Introduction to Matthew 9:37-38
Matthew 9:37-38 is Jesus' most urgent call to missions — not a command to go but a command to pray. Before commissioning the twelve apostles in chapter 10, Jesus teaches them the first priority of missions: asking the Lord of the harvest to raise up workers.
The metaphor is agricultural and urgent. The harvest is ready and plentiful — souls are ripe for the gospel. But the workers are dangerously few. The gap between the available harvest and the available workers creates the urgency for prayer.
Historical & Literary Context
Jesus spoke these words after traveling through Galilean cities and villages, teaching, preaching, and healing. Matthew 9:36 provides the emotional backdrop: 'When he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.'
Jesus' compassion for lost and scattered people drives His call for more laborers. This is not a cold, strategic assessment but an overflow of divine love. The call to pray for workers is born from the heart of a Shepherd who sees His sheep without care.
Original Language Insights
The Greek therismos, 'harvest,' evokes both urgency and celebration. In the ancient world, harvest time was brief — if the crop wasn't gathered quickly, it would be lost. The spiritual harvest is similarly time-sensitive.
The word ekbale, translated 'send forth,' literally means to 'thrust out' or 'cast out.' It implies forceful, urgent deployment — not a casual suggestion but an urgent commissioning. The Lord of the harvest does not gently suggest workers go; He thrusts them into the field.
The phrase 'Lord of the harvest' (kyrios tou therismou) identifies God as the owner and orchestrator of the harvest. The work is His, the field is His, the workers are His — our role is to pray and be available.
Theological Significance
This passage establishes prayer as the foundation of missions. Before Jesus sent the twelve (Matthew 10), He taught them to pray for workers. The implication is profound: the greatest contribution to world evangelization may not be going but praying.
The 'Lord of the harvest' title reminds us that missions is God's initiative, not ours. He owns the harvest. He calls the workers. He orchestrates the timing. Our role is to pray and respond.
The scarcity of laborers is also significant. The problem is not insufficient harvest but insufficient workers. The fields are ready — the question is whether enough people will answer the call. This creates a sense of holy urgency that should characterize the church's missionary posture.
Practical Application for Today
This verse challenges every believer in two ways. First, pray for laborers. This is not merely a nice spiritual practice — it is a command from Jesus. When we pray for missionaries, pastors, evangelists, and church planters, we are participating directly in God's harvest plan.
Second, be open to being the answer to your own prayer. Often God answers the prayer for workers by calling the one who prays. Those who pray most fervently for the harvest are frequently those God thrusts into the field.
Practically, consider how you can support God's harvest: through prayer, giving, going, or sending. Every believer has a role in the harvest — the question is what that role looks like for you.