Matthew 9:35-38
Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. “What a huge harvest!” he said to his disciples. “How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Like many other people across America, I’ve become a huge fan of the PBS Masterpiece Theater mini-series Downton Abbey. I am intrigued with this program on many levels. The writing is compelling…the costuming and set design are both like art in motion…and the character development is complex and compelling. I find the “class structure” particularly interesting…how serving as a butler or footman – or working in the kitchen – is considered better than working as a clerk in a village shop…something that is spoken of with such disdain by the servants that you would think this type of work was unbelievably humiliating and degrading! Apparently in early 20th-Century England, the definition of an “honest day’s work” was relative!
Another thing that I find interesting is how the whole household panics when they are “short” a servant or two. If one footman falls ill or gets injured and cannot serve dinner, there is a mad scramble to find someone to replace him. When a “ladies maid” or valet moves to another house to serve another matriarch or “lord”, the whole place goes into a tailspin! They all fret and stew about how they will manage… who will dress Lady So-and-So? How will they juggle the dinner service and attending to “Lord” Grantham? In the little world of “Downton Abbey”, there are sometimes not enough “harvest hands”!
I know…this sounds ridiculous – and it is, to us. But these were very real problems for these manors “back in the day”. And while this was not a serious problem in the scheme of things, a true need for “harvest hand workers” is right under our noses – and many of us don’t even see it. I could list several instances of people I know personally who are battling unimaginable problems…terminal illness…incredible struggles and worries of all sorts…bruised and hurt lives. To all who observe them, there is often no outward indication that something is amiss.
A friend blogged that during a recent cab ride to an appointment at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, the cabbie asked her and her husband, “Which one of you is the patient?” See, they both looked so “normal” and well that he was unable to determine this. And that’s the way it is for so many. We cannot tell “which one is the patient” just by looking…but this doesn’t mean that there aren’t great needs. The question is…are we even looking for these “lost sheep”?
When Jesus looked out over the crowds of bruised and hurting people, His heart broke. Does ours? Are we attuned to the problems around us…and do we really care about those who are confused, aimless, sick, injured and hurting? Are we seeking those who need a “harvest” and ministering to them? This goes well beyond reaching un-believers and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with them. Certainly there is a great need for this type of witness and ministry. But winning souls to Christ is not enough. It’s a “been there, done that…now what?” situation. Are we leaving people in the dust and failing to share Jesus with them at the very core? Are we saying, “You’ve been saved by the blood of Jesus…the rest is up to you!”…or are we saying, “Welcome to the family…how can I help you?” There IS a difference!
Everywhere we turn, people are in need of something that only Jesus can offer. But He is counting on each of us to serve as His vehicle for delivery. Perhaps we could learn something from Downton Abbey and care a little more about having enough “servants” to handle the workload. Unlike the characters in this mini-series, no task performed in the name of Jesus is beneath our “station”…no ministry and/or service is too great or small for us to gladly execute.
Do you truly have Christian compassion for others? Are you doing your part as a member of Christ’s body? Look around…see who needs to feel the love of Christ through your “harvest hands”. It’s time for all of us to get busy and go to work!
©2014 Debbie Robus
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