And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2 NAS95)
Jesus lives the fulfillment of His prayers. He actually astounds if you consider how precisely His words reflected His life and life style. Truly He lived in the direct presence of His Father. This passage in Luke almost makes me laugh. First, He states the harvest is plentiful. Then He sends 70 people into the harvest for just that reason: it is plentiful. I laugh because He answered His own prayer and the 70 had a blast experiencing the fulfillment. They couldn’t contain their experience of God as they saw the harvest gathered before their eyes. They had to report it all to Jesus — like He didn’t know (10:17-22)?
That’s the crazy part. What did Jesus have in mind? The plentiful harvest — that’s the obvious one — of course! I think He also had in mind the hearts of the 70 disciples and what would happen to their interiors as they learned what the word “plentiful” actually meant. In the process of sharing the good news of the Kingdom they got a deep glimpse of the Father from within their soul. Sure, they had excitement about God’s work around them in seeing the harvest give great meaning to the word plentiful. But Jesus knew their heart would grow three sizes because His Father never ceases to surprise. Jesus, the Lord of the harvest, wants the harvesters to enter His joy. So let’s pray and enter. Surprises will abound!
For Reflection:
“You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” (Psalms 16:11 NAS95)
- What happens with your interior as you engage people with the good news of the Kingdom? What changes do you notice on the inside before going and after returning?
- What do you think about Jesus desiring you to enjoy the process and the people you engage with the gospel of His Kingdom?
