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00:00:02 “The harvest” 00:00:04 —what do those words bring to your mind? 00:00:08 A resplendent, golden season 00:00:10 with plentiful work and good food? 00:00:14 Yes, but isn’t it also true 00:00:16 that the harvest implies urgency? 00:00:19 A harvest can’t wait. 00:00:20 The crop has to be brought in. 00:00:22 The rains might cut short the days or soak the grain. 00:00:26 Everyone is needed to get the job done. 00:00:30 And what does that suggest about the way in which 00:00:33 we must work during the figurative harvest that Jesus was talking about here? 00:00:38 Let’s examine the context of Jesus’ words 00:00:40 beginning at Matthew 9:35, 00:00:44 and notice what Jesus was doing, 00:00:48 how it made him feel, 00:00:51 and what specific actions and attitudes he recommended, 00:00:55 either directly or by his example. 00:00:59 At Matthew 9:35, 00:01:04 it says: “Jesus set out on a tour of all the cities and villages, 00:01:08 “teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news of the Kingdom 00:01:12 and curing every sort of disease and every sort of infirmity.” 00:01:17 This was Jesus’ third tour of Galilee. 00:01:20 He was teaching, preaching, and curing. 00:01:23 What effect did it have on him? 00:01:25 Verse 36: “On seeing the crowds, he felt pity for them, 00:01:29 because they were skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd.” 00:01:34 The footnote tells us that the verb here for pity 00:01:37 ‘denotes a feeling experienced 00:01:39 ‘deep inside the body, an intense emotion. 00:01:43 ‘It is one of the strongest words 00:01:45 in Greek for compassion’ 00:01:49 —compassion for people who were, as the footnotes indicate, 00:01:52 maltreated, harassed, wounded, helpless, 00:01:55 exhausted, dejected, and neglected— 00:01:59 crowds who needed God’s Kingdom. 00:02:03 Thus, Jesus said in verse 37: 00:02:06 “Yes, the harvest is great, but the workers are few.” 00:02:10 “The harvest” —he called it—a short period of time 00:02:13 in which many people are needed to accomplish a great work. 00:02:18 What would Jesus recommend? 00:02:21 Well, notice verse 38, fervent prayer: 00:02:25 “Therefore, beg the Master of the harvest 00:02:28 to send out workers into his harvest.” 00:02:31 But did Jesus just leave it at that? 00:02:34 Not at all. 00:02:35 Notice the next verse in chapter 10 and verse 1. 00:02:40 “So he summoned his 12 disciples 00:02:43 “and gave them authority over unclean spirits, 00:02:47 “in order to expel these and to cure every sort of disease 00:02:50 and every sort of infirmity.” 00:02:52 This was the very work 00:02:54 that Jesus was doing back in chapter 9 and verse 35. 00:02:58 So here we find Jesus delegating authority 00:03:02 and giving his disciples permission and real power 00:03:05 to perform mighty deeds. 00:03:09 He also organized his apostles. 00:03:11 In verses 2-4, we find their names. 00:03:15 But this is not just a list of names like the one 00:03:18 we find at Luke 6:13-16. 00:03:23 The Luke listing centers around events that occurred months earlier 00:03:27 before Jesus’ second tour of Galilee, 00:03:31 whereas this listing in Matthew 00:03:33 deals with Jesus’ third tour of Galilee. 00:03:37 And whereas Luke’s list contains 00:03:39 12 names and 11 commas between the complete names, 00:03:42 this list separates the names not by commas 00:03:46 but by the word “and” 00:03:49 —used not 11 times but 6 times. 00:03:52 Yes, this is a list defining six teams. 00:03:57 So in verses 2-4, the apostles get a partner; 00:04:01 in verses 5 and 6, they get a territory; 00:04:04 in verse 7, they get a message 00:04:07 centering on the Kingdom; 00:04:09 in verses 11 and 12, 00:04:11 they’re told to search out each city 00:04:15 for deserving ones at their homes. 00:04:20 And by the way, did Jehovah, the Master of the harvest, 00:04:24 answer their plea for more harvest workers? 00:04:28 About a year later, Jesus dispatched 00:04:31 70 more disciples, so 82 in all. 00:04:35 Did that relieve some of the pressure 00:04:38 and reduce some of the urgency of the situation? 00:04:42 Well, notice what Jesus said about this 00:04:44 at Luke 10:2: 00:04:50 “Then he said to them: ‘Yes, the harvest is great, 00:04:54 “‘but the workers are few. 00:04:56 “‘Therefore, beg the Master of the harvest 00:04:58 to send out workers into his harvest.’” 00:05:01 The wording is identical 00:05:03 to that found at Matthew 9:37, 38, isn’t it? 00:05:08 Jesus’ assessment of the need 00:05:12 was exactly the same. 00:05:15 Well, now, how can we be sure that all of this applies to us? 00:05:19 Notice what Jesus said right here in his original instructions 00:05:23 at Matthew 10:23: 00:05:27 “When they persecute you in one city, 00:05:30 “flee to another; for truly I say to you, 00:05:33 “you will by no means complete the circuit of the cities of Israel 00:05:37 until the Son of man arrives.” 00:05:40 Yes, these words apply not only to those living in the first century 00:05:45 but to those living when the Son of man arrives. 00:05:50 And that also means that between now and Armageddon, 00:05:53 there will be plenty of territory. 00:05:57 Remember, too, that Jesus said 00:05:59 at Matthew 13:38, 39: 00:06:03 “The field is the world” 00:06:05 and “the harvest is a conclusion of a system of things.” 00:06:10 So while it’s true that we have more workers than ever before, 00:06:15 the circumstances keep changing. 00:06:18 When the harvest season began back in 1914, 00:06:23 earth’s population was just then 00:06:25 cresting 1.6 billion. 00:06:28 Well, today, billions more need to hear the truth. 00:06:32 So we do this work as Jesus instructed. 00:06:35 We pray fervently for more workers, and we get organized. 00:06:39 We get a partner, a territory, a Kingdom presentation, 00:06:42 and then we search systematically. 00:06:46 In the past few years, 00:06:48 under the direction of the Service Committee of the Governing Body, 00:06:50 a number of special preaching campaigns have been organized 00:06:55 in very remote or densely populated territories. 00:06:58 And the results confirm that the harvest is still great 00:07:02 and that the workers are still few. 00:07:05 For instance, after a recent four-month campaign 00:07:08 to reach Aymara-speaking people on the Andean plateau of Peru, 00:07:13 an elder reported that way up in the mountains, 00:07:15 they found a group of people meeting twice a week 00:07:18 to study My Book of Bible Stories and The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived. 00:07:23 Well, the group was surprised to find out that these books 00:07:26 were published by Jehovah’s Witnesses, 00:07:29 and those conducting the meetings agreed to study 00:07:31 with our brothers during the campaign. 00:07:33 Many attended, and they were happy to find out about our website. 00:07:38 And now some members of that group 00:07:40 are continuing their Bible study with Jehovah’s Witnesses. 00:07:45 Even in our current circumstances, 00:07:48 we’ve been able to reach wide audiences 00:07:51 through teleconferencing and broadcasting. 00:07:54 Some regions of Africa, without suitable Internet, 00:07:57 have been able to use television and radio to broadcast 00:08:01 not only the Memorial but their regular congregation meetings. 00:08:05 After one broadcast, 00:08:07 a non-Witness man in Malawi said: 00:08:12 “The Coronavirus has helped me to hear God’s Word 00:08:15 “explained effectively in a way 00:08:18 “I have never heard before in my whole life. 00:08:21 “I had no idea that Witnesses could teach so skillfully. 00:08:26 I don’t want to miss any of these meetings, ever!” 00:08:31 And his comments were typical of many 00:08:33 that were received at the branch office. 00:08:35 Isn’t that beautiful? 00:08:36 There are still places on this earth 00:08:39 where the interest in Bible truth is great 00:08:44 —places with vast unassigned territories 00:08:47 or where travel is difficult 00:08:50 or where other conditions restrict our movement. 00:08:54 If we’re persecuted in one city, 00:08:56 we flee to the next one 00:08:59 because this is a harvest. 00:09:02 The grain is ripe; the time is limited; 00:09:05 every worker is needed. 00:09:07 And yet, unlike a literal harvest 00:09:11 where we can sort of size up the amount of work 00:09:16 yet to be done by the remainder of crop that has yet to be gathered, 00:09:20 we can’t do that and say: “We’ve got this.” 00:09:23 We already know that we will be working right up to the end. 00:09:28 But as Jesus assures us 00:09:30 at Matthew 10:22: 00:09:34 “The one who has endured 00:09:36 to the end will be saved.”
00:00:02 “The harvest” 00:00:04 —what do those words bring to your mind? 00:00:08 A resplendent, golden season 00:00:10 with plentiful work and good food? 00:00:14 Yes, but isn’t it also true 00:00:16 that the harvest implies urgency? 00:00:19 A harvest can’t wait. 00:00:20 The crop has to be brought in. 00:00:22 The rains might cut short the days or soak the grain. 00:00:26 Everyone is needed to get the job done. 00:00:30 And what does that suggest about the way in which 00:00:33 we must work during the figurative harvest that Jesus was talking about here? 00:00:38 Let’s examine the context of Jesus’ words 00:00:40 beginning at Matthew 9:35, 00:00:44 and notice what Jesus was doing, 00:00:48 how it made him feel, 00:00:51 and what specific actions and attitudes he recommended, 00:00:55 either directly or by his example. 00:00:59 At Matthew 9:35, 00:01:04 it says: “Jesus set out on a tour of all the cities and villages, 00:01:08 “teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news of the Kingdom 00:01:12 and curing every sort of disease and every sort of infirmity.” 00:01:17 This was Jesus’ third tour of Galilee. 00:01:20 He was teaching, preaching, and curing. 00:01:23 What effect did it have on him? 00:01:25 Verse 36: “On seeing the crowds, he felt pity for them, 00:01:29 because they were skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd.” 00:01:34 The footnote tells us that the verb here for pity 00:01:37 ‘denotes a feeling experienced 00:01:39 ‘deep inside the body, an intense emotion. 00:01:43 ‘It is one of the strongest words 00:01:45 in Greek for compassion’ 00:01:49 —compassion for people who were, as the footnotes indicate, 00:01:52 maltreated, harassed, wounded, helpless, 00:01:55 exhausted, dejected, and neglected— 00:01:59 crowds who needed God’s Kingdom. 00:02:03 Thus, Jesus said in verse 37: 00:02:06 “Yes, the harvest is great, but the workers are few.” 00:02:10 “The harvest” —he called it—a short period of time 00:02:13 in which many people are needed to accomplish a great work. 00:02:18 What would Jesus recommend? 00:02:21 Well, notice verse 38, fervent prayer: 00:02:25 “Therefore, beg the Master of the harvest 00:02:28 to send out workers into his harvest.” 00:02:31 But did Jesus just leave it at that? 00:02:34 Not at all. 00:02:35 Notice the next verse in chapter 10 and verse 1. 00:02:40 “So he summoned his 12 disciples 00:02:43 “and gave them authority over unclean spirits, 00:02:47 “in order to expel these and to cure every sort of disease 00:02:50 and every sort of infirmity.” 00:02:52 This was the very work 00:02:54 that Jesus was doing back in chapter 9 and verse 35. 00:02:58 So here we find Jesus delegating authority 00:03:02 and giving his disciples permission and real power 00:03:05 to perform mighty deeds. 00:03:09 He also organized his apostles. 00:03:11 In verses 2-4, we find their names. 00:03:15 But this is not just a list of names like the one 00:03:18 we find at Luke 6:13-16. 00:03:23 The Luke listing centers around events that occurred months earlier 00:03:27 before Jesus’ second tour of Galilee, 00:03:31 whereas this listing in Matthew 00:03:33 deals with Jesus’ third tour of Galilee. 00:03:37 And whereas Luke’s list contains 00:03:39 12 names and 11 commas between the complete names, 00:03:42 this list separates the names not by commas 00:03:46 but by the word “and” 00:03:49 —used not 11 times but 6 times. 00:03:52 Yes, this is a list defining six teams. 00:03:57 So in verses 2-4, the apostles get a partner; 00:04:01 in verses 5 and 6, they get a territory; 00:04:04 in verse 7, they get a message 00:04:07 centering on the Kingdom; 00:04:09 in verses 11 and 12, 00:04:11 they’re told to search out each city 00:04:15 for deserving ones at their homes. 00:04:20 And by the way, did Jehovah, the Master of the harvest, 00:04:24 answer their plea for more harvest workers? 00:04:28 About a year later, Jesus dispatched 00:04:31 70 more disciples, so 82 in all. 00:04:35 Did that relieve some of the pressure 00:04:38 and reduce some of the urgency of the situation? 00:04:42 Well, notice what Jesus said about this 00:04:44 at Luke 10:2: 00:04:50 “Then he said to them: ‘Yes, the harvest is great, 00:04:54 “‘but the workers are few. 00:04:56 “‘Therefore, beg the Master of the harvest 00:04:58 to send out workers into his harvest.’” 00:05:01 The wording is identical 00:05:03 to that found at Matthew 9:37, 38, isn’t it? 00:05:08 Jesus’ assessment of the need 00:05:12 was exactly the same. 00:05:15 Well, now, how can we be sure that all of this applies to us? 00:05:19 Notice what Jesus said right here in his original instructions 00:05:23 at Matthew 10:23: 00:05:27 “When they persecute you in one city, 00:05:30 “flee to another; for truly I say to you, 00:05:33 “you will by no means complete the circuit of the cities of Israel 00:05:37 until the Son of man arrives.” 00:05:40 Yes, these words apply not only to those living in the first century 00:05:45 but to those living when the Son of man arrives. 00:05:50 And that also means that between now and Armageddon, 00:05:53 there will be plenty of territory. 00:05:57 Remember, too, that Jesus said 00:05:59 at Matthew 13:38, 39: 00:06:03 “The field is the world” 00:06:05 and “the harvest is a conclusion of a system of things.” 00:06:10 So while it’s true that we have more workers than ever before, 00:06:15 the circumstances keep changing. 00:06:18 When the harvest season began back in 1914, 00:06:23 earth’s population was just then 00:06:25 cresting 1.6 billion. 00:06:28 Well, today, billions more need to hear the truth. 00:06:32 So we do this work as Jesus instructed. 00:06:35 We pray fervently for more workers, and we get organized. 00:06:39 We get a partner, a territory, a Kingdom presentation, 00:06:42 and then we search systematically. 00:06:46 In the past few years, 00:06:48 under the direction of the Service Committee of the Governing Body, 00:06:50 a number of special preaching campaigns have been organized 00:06:55 in very remote or densely populated territories. 00:06:58 And the results confirm that the harvest is still great 00:07:02 and that the workers are still few. 00:07:05 For instance, after a recent four-month campaign 00:07:08 to reach Aymara-speaking people on the Andean plateau of Peru, 00:07:13 an elder reported that way up in the mountains, 00:07:15 they found a group of people meeting twice a week 00:07:18 to study My Book of Bible Stories and The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived. 00:07:23 Well, the group was surprised to find out that these books 00:07:26 were published by Jehovah’s Witnesses, 00:07:29 and those conducting the meetings agreed to study 00:07:31 with our brothers during the campaign. 00:07:33 Many attended, and they were happy to find out about our website. 00:07:38 And now some members of that group 00:07:40 are continuing their Bible study with Jehovah’s Witnesses. 00:07:45 Even in our current circumstances, 00:07:48 we’ve been able to reach wide audiences 00:07:51 through teleconferencing and broadcasting. 00:07:54 Some regions of Africa, without suitable Internet, 00:07:57 have been able to use television and radio to broadcast 00:08:01 not only the Memorial but their regular congregation meetings. 00:08:05 After one broadcast, 00:08:07 a non-Witness man in Malawi said: 00:08:12 “The Coronavirus has helped me to hear God’s Word 00:08:15 “explained effectively in a way 00:08:18 “I have never heard before in my whole life. 00:08:21 “I had no idea that Witnesses could teach so skillfully. 00:08:26 I don’t want to miss any of these meetings, ever!” 00:08:31 And his comments were typical of many 00:08:33 that were received at the branch office. 00:08:35 Isn’t that beautiful? 00:08:36 There are still places on this earth 00:08:39 where the interest in Bible truth is great 00:08:44 —places with vast unassigned territories 00:08:47 or where travel is difficult 00:08:50 or where other conditions restrict our movement. 00:08:54 If we’re persecuted in one city, 00:08:56 we flee to the next one 00:08:59 because this is a harvest. 00:09:02 The grain is ripe; the time is limited; 00:09:05 every worker is needed. 00:09:07 And yet, unlike a literal harvest 00:09:11 where we can sort of size up the amount of work 00:09:16 yet to be done by the remainder of crop that has yet to be gathered, 00:09:20 we can’t do that and say: “We’ve got this.” 00:09:23 We already know that we will be working right up to the end. 00:09:28 But as Jesus assures us 00:09:30 at Matthew 10:22: 00:09:34 “The one who has endured 00:09:36 to the end will be saved.”
