The passage in Matthew 9:37 that refers to “the workers are few” comes amid Jesus’ instructions to his twelve disciples before sending them out to preach and heal. After seeing the crowds that had gathered to hear him teach and be healed, Jesus turns to his disciples and says, “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.”
This passage provides an important insight into an issue Jesus saw as he ministered to the people of Israel – that despite the readiness of many to hear and respond to the gospel message, there were far too few people willing and able to take on the vital work of sharing that message. Jesus highlights a disconnect between the spiritual openness and need of the crowds, depicted as a plentiful harvest, and the limited number of disciples actively advancing God’s kingdom work, depicted as few laborers.
When Jesus states “the workers are few,” he is drawing attention to a fundamental challenge facing God’s mission in the world. Though people may be receptive to the gospel and God’s power is unlimited, there is a scarcity of faithful messengers available to spread the good news of salvation to all who need to hear. The limiting factor is not God’s compassion or power, but rather the limited commitment of believers to prioritize participation in God’s redemptive plan.
Throughout the New Testament epistles, writers like Paul frequently emphasize the need for more faithful believers to take up the mantle of preaching, teaching, evangelizing, and making disciples. The persistent call for more laborers in the harvest fields presupposes that there are still far too few engaged in tasks essential for the advancement of God’s kingdom. Even when people do decide to follow Christ, many are passive recipients of ministry rather than active participants in spreading the gospel.
This reality prompted Jesus to command his disciples to pray that the Lord would raise up more workers. Jesus knew that only through faithful, persistent prayer could this shortage of kingdom laborers be resolved. God alone has the power to stir believers’ hearts to recognize their responsibility and privilege in joining him on his redemptive mission. Through prayer, existing disciples could partner with the Lord of the harvest in drawing more people into harvest work.
Some key implications from this passage include:
- There is an extensive spiritual hunger and openness to the gospel that requires more laborers to reach.
- Spreading the gospel is fundamentally reliant on faithful disciples willing to embrace the calling to evangelize and make disciples.
- Simply having a receptive audience for the gospel is not enough – there must be commitment to doing the demanding work of ministry and disciple-making.
- Believers should persistently pray for the Lord to raise up more workers from among those who already follow Christ.
- Participating in God’s harvest work is both a privilege and responsibility for disciples of Jesus.
- Spiritual need and openness in a community may continue unaddressed without movement of believers to commit to serving those people.
This passage is a call to self-reflection for followers of Jesus. When we look at the spiritual emptiness in communities around us, we are reminded that the limitation lies not in the harvest, but in the lack of laborers willing to work to reap that harvest. Believers must pray for more workers while also being open to joining in the work the Lord is calling them to. When disciples of Jesus harness the abundant spiritual opportunity around them, God’s kingdom can advance mightily. But that requires committed workers to rise up and get involved in the action.
The reality is that the harvest Jesus described is still plentiful today. Billions worldwide still lack access to the gospel message or biblical discipleship. Even in communities with widespread Christian witness, there remains a profound spiritual hunger for meaning, truth, redemption, and hope. There is an immense amount of kingdom work still to be done that faithful followers of Christ have the opportunity to carry out. This will require sacrifice, hard work, and persistence. Praying for more workers is only the start – we must also make ourselves ready to respond personally to the call to serve in the harvest fields.
When believers encounter this passage from Matthew 9, they should reflect on their own role in helping fulfill the Great Commission that Jesus outlined. If we represent the hands and feet of Jesus in this world, are we living that out by actively advancing gospel ministry? Do we see the spiritually hungry crowds and intercede for more workers even as we offer ourselves willingly for whatever tasks are needed? This passage reminds disciples that joining in God’s harvest work is not the effort of a few professional ministers, but rather the calling and privilege of every follower of Christ.
As Jesus said, “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.” This remains the calling for the church today. May we faithfully respond, both through prayer and through action, so that the work of God’s kingdom may be accomplished!