UNLIKELY HARVEST – THE MESSED UP PEOPLE

Many are familiar with the passage in Matthew 9:35-38, “³⁵Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. ³⁶When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Whenever I hear this verse it would have to be missions where the speaker would be doing his sales pitch to inspire or make people guilty that they should be doing missions (which they need to cross the ocean or salt water syndrome) or evangelism.  They talk about how the fields are already for harvest.

But I never heard someone preach clearly on what the harvest is all about and what we need to harvest.  Let me share something that you may want to consider as you read the passage.

Matthew 9 is about Jesus doing His ministry in full swing.  It was a powerful ministry.  People were getting healed, getting baptized and coming to encounter with the powerful presence of God.

Wherever Jesus went there would be a crowd that would develop around Him.  What kind of people surrounds Jesus Christ?  What kind of people are longing for Jesus? It wasn’t the rich people.  I doubt it if it would be the intellectuals and theologians who was his ardent followers.

But the people that were following Him were the harassed and helpless as the verse said.  And looking closely who are they, they are the sick who badly needed healing; it was the poor who are desperate; it’s the broken hearted who have been crying their hearts out; it’s the tired and weary seeking rest and comfort; it’s the confused seeking for answers.  Those who were following Jesus were the MESSED UP PEOPLE!

The strange thing is when Jesus shifted towards harvest and fields.  Notice carefully, what was the field all about?  And what is the harvest all about?

The HARVEST means the READINESS of the people to accept and believe in God and be ushered in the Kingdom of God. The FIELD is the people. But it was not just the general people.  Look carefully who was Jesus looking at?  It was the crowd of the MESSED UP people! Was Jesus implying that the messed up people are very much ready to accept Jesus and be part of the kingdom of God?  YES! The messed up people are ready for harvest.

And the church should take it’s cue from Jesus who all throughout the pages of the Bible are always with the messed up people – SO SHOULD WE. Go to where the poor are.  Go to where the broken hearted are.  Go to where the lost and seeking are.  Go to where the tired and weary are.  Go to where the confused are.  Go to where the MESSED UP people are.  Actually, they are just outside of your church.

We can reach the messed up people because they are just like us – ALL MESSED UP FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.

Someone gave me a book and wrote a note that says, “Being the light of the world requires getting messy sometimes.  May we be willing to MESSY for God!”

Let’s go and be part of those who would harvest even if we are messed up people ourselves.  They will relate to us and they can see what God can do for them as well because of us who WENT TO THEM!

Main Point: There is no HARVEST if you don’t go to the FIELD!

(An excerpt from the message: JUST LIKE ME,  last August 22, 2010 shared at Full Life Baptist Fellowship)