Is your mailbox like ours? Stuffed with countless requests for donations? We must average at least one request per week for our financial support to some agency or ministry or special organization or worthy cause. We receive appeals for contributions to groups who help abused women, people with disabilities, missing children, starving nations, political prisoners, endangered species, rescue squads, minority colleges, disaster victims, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, recovering addicts. The list seems endless; and most of them are fine organizations making honest requests. The work they do is important, and they could use our financial gifts to help people with genuine needs. But there are so many of them. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of requests.
I wonder if this sensation of being overwhelmed by human need, is in some way similar to what Jesus experienced during his ministry. He encountered people with countless needs. He ministered to the blind, the lepers, the lame, the poor, the deaf, people who were physically ill, mentally ill and spiritually ill. At times he encountered huge crowds of people clamoring for his help. He witnessed the broken lives and the pain of those for whom life was a constant struggle. He saw the misery on the faces of the pitiful lepers who were not only shunned by society, but who were told that their condition was a curse from God. He observed the miserable living conditions of those on the bottom rung of the economic ladder. He heard the desperation in the voices of the Zealots, who yearned for an armed revolt against the Romans, who occupied their land and ruled over them.
I would imagine there were times when Jesus was tempted to leave all of these complex problems behind, and opt instead for an ascetic life. We know that there existed during the time of Jesus, a Jewish sect which withdrew into the desert leaving civilization behind. The Essenes, who produced the Dead Sea Scrolls, pursued a life of spiritual purity by separating themselves from the vexing problems we encounter in society. With all of the demands relentlessly tugging at Jesus, I would think that a withdrawal into a monastic community would have been an attractive option for him. However, as we know, he did not pursue that alternative. He remained in the midst of real life, with all of its headaches and its heartaches.
In today's passage from the Gospel of Matthew, we read that Jesus was traveling through various cities and villages teaching in the synagogues and proclaiming the good news. He was curing people with various maladies. The text informs us that "when he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." The passage picks up on the fact that the problems experienced by the Hebrew people were both personal and social. Some people's lives were made difficult by the various illnesses which afflicted them. Certainly when we are sick, the very business of getting through the day becomes much more difficult. But beyond that, as a whole group, they were being harassed, and there was nothing they could do about it. Part of the harassment stemmed from the occupation of their land by the Roman army, but more troubling was the fact that the leaders of their community were failing to fulfil their obligation of caring for the poor and the ill and the lame. The masses had no one to champion their cause; they had no advocate for their needs. Jesus surveyed this situation and remarked, "(they are) like sheep without a shepherd."
His words echoed those of the prophet Ezekiel from 600 years earlier, when Ezekiel prophesied against Israel's leaders for neglecting the needs of the people. The prophet said, "You shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep. You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured..."
Jesus recognizes that Israel is in the same predicament again. There are many people with needs, but they are being neglected. He turns to his disciples and sums up the situation, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few."
We may accuse Jesus of mixing his metaphors but his message is clear. It is easy to imagine that sheep who have no shepherd will wander about aimlessly. They will have difficulty scratching out an existence, and some of them will become lost. There is no doubt in the mind of Jesus that the callous leaders are causing the problems of the people.
Jesus then switched the analogy from sheep in need of a shepherd to one of a great harvest with too few laborers. Years ago when I was in college, I would drive back and forth between Tulsa and Kansas State University, and I would drive past miles and miles of wheat fields. During harvest time, I would witness large combines in the fields threshing and harvesting the wheat. Of course in the ancient world, all of that work had to be accomplished by hand. I can imagine how difficult it would have been to harvest acres and acres of wheat fields with only a handful of laborers. How overwhelming the task would seem, if while you were harvesting by hand, every few steps you looked up at the vast acreage still to be worked.
Perhaps that would be similar to the feeling we have when we feel overwhelmed by the enormous number of needs facing us today. The problems we witness in our world are the result of both personal and societal failings. We would like to think that each one could be resolved with a quick fix, but we know better. Education could remedy some problems. Counseling could help with others. Parental guidance and support where it is lacking. Affordable housing for those on limited incomes, better treatment for the mentally ill. The problems are vast, and sometimes we become so discouraged that we convince ourselves that the effort is of no use. At times, we believe we will be unable to make so much as a dent, so why even make an attempt?
Because when Jesus told his disciples that "the harvest was plentiful, but the laborers were few," it's doubtful that he conveyed it in such a way as to make the disciples feel overwhelmed or discouraged. Certainly that is one possible reading of his words. But I sense that his words were spoken with a different tone, and that they were perceived in a positive sense, rather than a negative one. Some might interpret what Jesus said as something along the line of: "Whew, look at all the problems." But judging by the affirmative response of the disciples, I think they were more along the line of: "Wow, look at all the opportunities!" His words were not heard as a massive burden which was placed upon their shoulders, but rather as an exciting challenge to make the world a better place.
And the challenge he posed to his initial followers is the same challenge posed to those who would follow him today. There are countless opportunities for improving the lot of others; why don't we focus on what we can do to bring joy to the life of another? Christ invites us to respond to broken lives with the love of God. We are called to mend peoples lives both physically and spiritually.
Some will counter, "But the problems are so vast, and my resources are so modest." This is the reason that it is vitally important to be part of a connectional church. As members of a denomination, we are equipped to respond to the challenge of Christ in a multitude of ways. First, we are capable of responding to the challenge of Christ individually by sharing God's love with those we personally encounter. Second, we can pool our resources and talents as a congregation to touch the lives of many within our community. And third, we can combine our financial gifts with thousands of other churches in our denomination to make an impact in places of need around the globe. Every year, through our denomination, we contribute millions dollars to emergency relief efforts throughout our planet where we find people who are suffering. We provide aid and comfort to victims of famine, war, drought, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and fires.
We provide educational opportunities, including theological education and study of the Scriptures, through more than 170 schools, colleges, and seminaries--in this nation and around the world.
Through the mission work of our denomination, more than ten million people receive badly needed health care and better nutrition.
Through our financial gifts to our denomination's mission program, we touch the lives of countless people around the world.
And right here in Chester we touch the lives of people with needs. Our After School Tutoring Program helps at risk elementary children, volunteers assist in constructing low income housing through Habitat for Humanity, at Christmas we brighten the lives of children whose parents are incarcerated, and nearly every week we provide food to families whose shelves are bare.
And it is impossible to estimate the amount of one-on-one ministry that takes place every day as our members respond with kindness and generosity to the needs they encounter personally.
It is very encouraging to see that so many members of our church family have not been discouraged or overwhelmed by the challenge Christ issues. May we continue to accept that challenge and respond to God with our very best, as we move into the future as faithful followers of Christ.
© 1999 Gregory Knox Jones, all rights reserved
Go to Top of the Page
Return to the Previous Sermons Page