Just One of the Crowd

Matthew 9:35-10:4

Matthew 9:35–10:4 LEB

And Jesus was going around all the towns and the villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness. And when he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were weary and dejected, like sheep that did not have a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest that he send out workers into his harvest.” And summoning his twelve disciples, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, so that they could expel them and could heal every disease and every sickness. Now these are the names of the twelve apostles: first Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, Philip, and Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector, James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot—the one who also betrayed him.

Can you imagine the crowd of people that would have followed Jesus especially in the early times before things get really tough.

Think about what we have seen about Jesus

This new rabbi comes on the scene. He has the support of John the Baptist which is like saying Billy Graham endorses you. He calls out a few men from JB disciples and then they bring a couple more. And we are not told how all 12 come to him but there are many more that are there then just 12.

Jesus goes from place to place and has been healing, forgiving sins, doing wondrous miracles. This man has a crowd going with him everywhere he goes.

I think it would be tough but he handles it well at least there are no paparazzi

Pray

Jesus here is presented as a wondering teacher/evangelist/healer. He goes to all the cities (all meaning a lot not every city there is). And doing this he has a crowd of people. Some wanting to learn, some wanting to watch and see, some wanting to be healed, some just curious. Some are wanting to argue. But the crowd is there, and he sees this crowd and he has compassion on them.

The labors are few but the harvest is plentiful

The Harvest: Ripe and Plentiful

Pray the Lord to send out laborers

Is the harvest still plentiful?

Not a person in this room who has tried to share the gospel or bring someone to church (not a Christian) has been immune to the fact that it is hard

People don’t just rapidly fall down and praise God after hearing his wonderful news.

The skepticism, mistrust, doubt, and desisting

Desensitizing as in that “everyone” has heard it time and time again we are a “Christian” nation. The religious market place where you can do your shopping for religion is ever growing and is bigger than ever. We have eastern, western, middle eastern religions. You can pick and choose, a little bit of Buddhism, a little bit of atheism, a little bit of Hinduism, a smidgen of tribal African religion, and a dash of Christianity so that I fit in. Hears my religion. And If any one ask me about my Jesus I will say of course I believe in him and if they ask me to church I will say, “me and God are good, we have an agreement. I don’t really need it except twice maybe three times a year.

Is the harvest still ripe?

I tell you the truth, Yes.

People are searching. They have lost faith in the organized church however. But science isn’t filling them and aliens well they just don’t really satisfy. So people are spending a great deal of time in the religious market place searching.

Yes we have a growing number of NONES but these are not people who won’t believe they just aren’t ready for harvest. Most of them just really haven’t found a reason to think about it. But most will in time. The harvest is real, but the fruit isn’t all ripe. We must be true Christians living what we believe we can not be the type of Christians who Gandhi said, “I love you Christ but hate your Christians.” We have to be true to the Faith that we claim. We have to be true to the truth that we know. It takes on average a person 7 ½ times of hearing the gospel to believe. As fruit ripens we need to be there to harvest it.

We want quick results. We forget that harvesting is a hard chore that happens after a long season of planting and tending and growing and then comes harvest. So we must be ever tending to the people that we have in our lives if we are to see any harvest you must put in the work.

Here in the USA the Harvest is not as active as in other countries but it is real and there are people coming to know the Truth. And we must be sent out like Jesus sent out his 12. The ones that listed here are men that will be remembered for ever. Why because they were the 12. They were disciples of Jesus, and because they walked that closely with Jesus. As we are called to Walk that close to God through the Blood of Jesus empowered by the Holy Spirit. As I read this list of twelve I think of all the crowds who were there and we don’t know any of their names.

Disciple or Crowd? Which will you be?

I wonder how many of us are disciples and how many of us are part of the crowd.

The Crowd is content just following Jesus for handouts. The crowd is there just for fire insurance. The crowd is there because it’s something there supposed to do. The crowd is looking to see something cool. The crowd is there to have some problem met. The Crowd will leave when things get tough. The crowd doesn’t really know Jesus they just follow him.

The Disciple is there to learn. The Disciple is there to work. The Disciple is there to be with Jesus. The Disciple knows Jesus. The Disciple is looking to serve. The disciple believes and does doesn’t just Talk about it but Lives it. The Disciple will be remembered Because Jesus knows their name and it is written in the lambs book of life.

The crowd calls out lord, lord and he says depart I did not know you

Which will you be? Next Steps

Are you Crowd or Disciple today.

Will you make the step to actively seek God and to serve him where you are praying for the harvest and the opportunity not just to “save souls” but to heal and serve and to teach and to lift up as your gifts and talents are available to you.

Who will you be?

Pray