14 OCT 23 Saturday: A Closer Walk Devotional
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.’” Matthew 9:36-37
Whenever we see someone do something good or for that matter bad, we ask ourselves, ‘What is his motivation for doing this?’ Then we begin to speculate those motivations and usually start with some negative ones. Many times people do things out of kindness and mercy, and that really gets us because we assume for ill-gotten gain or glory. Our inspection of another person’s heart will reflect ours too.
Jesus in the passage above sees a great crowd who are lost, ill, and broken spiritually. They are also broken and ill physically. He has not waited for the people to come to him, but he has gone out looking for them. The doctor is making preemptive house calls. As a matter of fact, Jesus spent a great deal of time traveling on foot to see people, visiting hundreds of towns and villages in three years.
Why? We find out about Jesus’ heart for his people in the gospels. He loved his own deeply and desired for the people to know him. He described them as sheep, which are animals that need the care and protection of a shepherd. They are defenseless creatures who need help against predators and parasites but also need help finding food and basic care. Jesus called himself the good shepherd in comparison to the bad shepherds (leaders) in Israel.
Jesus forecasted the mission that the Apostles would assume when Jesus ascended to heaven. The Apostles would be charged for reaching the lost sheep and caring for them. Knowing this job was larger than the Apostles could handle, they would need additional shepherds or laborers. Jesus told them to pray and ask God to raise up new ones from the harvest (world). Today, we must do the same, reach the lost, train the saved, and send them to reach the rest of Jesus’ lost sheep.
Are you praying for more laborers to reach the lost?
Reading Plan: Psalm 140, 142; Jer. 35:1-9; 1 Cor. 12:27-13:3; Matt 9:35-10:4
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