Matthew 9:27-38 The Harvest

I have stated before in my sermons how I believe that, in the study of scripture, we must examine its context. It is never enough just to quote verses of the Bible.

Really, do we want God’s Word to mean what we want it to mean, or what it really meant when it was written, and what it should mean in our circumstances?

Shouldn’t we be willing to be confronted by scripture, willing to face the truth- wherever it might lead- and so be drawn closer to the Bible’s intent? We need to get the big picture about the teachings of scripture- context, that is- about the way

God deals with creation, and about the meaning of our lives as children of God.

Big picture: just look at these works of Jesus in verse 35, teaching and preaching and healing “every disease and every infirmity,” and in verse 36, his compassion; and note how that agrees with the sense of the Old Testament reading in Leviticus

19; how Jesus’ words and deeds define obedience and holiness, proving to us, and reiterating, that God’s plan for people is kindness and love and wholeness.

We can read this passage, of the healings of blind men seeing again and a man who couldn’t talk given the gift of speech, and be amazed as were the crowds.

But we won’t perceive the author’s purpose in these stories until we read them in context; and learn that these two miracles are the last in a series of ten in chapters 8 and 9. And of them, nine are miracles of healing, which lead up to this confession of the crowd, “We’ve never seen anything like this!” and as well, the stubborn, intentional disbelief of the Pharisees, “He’s made a deal with the devil!” (Thus we gain quick insight into the vastly different worldviews of the insiders and the outsiders.) We read next about Jesus’ continuing ministry, going to all the towns, his compassion for the people and his instructions for his followers, “the harvest is ready, it only needs laborers.” Which immediately leads us to chapter 10, where

Jesus sends the twelve disciples to “preach that the Kingdom is at hand” (that’s what Jesus and John the Baptist had been preaching already, if you remember), sends them out with power to “heal every disease and every infirmity,” exactly the same phrase that describes his own work in verse 35. Here, the continuity of

God’s work- the harvest- from the earliest days of Israelite faith to Jesus, and his disciples, and passed down even to our own age.

So, that is the context of our scripture. How should we understand this?

Healing after healing after healing, and belief and joy and amazement, and in verse

34, disapproval and disbelief. No preaching about heaven and hell, or other

“religious” stuff: there is that one story of the paralyzed man brought to Jesus, and healed and forgiven by the Lord. Perhaps we are to understand that the meaning of religion is just as much about healing and wholeness and caring for one another as it is about the commandments: pay close attention to that most important word here, compassion, that describes Jesus’ care for the people. Compare it to the reaction of the Pharisees- they not only do not believe, they don’t care. Healing doesn’t fit into their list of religious concepts. You think maybe Matthew’s commentary about the crowd- harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd- was really criticism directed at Pharisees and the other leaders of the nation?

Maybe directed at some of us? Some religious people are so utterly concerned with doctrines and their big theological ideas, and piety and keeping all the rules; but Jesus, the healer, is concerned with affordable health care. Big picture, aren’t

Jesus and Matthew showing us that the point of religion is not just religion but forgiveness and healing; not just about spirits and souls, but also hearts and minds and bodies, made whole and given to God; religion is not only about sinlessness and striving for moral perfection and deeper spirituality, but also compassion.

If we believe this, it must inspire us to labor in God’s Kingdom for the sake of others. I said earlier that compassion, in verse 36, is the most important word in these verses. If we want to get the big picture, that’s the word to go for. Because it tells us that Jesus didn’t see people as objects. And that’s something religion has never got completely clear in its mind- where too often persons are simply objects for conversion, or the “guilty party” for us to condemn, rather than God’s beloved children. We might set out to make them “one of us,” or if they will not, they remain “one of them,” and an enemy. But compassion, that profound human emotion, stands over against such egocentrism or self-righteousness. Compassion, which is also God’s emotion for us! compels us to labor for the harvest. It is our

Lord’s compassion that drove him to heal and to call to faith, and that caused him to send out his followers to continue his work, to heal and speak God’s love- in those biblical times, and today. But when he sends, he commands that we be compassionate.

And when Jesus tells them to pray that God will send out laborers, the purpose of that prayer is not that someone else will go, but that our own minds and hearts will learn compassion and find courage to work for the sake of others; that we ourselves will be willing to live in this world with the same mindset as Jesus: compassion for the broken and the homeless and the hungry. So that they might be filled and mended and lifted up, made whole. The point of the harvest is for people and communities and nations to know healing, and find reason to rejoice and give glory to God. Let us not be modern Pharisees who see the world as something to conquer for God, and each person as an object to convert to our limited and narrow ways of thinking; let us not labor to make of others copies of ourselves; let us see the beauty of humble good deeds done by those not in our circle; let us see the wonder of God’s love in the miracles of kindness and joy. It’s a big world. We need a bigger viewpoint. We need to see the big picture of this immense God of unending love, moving amongst us with compassion for every creature. And bringing in the harvest: let us labor with him.

Seven years ago last week I preached here for the first time. And for today’s sermon, I thought this passage from the end of that one might be appropriate.

First Sunday here and I would love to hear from you words like, “eloquent,” “brilliant sermon,” “how erudite,” “such insight,” “I was moved,” “like an angel spoke to us!” (I certainly know now that was asking too much!) But, you called me to be your minister, and minister means servant. And so, if I have any enlightening words in me, as the Lord’s servant, I want them always to point to Jesus. Let me tell you one of my favorite stories- you realize that using my best story in the first sermon doesn’t mean I won’t use it again. It’s a story that, I think, displays the humble faith of a servant pointing to Jesus; a servant, but in the body and mind of the most influential theologian of the 20th century, Karl Barth. He had come to New York City from Switzerland and was met by students and scholars and religious reporters and publishers, and was asked by someone, “Professor Barth, would you be able to sum up your theology in just a few words?” Keep in mind, this was a man who had preached and taught and written for decades. On a bookshelf, you could count his works in yards and feet, not just in number of volumes. Barth thought for a moment, probably drew on his pipe, and answered, “I think I can: Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tell me so.”

That is the word I want to say this morning. That we may be forever debating, my religion is better than yours, my denomination is nearer the truth, my understanding is deeper than yours. There is no end to that kind of conversation.

But the word of scripture, the “big picture” of the Bible, is that God loves us.

Loves us all. In Jesus Christ, we see the compassion of God, and we must let it fill us up and make us grateful, and make us act with compassion as the first rule of faith.