Text: Matthew 9:35–38
Have you ever noticed how many people are searching for meaning, hope, and purpose in life?
According to surveys, 57% of Americans wonder at least once a month how they can have more purpose in life, and 46% wonder if they will go to heaven when they die. Add to this the heartbreaking reality that 107,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2021, and you begin to see what the apostle Peter meant when he described life apart from Christ as “an empty way of life” (1 Peter 1:18–19).
Our generation knows something is missing. People sense there is more to life than what we can see and touch, but they don’t know what it is. As followers of Jesus, we do know: what people need most is to be rescued from the empty, broken way of life that has been handed down to us.
The Good News of the Kingdom
The word Gospel simply means Good News usually connected with . In the ancient world, it was the announcement of victory—when Israel won a battle, the messenger who ran back to Jerusalem carried good news.
The Gospel of Jesus is the greatest victory announcement of all: Jesus has been crowned King of the universe. That’s why we have four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—not four different messages, but four unique perspectives on the same announcement: how Jesus became King.
Matthew, writing especially to a Jewish audience, highlights how Jesus fulfills God’s promises. His healings and miracles reveal His authority over sin, sickness, demons, and even death itself. And in Matthew 9, we get a glimpse into the very heart of this King.
The Ministry of Jesus
Matthew 9:35 summarizes Jesus’ ministry in three parts:
- Teaching in the synagogues—explaining how God’s promises were being fulfilled.
- Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom—announcing that God’s rule was breaking into the world.
- Healing diseases and casting out demons—demonstrating what God’s Kingdom looks like.
The Compassion of the King
When Jesus saw the crowds, Matthew tells us, He was moved with compassion. They were “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).
He didn’t blame them for their condition. He didn’t urge them to just try harder. Instead, He saw them for what they were: vulnerable people with no one to protect or guide them. Their leaders had failed them. Their shepherds had abandoned them.
That’s how Jesus sees our world too. He looks at our neighbors, co-workers, and friends who inherited an empty way of life—and He responds with compassion. And if we are to follow Him, our posture toward the world must be the same. Not condemnation, but compassion.
The Call to Pray
Then Jesus turned to His disciples and said:
“The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37–38).
It is important for us to pray for God to move—for baptisms, for new faces in our church families, for opportunities to build bridges and share Christ. But Jesus’ words remind us that prayer is not passive. It is an act of faith, asking the Lord of the harvest to raise up workers: bridge-builders, wealth-givers, prayer warriors, compassionate servants, worship leaders, and engaging teachers.
And here’s the twist: when we pray for God to send workers, we must be ready for Him to send us. That’s exactly what Jesus did in the next chapter. He told His disciples to pray for workers—then He sent them out to be the workers.
The Message Our Generation Needs
The message our generation needs to hear is that Jesus is King. Since He is King, He will make things right. He will bring justice. He will bring healing. He will bring help.
People are searching for meaning, but only Jesus can give them life. They are longing for justice, but only Jesus will set things right. They are weighed down by brokenness, but only Jesus can heal.
The harvest is still plentiful. The workers are still few. And the call of Jesus is still the same: pray to the Lord of the harvest.
