Matthew 9:35-38 – Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

• The methods of our Lord Jesus Christ must also be our method

Matthew 10:1, 6-8 Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. {Saying} “go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷ And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ ⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.”

Luke 8:1-3 Soon afterwards, He began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.

Luke 10:1-2 Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. 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. Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.”
These Scriptures show us the methods that the Master employed to harvest souls.

These words give us a summary of Jesus’ ministry. He preached and proclaimed the gospel to the people. He taught and instructed the people in the Word of God; he went from town to town, from village to village to bring healing to the sick and deliverance to the captives; he visited people; he sent the disciples two by two to spread the good news. The good quality of life drew many people to Jesus.

The call for the harvest does not mean that the harvest is already gathered and that we should just expect people to arrive when we simply say to them: “Come and go to church” as if by saying this we were preaching of God. No! No! No! A harvest cannot be expected without sowing. In Matthew 13:4, it says: “The sower went out to sow…”. The sower does not stay home, he has to go out to sow to claim a harvest. Planting and harvesting function together.
Lost souls will not be won to God if we do not go out to preach, teach, seek the lost, strengthen that which is weak, heal the sick, and bring back that which is gone astray.
The Master’s methods must prevail and inspire us so we can enjoy a good harvest of souls.

• The feelings of our Lord Jesus Christ must be also our feelings

There are a number of reasons why people work in Christian service. But what motivated Jesus to seek and to save the lost and heal the sick? In Matthew 9:35-38, we see that compassion was the reason. When he looked up and saw the crowd, he saw a field ready for harvest. He was moved with compassion, and he saw people like sheep without a shepherd. He saw neglected widows, abandoned orphans, sick folk without physicians, the poor in need, the hungry without food, distressed children, captives who were not released, discouraged people without hope.

Jesus Christ had feelings of compassion for those who suffer. The Bible says in Philippians 2:5 to have in us the same sentiments that were in Jesus Christ. Compassion moves us to take action. Compassion is not sympathy. It is possible to have sympathy for people and yet do nothing to help them. It is not sentimentality. Many people may be affected emotionally by the needs of others, yet take no action.
When Jesus was moved with compassion when he saw the multitudes, he appealed directly to the workers so that they would help out. The Lord asks that we are to pray for workers to be sent to people: to love, to serve, to give to them, to preach, to teach, to encourage them, and to care for them.

Here are some examples:

Mark 1:41 Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”

Mark 6:34 When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.

Luke 7:13-17  When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!” This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.
These Scriptures show that compassion is much more than sympathy. Action results.

• The rewards for those responding to the call for the harvest

John 4:36 Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.
When we work in the fields of harvest, preaching the gospel of Christ, we collect “fruit for eternal life.” When the Lord of the harvest will come, sowers and reapers will gather to receive the wages they are owed.
Present and future rewards are reserved for those who accept the call for the harvest, who reflect the image of God’s love, and please the one who enlisted him for this mission − so that the name of the Lord will be glorified.
Psalms 126:5-6 Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.
⁶ He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed,
Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
Today, we may sow in tears as we work and preach the gospel in the midst of various pressures, adversity, insults, and rejection. But when Christ returns, we will reap with songs of joy when we bring to him our sheaves .