Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”  Matthew 9:37-38, NKJV

Earlier this week, our dinner table was garnished with some of the best steamed broccoli I've ever tasted.  And it came from our church garden!  I don't consider myself to be an expert farmer, so when my family and I heard about the start of the church garden, we were glad for the opportunity to grow our own produce alongside others who knew what they were doing.  We've had limited gardening experience in the past...with varying levels of success. :)  We've tried reading books and researching online for best practices, but there's nothing quite like following the lead of someone who has done it all before.  When it comes to harvesting souls for the kingdom, maybe you've had some experience in the past...also with varying levels of success.  But if you're looking for someone to emulate, there's no better example than Jesus Himself.  In Matthew 10, Jesus commissions the twelve disciples and sends them out as laborers into His harvest (vv. 1-5), but Matthew intentionally prefaces all that with a snapshot of Jesus' own ministry at the end of chapter 9.  In other words, when Jesus sends us out on mission, He first models for us what true soul-winning looks like.

BE AVAILABLE

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  Matthew 9:35, NKJV

Much could be said about Jesus' mobility, especially in a culture where walking was the main mode of transportation. (Incredibly, some estimate that Jesus traversed nearly 3,100 miles on foot during His public ministry!)  But what's of note here in Matthew 9:35 is not just that Jesus roamed about the country, but that He moved on a mission.  He wasn't just traveling to sightsee; He went to cities and villages in order to make Himself available to others.  Whether we travel afar or just go down the street to the nearest grocery store, we too can be available to others and let all our movements be mission-driven.  The reality is that discipleship happens through daily interactions, but we often get so caught up with our to-do's, routines, and responsibilities that we lose touch with the disciple-making potential of our daily interactions.  

Being available is about being open to having gospel impact in others' lives as we go about our day to day lives.  

We may not see ourselves as teachers, preachers, or healers in obvious ways like Jesus was, but each of us can purposefully interact with others to influence them closer toward God's truth, God's kingdom, and God's healing rather than farther from it.

BE ATTENTIVE

But when He saw the multitudes... Matthew 9:36a

The verb translated as "saw" can describe the physical sense of sight, but it can also point to the cognitive and even relational idea of understanding.  Jesus may have seen multitudes, but He was actually attentive to individual stories, identities, and needs.  In Matthew 9:2, Jesus may have seen a group bringing their paralytic friend to Him, but beyond their physical actions He "saw their faith."  He saw beyond what they were doing and could discern why they were doing it.  In Matthew 9:9, we're told that Jesus "saw a man named Matthew."  He didn't gloss over this publican but gave him individual attention.  Beyond his position, Jesus saw the person.  And this is the kind of attentiveness He invites us to engage as well.  We don't have to operate on assumptions or stereotypes or surface-level judgments.  

As we make ourselves available to others, we can invest the energy to listen well and see the heart.

Being attentive to individual stories, identities, and needs ensures that we connect with people in ways that are personally relevant to them and not just based on our own preferences or convenience.

BE MOVED WITH COMPASSION

But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them... Matthew 9:36b

In every instance the phrase "moved with compassion" is used to describe Jesus in the New Testament, it acts as a hinge between what Jesus sees and what Jesus does.  It's the bridge between Jesus' perception and His subsequent action.  Compassion literally moves Jesus to act on behalf of the needs He sees around Him.  

This aspect of Jesus' ministry example calls us to check our hearts and examine what it is that truly moves us in ministering to others.  

When we make ourselves available and become attentive to the needs of others, we must be motivated by heartfelt compassion for the people to whom God leads us.  Ministry absent of this compassion tends to serve ourselves more than others.  We end up doing the right things for the wrong reasons.  We may teach, preach, and heal, but without genuinely caring for the people we serve, we actually run the risk of becoming "sounding brass or a clanging cymbal" which actually amounts to "nothing" (1 Cor. 13:1-2).  Instead, we ought to make sure that "the love of Christ compels us" (2 Cor. 5:14).  In all our availability and attentiveness, let's move toward action only from a heart that's first moved with Christ's compassion.

Friends, I believe the harvest truly is plentiful, and the Lord of the harvest wants to send us out as co-laborers with Him in making disciples prepared for His soon return.  We may not all feel experienced, but Jesus is inviting us to follow His lead.  Let's be available and open to the opportunities to have eternal impact upon others in our daily interactions.  Let's be attentive to others' hearts, willing to see who people really are and what they really long for.  And in all our movement to meet those needs, let's be moved with genuine compassion and care.