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| The harvest truly is great! |
a. In 9.1-6 we read
of the event of Jesus sending out the twelve disciples. Here is another account
of Jesus appointing and sending out other disciples... 'appointed seventy
others also.' So even though there are some similarities between the two events, there are significant differences.
- On this occasion, Jesus designated Himself as the Lord of the Harvest, and some details related
to this title: the abundance of the harvest, the scarcity of labourers, the
pleading with the Lord to send labourers to gather in His harvest, the mention
of the sons of peace (v6), etc.
- Let us give our
attention to these things, and may God bless His word to our mind and heart.
- We are all
familiar with the picture of harvest. In nearly all human societies in every
generation, there are activities of ploughing the fields, sowing seeds,
cultivating crops, and gathering in of the harvest.
- The Lord Jesus
Christ uses such a familiar picture to teach us some very important spiritual
truths.
- Let us set our minds to learn some of the things the Lord has to say to us in this passage.
1. Jesus is the Lord
of the Harvest
a. From the first
two verses, it is quite plain that the title 'Lord of the harvest' is a
self-designation of Jesus Himself. Verse 1 speaks of the Lord Jesus appointing
and sending out gospel preachers. Verse 2 speaks of the 'Lord of the harvest'
sending out labourers into His harvest field.
- And the rest of
the paragraph only confirms that truth. Let us consider this truth a little
closer: Note that the preposition 'of' in the phrase 'the Lord of the harvest'
is a genitive of origin and possession.
b. Jesus is the Lord of the harvest in the sense that He is the originator of the harvest... He brought this harvest into being. Without Him, there would be no harvest to speak of. It is as a result of His redemptive activity that there is this harvest. It is because of His saving work that there is this harvest to gather in.
- Jesus is the Lord of the harvest in the sense that He is the possessor of the harvest... It is His harvest. It belongs to Him and He is the Lord of it... He has purchased it, and He has the right and privilege and honour to appoint and send whoever He desires to be labourers in His harvest field.
## So Jesus is the originator or source of this harvest. He is also the owner of this harvest. But how did these come about? How did Jesus become the originator and possessor of the harvest?
c. The Scriptures
tell us that God the Father had chosen a vast multitude out of the fallen and
condemned race of Adam... and gave them unto His Son Jesus Christ, and the Lord
Jesus Christ came to this world to save all those whom God the Father has
elected and given to Christ.
## Without the
saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ, there will be no harvest to be gathered
into the churches
## Bless the Lord of
the harvest if you do understand and know this truth in your heart...
d. The Scriptures also tell us that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord of all those whom He came to save. Jesus Christ is the Lord of the harvest He has produced by His saving work.... Lordship of Jesus Christ over His redeemed people. He is the Lord of His harvest.
- Lk 10.2: He
exercises His right and authority to gather them into His barn... His
kingdom. He exercises right and
authority in commanding how His labourers are to conduct themselves... how they
are to be treated and respected... to declare severe judgment upon those who do
not receive His messengers...
## The harvest is
the Lord's harvest... not the pastors... no right to lord over the Lord's
redeemed people
## How very thankful
you must be that we are not the harvest to some men... no men can rule over us.
2. Jesus has a truly Great Harvest
a. Jesus said to
these 70 disciples, 'The harvest truly is great.' It doesn't say, 'The harvest
is great' but in a very emphatic manner... 'The harvest truly is great.' What
is the Lord Jesus Christ saying to us? What is the significance of that word
'truly'? On what basis does our Lord Jesus make this astounding statement? In
what sense is the harvest great... and truly is great? Let us consider what the
Bible tells us:
b. Now remember we said that God chose a great multitude of sinners out of the fallen and condemned race of Adam and gave them to Jesus Christ, and for whom Jesus Christ came to save. The harvest is great because of the great multitudes of sinners Jesus Christ came to save. So, it is great in the vastness, the abundance of the number of redeemed sinners among His harvest. Rev 7.9; 19.1,6.
- But this truth was
prophesied and foreshadowed at the beginning of the Bible: Gen 22.15-19...
stars of the heaven... Now the NT clearly interpret this passage as referring
to Christ and His harvest ... cp Gal 3.16.
- It is true that
the Lord Jesus says in Mt 7.13-14 these words: '...there are few who find
it.' But the point here is the
comparison between the two ways that His redeemed ones travel on.
## O great is the multitude of the redeemed people of Christ. Great is the harvest because of His saving works.
- The greatness of
the harvest also consists in the fact that this harvest is made up of people
from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. (Rev 5.9). See this truth
prophesied and promised to Abraham in Gen 12.3. 'In you ALL the families of the
earth shall be blessed.' Rev 14.6... Mt 28.19
## O the greatness and the vastness and the abundance of Christ harvest... so vast as to include people of all races. Of whatever race you... as long as you are of the fallen and condemned race of Adam... Christ has come to call such as you...
- The greatness of the harvest certainly consists also in the vast diversity of all sorts and classes of people found in the harvest of the Lord Jesus Christ. He did not come to save just a certain type of people... He came to save all sorts of people...
Q1. “I send you
forth as lambs among wolves.” Comment.
Q2. Why the
instruction, “carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes…”?
Q3. Concerning ‘the
son of peace’ in verse 6.
- What is a ‘son of
peace’?
- How does a ‘son of
peace’ come to be?
- Who is there
first: the son of peace or the itinerant preacher?
- Does the itinerant
preacher help in bringing about a son of peace?
- Why does a son of
peace treat the itinerant preacher well?
Q4. What are some of the implications of how the itinerant preachers are to discharge their work from the instructions in v9-11?
Q5. Why did Jesus
say the words in v16 to the seventy?
- Do they have any
application to us today?
