“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Matthew 9:36-38 NLT
Matthew gives us a front row seat to understand the character of Jesus – which IS the character of God. He writes, “when he saw the crowds.” When Jesus sees, it lets me know what God sees. When Jesus is moved with compassion, it lets me know that God is moved with compassion. Is God still moved as He sees the crowd? Matthew tells us that Jesus saw the crowds as confused and helpless.
He used a couple of Greek words that may help us understand just how Jesus/God saw their pain. He uses a word that comes from “skulló” which means to skin, or figuratively to trouble. That’s right, the root word is “skylon” which is the word for skinning an animal pelt – properly, skin alive, mangle (flay)! Figuratively, to harass, or extremely annoy. The New Living Translation couldn’t possibly capture being “skinned alive” with the word “helpless.” Life with all its turmoil of political, societal and personal struggles gets EXHAUSTING! People felt it then and we all feel it now.
Matthew also used the word, “rhiptó,” to throw or cast off. This word is often used to describe throwing something down, like Judas throwing the silver coins down at the chief priests in the temple. Or, the demon throwing the man to the ground as Christ cast it out. Jesus saw the crowd and felt the gut wrenching pain of compassion (splagchnizomai).
The crowds were made up of more than just physically sick, blind, crippled or deaf – they all had the weight of this broken world on their shoulders. Jesus says this is what the harvest field looks like! This is where the seeds of sin and selfishness, loneliness and sufferings have come to fruition and are ready to be harvested to heaven or let to rot, falling to the field of death and destruction. Jesus saw humanity’s grief as opportunity to disperse mercy and grace. But it would require more of his followers to see what he saw. And, more of his disciples to feel what he felt so that more would be saved from being flayed and tossed down. Jesus obviously wants believers, his followers, to look at crowds and see differently. To see protesters, rioters, concert-goers, stadium sports fanatics at a much deeper level. I drive my city streets and see the crazed, naked, ranting madness and feel so helpless to do anything. What would Jesus see? What would he have me do? What does sending “workers” into our modern fields of ripe-chaos look like today? I do not know, but I am curiously challenged to figure it out.
Prayer
Dad,
I feel like such a chicken when I see the overwhelming craziness of our streets, our looters, our protesters. When I saw the woman screaming and ranting while I was at lunch with a Pastor friend, I did not know what to do. She was completely out of her mind! I would like to just say she was mentally ill, but it looked and sounded so much more demonic than just being sick! I do not think you would have hesitated to go and heal her of whatever it was that caused such torment in her. I could only muster enough compassion to feel sorry for her! Why can’t I be one of those workers you look for? Fear? Not wanting to look stupid or like some kind of religious freak myself? Oh, how I need your boldness beyond my compassion! If I were you, I would not have hesitated at all. However, even though I see…I am still just me!