Working for the King

 Matthew 9:35-10:42

There have been many times when I have taken my kids to work with me while doing lawn care. My kids have never said anything to me like, “Daddy, I really like picking up sticks. It’s one of my favorite hobbies.” They did not go with me because they were into sticks. They went with me because they were into their dad. They wanted to spend time with me. Of course, not all of these excursions were voluntary. They did not always have completely pure motives. I do pay them for working, at least when they got older. Sometimes I would say there was no choice. They had to go even though they wanted to stay home. They claimed that they had more important things to do like petting the cat or performing some kind of ground breaking science experiment (not on the cat).

Somewhere in those experiences lies a good reason why we work for the king. There may be certain things that we are not quite into yet. But that will come in time. Right now, the question you can probably ask is, “Do I want to be with the king?” In John 5:17, “Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.’” Do you want to join him in working?

In Matthew 9:35-38, it says that,

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’ – Matthew 9:35-38

What do we learn about Jesus being at work? First, Jesus was working hard at addressing peoples’ physical and spiritual brokenness. Second, we see that Jesus was moved emotionally by their condition. Lastly, he came up with a plan. He wanted people to pray and he wanted people to work. Pretty simple.

During a normal school year, Clemson University has about 25,000 students. It is estimated that the town of Clemson has about 17,000 residents. That is 42,000 people. And then there is the city slickers from Anderson. And you can add in the rednecks from Six Mile. Then you have a couple thousand upstanding, fine citizens from the town of Pendleton.

I really doubt there are over 42,000 people involved in a Sunday morning church meeting or a Bible study that is mainly geared towards Christians. There are a lot of people in this area that do not know Christ. In today’s social climate there are a lot of people who feel harassed and helpless. So, what’s Jesus’ answer to this? It is to pray and work. Most people would not come to a meeting that we are comfortable with. You must remember that they are in a different world just like we all used to be. Jesus is looking for people who are willing to go other peoples’ turf...to meet them where they are. This is a change in mindset for what some of us are probably used to. If our goal is just to reach a few hundred people, then just doing the normal thing would be fine. But there is no way we can reach all those people by ourselves. It is sinful pride to think we can accomplish it on our own. That is why we need to see many workers raised up for the harvest. Our goal determines our strategy. What is it that we are really aiming for?

In Matthew 10 Jesus is sending out his disciples on a short-term mission trip.

He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep. – Matthew 10:1-10

Even though the Jews had the scriptures, the temple, the sacrifices, and rituals, they still needed Jesus. He told his disciples what they could not take. It seems as if he was wanting to use this trip as a way for his disciples to grow in their trust of him. He wanted them to know that he would take care of them. What can we learn about Jesus? He will, at times, allow his disciples to be in challenging circumstances while they are on mission. He wants them to come through the experience with greater faith. Later on, in Luke 22:35-36, it says,

Then Jesus asked them, ‘When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?’

‘Nothing,’ they answered.

He said to them, ‘But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.’ – Luke 22:35-36

Next, Jesus gave them more specific instructions about who to talk with.

“Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” – Matthew 10:11-16

He wanted them to find a person of peace. Sometimes it is hard for a worker to know who to spend their time with. There are so many people that we could focus on. Jesus gave a guide for them to know how to spend their time on this short trip. If someone listened to the message, then they might be someone they could spend more focused time on. As I have helped people to be effective at making disciples this is usually a later step. First, they need to pray and be willing to be a worker. Second, they need to grow in trusting God. Third, as a worker in the harvest, they are meeting a lot of people with the purpose of sharing Christ with them. Fourth, they need help in maximizing their time. They find that there are so many people and so many options that it is hard to know what to focus on, or who to focus on. This is where they need to prayerfully consider who has been responsive to the truths of God. You definitely do not give up on the other people. But, as Jesus clearly stated, you might need to leave a person or a town and trust their soul to an all-knowing and all-powerful God. He has a way of sending people when someone is ready to receive the message.

As a worker, Jesus does not want us to be unaware of the risks of following him. In other circumstances Jesus told his disciples to count the costs. Being a worker in the harvest does have it is challenges.

“Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

“A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!

“So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. – Matthew 10:17-31

In this particular situation Jesus wasn’t going to train his disciples on what to say. I have spent quite a bit of time training people how to share their faith, how to answer objections to Christianity, how to help someone read the Bible for themselves, how to lead a meeting, etc. Training has a part in discipleship, but it is definitely not the only thing. Clearly, training is ok in God’s mind because in Ephesians 4 it says that we are to be equipped by church leaders. In 1 Peter 3:15 he said, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” Jesus was talking about on-the-job training. In those trials, the Holy Spirit would show up in a very real way and give them the words to say. What can we learn about Jesus? He does not always give us the answers up front. As we are doing the work, he shows up at just the right time.

The following is a picture of someone who is a worker. Not every day is easy. This particular day was a hot, long day. His lunch box weighs half as much as he does. Max has a big burden to carry. He is definitely not a perfect worker. For example, his boots on the wrong feet. At the end of the day, what really mattered was that he wanted to be with his father.

The next thing Jesus shared is pretty sobering.

“Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn

     ‘a man against his father,

     a daughter against her mother,

     a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—

     a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. – Matthew 10:32-39

I am glad that Jesus is merciful. If he was only a God of justice, then I would have flunked out a long time ago. I think about when I decided to follow Christ, I was living in a dorm at NC State. My roommate and I had Christian music...on DVDs if you know what those are. It sounds silly but I was timid to turn my music up so that my suitemates could hear it. I was concerned about what they would think of me. I knew they were far from God. I guess you can say that I was hiding my light under a basket. The fear of man still pops up in my heart from time-to-time. You would think after 24 years that the fear of man would have gone away but it has not. I still have to battle that fear as well as selfishness.

Has anyone ever told you that God sent you to be a blessing to them? It’s a pretty cool feeling. The person who receives the message, the gospel, realizes that God had sent that person to them. Jesus said that they not only received the message, they received the messenger and the one who sent the messenger.

“He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” – Matthew 10:40-42

In a similar way, in 2 Corinthians 5, Paul talks about us being “ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making his appeal through us.” The workers that Jesus was talking to were imperfect people just like us. They were busy people who needed to make a living. They were also people who needed to grow in their faith, just like us. It is cool to know that Jesus backs us just like he backed his workers in the harvest.

So, where are you in your journey to being a worker in the harvest? First of all, would you consider stepping out on mission, doing something where God can grow your faith? On Friday evenings a few of us meet to share the gospel. We have gone to apartments, downtown and Bowman field on campus. We talk to people outside, from a distance. Let me know if you are interested. I can team you up with one of us that has experience sharing with people. You can watch and listen. Second, would you consider praying for 5 people every day that are far from God?