Wednesday, 7 May 2025
Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:38
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“You beg, therefore, the Lord of the reaping that He might eject toilers into His reaping.” (CG).
In the previous verse, Jesus noted the plentiful reaping but the few toilers to attend to it. Therefore, He continues with, “You beg, therefore.”
Jesus begins this last verse of Chapter 9 with a new word, deomai. The word is derived from deo, to bind or fasten. It is used in the middle voice, and thus it signifies to beg, as if in binding oneself. It then gives the sense of a petition, such as in 2 Corinthians 5:20 –
“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading [deomai] through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”
Understanding this, Jesus continues with, “the Lord of the reaping.”
Jesus places Himself as the one who directs the reaping of the harvest, meaning the souls of those who are to be gathered into the kingdom. Others disagree and state that this is referring to praying to the Father for this to be accomplished. At this time, this would seem reasonable if it were an actual prayer of petition because He is referring to people right there in front of them and not some future harvest during the church age.
However, in using the term “beg,” it is more likely that it is referring to Jesus, who will appoint and then send out his apostles as Chapter 10 begins. Therefore, it is Jesus who is stating He is the Lord of the reaping. He continues with what they are to beg Him for next, saying, “that He might eject toilers into His reaping.”
The word ekballo, to cast out or eject, is used. It has already been seen several times, but it seems to be a rather forceful word to use in such a situation. Considering, however, the reticence of people to take responsibility and then to act in accord with it, the word seems appropriate.
Jesus will call His disciples, appoint twelve of them, and tell them to get about the business He sets forth for them to accomplish. He is stripping them of their old lives and casting them into a new state of authority. Therefore, the words are anticipatory of that coming action.
Life application: Though a different harvest, Jesus is presented again as the Lord of the harvest in Revelation 14 –
“Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, ‘Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.’ 16 So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.” Revelation 14:14-16
Various harvests are referred to in Scripture concerning humanity. The one in Revelation is not one you want to be a part of. It signifies the judgment on humanity, as in the stomping of grapes with the blood flowing out. The one being referred to by Jesus in Matthew 9 is one of bringing in the harvest of the people of Israel.
Another harvest is mentioned in John 4:34-38, which includes the Gentiles. This is certain because it is referring to the Samaritans at that time. Jesus was preparing His disciples at that time to see that there was more than the house of Israel, even though His earthly ministry was directed to the people of Israel, as He explicitly states in Matthew 10:6 and 15:24.
The way to correctly determine what is being referred to in Scripture is to determine the context of what is being said. Without doing that, thoughts that are presented at various times can become jumbled up and misinterpreted. The greater harvest of the Gentiles is alluded to by Jesus in John 12:20-26, where it specifically mentions Greeks, Thus, it is emblematic of the Gentiles.
However, it does it in the context of Jesus’ death. The words, then, mean that until His ministry was complete, it did not include the Greeks. In His death, signified by the grain of wheat falling into the ground, a great harvest would come forth. It is at that time that the greater harvest that extends beyond Israel would be fully realized.
This is then seen in Acts where the message of the risen Christ goes from Jerusalem to Judea, then Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth. Each thing must be accomplished in its proper sequence. Therefore, be sure that you consider this as you read commentaries on Matthew 9:38.
If someone equates Jesus’ words to that of the harvest of Gentiles and the church, you know to reject that commentary as a mixing of dispensations. Keep things in order, and your understanding of what God in Christ is doing will be proper.
O God, thank You for the great and beautiful way that Your word unfolds, showing us step by step how You have redeemed man. Each step brings us to a fuller understanding of how You have done it and how it applies to the people of the world. What a great and awesome God You are! Hallelujah and Amen.
Matthew 9 (CG)
1 And having entered the boat, He through-crossed, and He came into His own city. 2 And, you behold, they presented Him a paralytic having been cast upon a bed. And Jesus, having seen their faith, He said to the paralytic, “You embolden child! Your sins, they are forgiven you.”
3 And, you behold! Some of the scribes, they said to themselves, “This, He blasphemes.” 4 And Jesus, having seen their thoughts, He said, “So why do you think evil in your hearts?” 5 For which it is easier: To say, “Your sins, they are forgiven,” or “You arise, and you walk?” 6 And so, you might have known that the Son of Man, He has authority upon the earth to forgive sins… Then He says to the paralytic, “Having arisen, you lift your mat, and you go to your house.” 7 And, having arisen, he departed to his house. 8 And the crowds having seen, they marveled, and they glorified God, the ‘having given such authority’ to men.
9 And Jesus, passing thence, He saw a man sitting upon the tax-booth, being called Matthew. And He says to him, “You follow Me.” And, having arisen, he followed Him.
10 And it was, He – reclining in the house. And, you behold! Many taxmen and sinners, having come, they reclined with Jesus and His disciples. 11 And the Pharisees, having seen, they said to His disciples, ‘Through what, your Teacher, He eats with the taxmen and sinners? 12 And Jesus, having heard, He said to them, “Not they have need, the ‘being strong,’ of a physician. But the ‘having evil.’” 13 And having gone, you learn what it is: “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” For I came not to call righteous but sinners to reconsideration. 14 Then, they come to Him, the disciples of John, saying, ‘Through what, we and the Pharisees, we fast much. And your disciples, they fast not? 15 And Jesus, He said to them, “Not, they can, the sons of the bridechamber, mourn – upon as much the bridegroom, He is with them. They will come, however, days when the bridegroom, He shall be removed from them. And then, they will fast.” 16 And none, he puts on a putting on of a tearing unfulled upon an old cloak. For its filling, it lifts from the cloak, and it becomes a worse split. 17 Nor they cast new wine into old skins. And if otherwise, they burst the skins, and the wine – it is outpoured, and the skins – they are destroyed. But they cast new wine into new skins, and both – they are preserved.
18 He, speaking these to them, you behold! A ruler, having come, he kneeled to Him, saying that, “My daughter now, she died. But having come, You upon-set Your hand upon her, and she will live.” 19 And Jesus, having arisen, He followed him – and His disciples.
20 And, you behold! A woman, blood-flowing twelve years, having approached behind, she touched the tassel of His cloak. 21 For she said in herself, “If only I shall touch His cloak, I will be saved.” 22 And Jesus, having turned and having seen her, He said, “You take courage, daughter. Your faith, it has saved you.” And, the woman, she was saved from the very hour.
23 And Jesus, having come into the house of the ruler, and having seen the pipers and the crowd tumultuating, 24 He said to them, ‘You withdraw! For not she died, the damsel, but she sleeps. And they derided Him. 25 And when He ejected the crowd, having entered, He seized her hand, and the damsel, she arose. 26 And this saying, it went out into all that land.
27 And Jesus, passing thence, they followed Him – two blind – croaking and saying, “You compassionate us, Son of David.” 28 And having come into the house, they came to Him – the blind – and Jesus, He says to them, “You believe that I can do this?” They say to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith, it be to you.” 30 And their eyes, they opened. And Jesus, He in-snorted at them, saying, “You see none knows.” 31 And they, having departed, they divulged Him in all that land.
32 And they, departing – you behold – they presented Him a man, mute – demon-possessings. 33 And the demon, having been ejected, the mute – he spoke. And the crowds, they marveled, saying that never it appeared thus in Israel. 34 And the Pharisees, they said, “In the ruler of the demons He ejects demons.”
35 And Jesus, He traverses all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every malady in the people. 36 And having seen the crowds, He gut-wrenched about them, for they were having been enervated and having been strewn, as sheep not having a shepherd. 37 Then He says to His disciples, “Indeed, the reaping – plentiful, and the toilers – few. 38 You beg, therefore, the Lord of the reaping that He might eject toilers into His reaping.”