasn’t something we decide to join or do based on our busyness, but it was something that is lived and simply a part of who you are as someone claimed by Jesus?

Today in our text, we continue through the Gospel of Matthew. And Jesus has been carrying out the mission of God by healing, and teaching, and proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is here. And Jesus, He sees the need and brokenness around Him in the world, and He says to His disciples:

Matthew 9:37–38 ESV

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Jesus tells the disciples to pray for workers to be sent out; workers for the Kingdom to reach the lost. And immediately after this request from Jesus to pray for the harvest - Jesus answers His own prayer request. In the next verse, it says:

Matthew 10:1 ESV

1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.

Jesus tells them to pray and then He provides the answer to His prayers, but sending out the disciples to proclaim the mission of God and proclaim the Good News that the Kingdom of God is near - that the present reality of God has come near to this broken world. Jesus sends His 12 disciples out to the preach the good news. He uses ordinary people to do the work of the Kingdom. Jesus sends out ordinary fisherman in response to the need for the harvest.

Jesus doesn’t need His disciples to do this work. After all Jesus is God of Universe and Lord of the Harvest. He has the power to do it Himself. Yet Jesus chooses to use ordinary people. He chooses to equip ordinary people to be His messengers in the world. He invites these 12 disciples to join in the mission Jesus is already doing. He invites them to step from the audience onto the stage alongside of Him. Jesus invites the disciples to partner with Him in the mission that He is already doing. But why would Jesus do this? Why would He choose to invite partners into this ministry?

We find the answer earlier in our text from Matthew today. As Jesus is walking around doing the ministry and preaching the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He sees the brokenness, and we see the heart of Jesus.

Matthew 9:36 ESV

36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Jesus had compassion on the crowds. He had compassion on the broken and hurting people around Him. The mission of Jesus stems not not for evangelistic outcomes and proposals to grow the church. The mission of Jesus isn’t driven for survival we need to share this news so our church continues to grow. But instead the mission of Jesus is driven and centered in compassion for the lost, compassion for the hurting. He saw people being weighed down by the burdens of the law placed on them by the Pharisees. He saw people waiting in expectation for the Messiah to come. He saw people hurting - and Jesus had compassion.

And in this compassion - Jesus doesn’t just have the disciples stand to the side. But in compassion, Jesus invites the disciples to participate alongside Him. That they too would experience the power of the Gospel; the peace and joy of working in God’s Kingdom. It’s through the compassion of Jesus that He invites His disciples to join in the mission.

This compassion that we see in Matthew - is the same reason that Jesus came to this world for you. Jesus saw you. He sees your hurts and pains. He sees the struggle of sin your life. Jesus saw you separated from God and needing saving. And it’s through His compassion that He came to this world for you. Its through compassion that He came to seek and save the lost. Jesus came to be make His love known. Jesus came to be your Shepherd as you were straying far from Him. And its the compassion of Jesus that led Him to the cross for you. Its the compassion of Jesus that led Him to carry your sin and die the death that you deserved. Jesus has a heart of compassion for you!

Its through that compassion you have in Jesus that He calls you to be a participant in mission for Him. This gift of love and grace from Jesus, is so great and rich; its so powerful and unending that it can’t be contained in our lives. But this life and forgiveness won for us in Jesus spills over into every aspect of our lives; every interaction. Its through and because of Jesus’ compassion for you that He invites you to be a participant in mission for Him. To return to our earlier questions: What would it look like if viewed mission not as something additional to be done, but something that was lived? Or what would it like if we view mission as a response to the compassion of Jesus on our lives rather than a specific group we intentionally sign-up for?

Because being a participant in the mission of Jesus doesn’t just happen on mission trips. Or here are church events. Being on mission doesn’t only mean going to door to door to share the faith or ask - “If you were to die tonight, would you be in heaven?”. But being a participant in the mission of compassion of Jesus is a daily, lived thing. Luther had this way of talking about this. He called it Vocation. Your vocation or calling is specific to you. You are given a specific family. You are given a specific neighborhood. You are given a specific career. And Luther would say that in those specific relationships - you are a mask of God to the world. When people look at you - the hope is that they see God. As a mask of God - in our interactions the hope is that they see God’s mercy and compassion on full display.

Jesus sends you today in the world filled with and covered in His compassion and mercy for you. This gift is too great not to share with others. This mission not another thing to do on the checklist, but it is something that is lived in daily life. As follower of Jesus and member of His Kingdom - you are rooted in the mission of Jesus. Who in your life needs to hear this compassion? Maybe its your family - your spouse or children. Maybe its the struggle neighbor down the street. Maybe its the pew buddy here at church. Maybe its that coworker thats in your office. What opportunities has God placed before you to participate in His mission? This mission of compassion you have been invited to participate in today!

Now may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding may it guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.