🌽 Matthew 9:37-38 | "The harvest is plentiful..."

Happy Monday, {{first_name | everyone}}!

Across the country, something exciting is happening. Church attendance is rising. Bible sales are climbing and more people are searching for truth than we’ve seen in years.

In a moment like this, I wanted to memorize and meditate on Jesus’ words in Matthew 9:37–38:

Friends, the harvest is plentiful. It’s going to be a great week.

In today’s email…

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Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;

therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Matthew 9:37-38

This week, we’re focusing on one of Jesus’ most stirring calls to his followers.

Before we reflect on what this means for us, we need to understand the world Matthew wrote into.

When: The Gospel of Matthew was likely written between AD 50 and 70, early enough that eyewitnesses to Jesus’ life and ministry were still alive. The Roman Empire ruled, Jewish nationalism was rising, and hope for a political messiah ran high.

Author: Matthew, also called Levi, a tax collector turned disciple (Matthew 9:9).

Original Audience: Matthew wrote primarily to Jewish readers. He wanted to demonstrate that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah — the Son of David who fulfills God’s promises to Israel.

His gospel contains more Old Testament references than any other, constantly drawing lines between prophecy and fulfillment. Yet the final command of Jesus in Matthew (28:19–20) makes clear that the mission is for all nations, not just Israel.

Cultural context: First-century Jews expected the messiah to conquer Rome. They thought the coming “kingdom of God” would look like Israel being restored to power.

Enter Jesus.

He redefined the kingdom as God’s reign in human hearts that flows into God’s reign on earth as it is in heaven. When he speaks of “the harvest,” he’s talking about people ready to receive this kingdom, not crops or conquest.

If you read the full gospel of Matthew, here are some themes you’ll notice:

This week, as we sit with Jesus’ words, we’re invited to see what God sees: a world full of need and a calling to work towards meeting it.

The harvest is plentiful.

Over the past few months, I have seen and heard countless stories of people coming to faith in Jesus Christ for the first time or returning to a dormant faith.

Matthew’s gospel calls us to participation. The question is whether we’ll see what Jesus sees and respond as his disciples did — with a willingness to put our hands to the plow and labor for the sake of others’ souls.

Let’s prepare our hearts for labor this week.

📖 Read: Spend time in Matthew 9. Notice how Jesus moves toward people in need.

💻 Watch: The overview of Matthew chapters 1-13 video by The Bible Project.

🙏 Pray

God, open my eyes to the needs around me. Grow my desire to see people come to faith in you. Make that what I hunger and thirst for throughout my day. I want to be sent into your harvest with love, humility, and courage. Amen.

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Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;

therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Matthew 9:37-38