Category: A Moment with the Master

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In Revelation 14, John sees one of several pictures of victory and deliverance. Verse 1 says, “Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb…” Lambs hardly seem to be apt symbols of strength and victory. A lion appears much more appropriate. And in Revelation, Jesus is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” But Revelation never backs away from the imagery of the Lamb. In fact, over 25 references are made to “the Lamb” throughout Revelation. 

What a reminder that God’s ways are different than ours. We may not think of lambs as a symbol of power, yet in the end, the Lamb stands victorious. The world may scoff at the apparent weakness of the Lamb, but one day all will bow before the Lamb. Our adversary may be like a roaring lion, but if we are faithful to Christ, we will find victory in the Lamb of God. 

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People can be a real pain sometimes. Have you ever grown so irritated and frustrated by others that you lost control of your own temper? Perhaps you justified your outburst because, after all, it was other people who pushed you to lose control. But as difficult as people can be, we are always accountable for our words and actions. 

Psalm 106:32-33 recounts when Moses lost his right to enter the promised land. It says, “They angered him at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account, for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke rashly with his lips.” Moses’ frustration and anger is entirely understandable. But his frustration broke out in rash words and actions, and God punished Him. Don’t let others be your undoing. Even when others are at their worst, don’t let their wrongdoing create bitterness in you, and don’t respond rashly, lest you too end up guilty of sin. 

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King Saul got off to a good start. But Israel’s first king spiraled into stubbornness and rebellion, and the nation began to pay the price. After Saul’s demise, the nation didn’t immediately unite under David. For a few years, conflict ensued. But ultimately, the entire nation saw the blessing of uniting under David, a man after God’s own heart. First Chronicles 12 records how the nation turned over the kingdom to David. The closing verses record a time of celebration, and says, “there was joy in Israel.” 

Good leadership is a great blessing. David would make mistakes, but he was a great king who sought God wholeheartedly. And the kingdom was blessed during his reign. If we are godly leaders, we can bring joy to others. But also, unity brings joy. Israel had suffered from division, but unification brought peace and joy. In our homes, communities, and congregations, we should pursue unity in truth and therein find great joy. 

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Do you enjoy hardship? Would you consider affliction a good thing? Typically, we do all we can to avoid affliction and pain. But there are times that affliction might prove to be a blessing. The Psalmist reflects on this a few times in Psalm 119. 

In Psalm 119:67, we read, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.” Times of ease might lull our spiritual senses and pull us into unfaithful lifestyles. When that happens, affliction might be an apt reminder of what is truly important. A few verses later, in verse 71, the Psalmist writes, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.” Sometimes, God might use affliction as a reminder to return to His way. Such times may not be pleasant, but they are a blessing. In times of affliction, don’t give up on God—return to His Word and walk in His ways.  

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We often hear the adage, “You get what you pay for.” It’s tempting to choose an item because it’s cheaper. With some items, that may be ok. But with others, we learn the hard way that cheaper may not be better. Things that are cheaply made are rarely built well, and usually don’t stand up to the test of time. But what about our faith? Do we have a cheap faith, or a well-built faith? 

In Matthew 6:47-48, Jesus says, “I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the river crashed against that house and couldn’t shake it, because it was well built.”^[1] A well-built, solid faith is that which obeys Jesus. Anything less is not guaranteed to last the tests of time and trials.

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^[1] CSB

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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.