Matthew 9:35 - Meaning and Application

Here Matthew closes the account of Christ’s preaching and miracles. He went through all the cities and villages, teaching and healing, just as Matthew had already said in Matthew 4:23. There, this summary introduced the fuller story of Christ’s teaching in chapters 5, 6, and 7, and his miracles in chapters 8 and 9. Here it is repeated at the end, like proof that the case has been made. In other words, Matthew is saying, “You have seen his sermons and some of his cures, and these signs confirm his message.”

Some think this was a second journey through Galilee, like the first one. Christ went back to places he had already preached in. The Pharisees criticized him and fought against him, but he kept doing his work. He preached the good news of the kingdom, the message of a kingdom of grace and glory now being set up under the rule of a Mediator, a go-between who brings God and people together.

Notice how Christ dealt with both the small towns and the public meeting places. He did not only visit large and wealthy cities, but also poor, hidden villages. He preached there, and he healed there. The souls of the humblest people are as precious to Christ, and should be to us, as the souls of the most important people. His righteous acts among the people of his villages should be remembered.

He also taught in their synagogues, the Jewish places of worship. He did this partly to honor public gatherings, even though there were faults in them. We should not stop meeting together, as some do. He also preached there because people were already gathered and expecting to hear. Even later, when the Christian church was established, the apostles often preached in the synagogues. Wisdom uses what is available and makes the best of it.

This verse also leads into the next chapter, where Christ sends out his apostles. As he looked at the crowd, he noticed more than just the people following him. He saw how full the land was with people, how many souls were packed into the towns and cities, how crowded the synagogues were, and how busy the gates were. The nation had become very numerous, which was itself part of God’s blessing on Abraham.

When he saw them, he had compassion on them. His pity was not mainly for their bodily troubles, like blindness, lameness, or sickness. It was spiritual pity. He saw that they were ignorant, careless, and in danger of perishing because they lacked true light. Jesus Christ is a deeply compassionate friend to precious souls. His heart especially moved toward them. It was pity for souls that brought him from heaven to earth, and then to the cross.

Their misery moved him. Misery is the object of mercy, and the worst misery is the misery of sinful souls that destroy themselves. Christ has the most pity for those who pity themselves the least, and we should be the same. The most truly Christian compassion is compassion for souls. That is the kind of compassion that is most like Christ.

They were fainting, worn out, and helpless. Some understand this to mean that they were scattered and broken apart, like a staff of bands that has been broken (Zechariah 11:14). They needed help for their souls, but they had nothing good near at hand. The scribes and Pharisees filled them with empty ideas, loaded them with the traditions of the elders, and led them into many mistakes. At the same time, they did not teach them their duty or the spiritual meaning and reach of God’s law. No wonder they fainted. A soul cannot stay strong and healthy if it is fed with husks and ashes instead of the bread of life.

They were also scattered abroad, like sheep without a shepherd. That picture comes from 1 Kings 22:17. It describes the sad condition of people who have no faithful guides to lead them in the things of God. No animal is quicker to wander off than a sheep, and once it has gone astray, it is helpless and hard to bring home. Sinful souls are like lost sheep. They need shepherds to bring them back.

The Jewish teachers claimed to be shepherds, but Christ says they had none, because those men were worse than none. They were idle shepherds who led the people away instead of back, and who fed on the flock instead of feeding it. They were like the shepherds described in Jeremiah 23 and Ezekiel 34. It is a sad case when people have no ministers at all, or when the ones they have are as bad as none, caring for their own interests instead of Christ’s and the souls of others.

Christ’s pity led him to stir up his disciples to pray for these people. Before he sent out the apostles, Luke shows that he spent a long time in prayer himself, in Luke 6:12-13. Those we pity, we should pray for. After speaking to God for them, he turned to his disciples and told them what the situation was.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” Many people wanted good preaching, but there were few good preachers. There was a great deal of work to do, and much good could be done, but there were not enough workers. On the encouraging side, the harvest was plentiful. It was not unusual to find many people who needed teaching. What was less common was finding people who needed it and were ready to receive it. Their hopes were stirred, and their hearts were moving in a promising way. It is a blessed thing to see people eager for good preaching.

That is a harvest time, and harvest time calls for extra care and effort. A harvest day should be a busy day. But it was a pity that, when the crop was so ready, there were so few laborers. Otherwise the grain would waste and spoil on the ground for lack of reapers. There were many who loitered, but very few who worked. The church is in a bad state when good work stalls, or moves slowly, because there are too few faithful workers. When that happens, the workers who are there must be especially active.

“Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest.”

The sad condition of the times and the terrible state of precious souls should move us to pray much more. When things look hopeless, we should pray more and complain less, and fear less too. We should also shape our prayers to the real needs of the church at that time. We need enough understanding of the times to know not only what Israel should do, but also what Israel should pray for.

God is the Lord of the harvest, just as Jesus said, “My Father is the gardener” (John 15:1). The Lord owns the vineyard of the Lord of hosts (Isaiah 5:7). The harvest is gathered for him, to serve him and bring him honor. We are God’s field, his threshing floor, and the grain on it (1 Corinthians 3:9; Isaiah 21:10). He directs everything about the harvest as he pleases, when and where the workers labor, and how long they labor. That is a great comfort to all who care about the harvest work, because God himself oversees it and will order everything for the best.

Ministers are, and should be, workers in God’s harvest. The ministry is work, and it must be treated that way. It is harvest work, so it is necessary work. It must be done at the right time, and it takes diligence to do it fully. Yet it is also glad work, because they reap with joy. The joy of gospel preachers is compared to the joy of harvest (Isaiah 9:2-3). And the one who reaps receives wages. The pay of the workers who gather God’s field will not be held back, unlike the unpaid wages spoken of in James 5:4.

It is God’s work to send out laborers. Christ appoints ministers (Ephesians 4:11). He gives the office, the gifts, and the calling. They will not be recognized or rewarded as workers if they run without a message, without gifts, or without a call. How can they preach unless they are sent?

All who love Christ and love souls should show that love by earnest prayer to God, especially when the harvest is plentiful. They should ask him to send out more skillful, faithful, wise, and hardworking laborers into his harvest. They should pray that he would raise up people whom he will use in converting sinners and building up believers, give them the right spirit for the work, call them to it, and bless their work. They should ask him to give them wisdom to win souls. Some have taken “send out” to mean “thrust out,” because many may feel unwilling to go, due to their own weakness, the people's sin, and opposition from others who try to push them out of the harvest. We should pray that all opposition, inside and outside, would be overcome.

Christ gives his friends this command to pray just before he sends out the apostles to labor in the harvest. That is a good sign that God is about to show special mercy to a people, when he stirs up those who have access to the throne of grace to pray for it (Psalm 10:17). Notice too that Christ said this to his disciples, who were themselves about to become laborers. They had to pray, first, that God would send them out, like Isaiah, “Here am I. Send me” (Isaiah 6:8). Commissions that come in answer to prayer are most likely to succeed. Paul was a chosen vessel, because “behold, he prays” (Acts 9:11, Acts 9:15).

Second, they were to pray that God would send out others as well. People should not think only the public should pray for more ministers. Ministers themselves should pray for more ministers too. Selfish people want to be alone in office, because fewer ministers can mean more positions and honors for them. But those who seek Christ’s interests want more workers, so more work can be done, even if that means they are less noticed.