Category: A Moment with the Master

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How can we be more effective as workers in Jesus’ kingdom? How can we truly follow the Lord’s example of working for God? This week, we’ve considered Jesus’ actions in Matthew 9:35—that Jesus went, taught, preached, and healed. We can be proactive, teach the truth, preach the gospel, and help others. But there’s one more key we need to consider—our attitude towards the lost. 

Matthew 9:36 says, “When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” 

How do you feel about unbelievers? What’s your attitude towards the world? If we genuinely want to labor in the Lord’s kingdom, we must develop a love of souls. While we don’t condone sin, we should pity the tragic plight of the sinner. Like Jesus, we should have compassion towards the lost. Such compassion will motivate us to go, teach, preach, and help. Are you ready to labor like Jesus?

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If we want to labor like Jesus, we must follow His example! Matthew 9:35 shows us that Jesus proactively went to teach others and proclaim the gospel of the kingdom. But even though Jesus was a master teacher, there’s something else He did. Along with teaching and preaching, the Bible says Jesus was “healing every disease and affliction.” Jesus was primarily concerned about people’s spiritual well-being. But that didn’t mean He ignored their physical needs. On the contrary, Jesus cared deeply for the hurting and helped and healed them.

We don’t have the miraculous ability to heal like Jesus did, but we can still help others who are hurting. If we want to be effective laborers in the Lord’s kingdom, we should train ourselves to look for opportunities to help and serve others, especially those who are hurting in some way. If we want to labor like Jesus, we must learn to serve like Jesus. 

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This week, we’ve been considering Matthew 9:35-36 and the example of Jesus as a laborer for God’s harvest. Yesterday, we saw that Jesus taught and instructed everywhere He went. Similar yet distinct from this action, we also read that Jesus was “…proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom…” Jesus wasn’t just a motivational speaker, nor was He a mere self-help instructor. Along with His teaching, Jesus also proclaimed a special message. That message was the good news of God’s kingdom. 

Preaching the kingdom involves several aspects. For example, Jesus often taught, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Kingdom preaching demands we submit to Jesus as the King. The message of the kingdom is good news in part because sins can be forgiven in Jesus. But the gospel is not simply that Jesus is the savior. If we want to labor for the Lord, we must proclaim that Jesus is king!

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How can we labor like Jesus in God’s kingdom? Matthew 9:35-36 provides a roadmap. Yesterday, we noted that Jesus went. If we want to be like the Lord, we must be proactive. But what is it Jesus went to do? Matthew 9:35 says that he went “…teaching in their synagogues…” Jesus wasn’t a motivational speaker—He was a teacher. He provided instruction to the people He met. 

If we want to labor for the Lord, first, we must be taught by His Word. But then we need to teach His word to others. Sharing the gospel isn’t just about sharing heartwarming stories about Jesus—it’s also about teaching the difference between right and wrong. To labor in the Lord’s vineyard is to help others see the dangers of sin and instruct them in ways of righteousness. We should teach lovingly and humbly, but we should teach. A gospel message that provides no instruction isn’t actually a gospel message. 

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In Matthew 9:38, Jesus exhorted His disciples to “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” That’s a good thing for us to continue to pray for. But what does it look like to labor in the Lord’s harvest? Well, Jesus demonstrates such behavior in the previous verses. In Matthew 9:35-36, we find five things Jesus did. Those verses read:

“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

The first thing to notice is that Jesus went. He didn’t sit and wait for others to come to Him—He went to work. If we want to work for the Lord, we must be willing to go and proactively seek opportunities to labor in the Lord’s harvest. 

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How much do you desire God? Sadly, learning God’s Word and drawing closer to the Lord is often a burden and an obligation, not something we yearn for. But this shouldn’t be the case. Various Biblical writers demonstrate the attitude we should cultivate. 

Psalm 42:1 says, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.” Psalm 143:6 says, “I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.” The Apostle Peter exhorts, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—”^[1]

Consider those analogies: a deer panting for water, a parched land needing water, and a baby desiring milk. These paint a picture of not only intense craving but also life-giving nourishment! Do we desire God and His Word so fervently? Do we recognize our desperate need for God, and do we crave His Word and His closeness? 

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^[1] 1 Peter 2:2

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Isn’t it ironic how folks are often guilty of what they accuse someone else of? In Numbers 16:3, some Israelites were upset with Moses and Aaron and said, “You have gone too far! For all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?” 

These people accused Moses and Aaron of going too far—usurping power, taking too much control, and wrongfully raising themselves above other Israelites. In truth, Korah and his fellow rebels had gone too far. Moses and Aaron were God’s chosen leaders, and this had been made clear. These men’s dissatisfaction didn’t make their accusations true, and they ended up the guilty (and judged) party. 

We should inspect our hearts and attitudes before accusing others of ill intent. Is there legitimate wrongdoing to be confronted, or are we the ones who have gone too far?

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Young Joseph shared his dreams with his family—dreams that appeared to say his family would one day bow down to him. That didn’t sit well with the family, especially Joseph’s older brothers. After Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, he must have wondered about the dreams himself. Psalm 105:18-19 poetically says, “His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lordtested him.” At his lowest point—a shackled slave and wrongfully imprisoned in a foreign land, surely Joseph had to wonder about God’s promises. But he never gave up on the Lord, and the Lord’s Word proved true in the end. 

Satan uses hardships and trials to discourage us and tempts us to doubt God’s promises. But don’t let him win. Read God’s Word, understand God’s promises, and trust the Lord. Life will test us, but God’s promises will be fulfilled if we are faithful!

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Whenever someone is leading others or handling finances, we think that transparency and accountability are important—and they are. Sadly, some people abuse their positions for personal gain in unethical and even illegal ways. Thus, systems and procedures that promote accountability are essential in most circumstances. And if we are in a position that requires accountability and transparency, we should gladly do what is needed to put others at ease. That said, we should also be honest and ethical people. We should strive to be the type of people who are trusted, even when others aren’t looking over our shoulders. 

In 2 Kings 15, the priests were tasked with collecting funds to repair the temple. Verse 15 says, “And they did not ask for an accounting from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to pay out to the workmen, for they dealt honestly.” Strive to be that type of worker and leader. Prove yourself trustworthy through honest dealings.

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When was the last time you complained about something? We probably don’t have to go too far back in the memory bank to remember. It’s so easy to let the difficulties and trials we face put us in a sour mood, and complaint comes all too easily. Now, when was the last time you complained about another person? Circumstances are one thing, but often we find ourselves complaining about our fellow man—what they did or didn’t do, how they did something, what they said, and so on. But we should be wary of complaining about others—especially other Christians.

James 5:9 says, “Brothers and sisters, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door!”^[1] We may feel justified in our complaints about others, but Scripture warns that such behavior can incur judgment! Instead of sour attitudes and complaints, let’s develop a patient, loving attitude toward others.

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^[1] CSB