More workers

Matthew 9:38 "So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields." This is an extraordinary thing to say at the end of this chapter. In these few verses of chapter nine Jesus has healed a paralyzed man, called out another disciple for him to mentor, brought his experience, strength and hope to bear on a group of unreached folks, called some religious folks to become unreached so he could reach them, shared his faith with some seekers, healed a girl everyone thought was dead, healed some blind guys, healed a demon possessed man, and traveled on healing "every kind of disease and illness". And though all this seems like an immense outpouring of power from him, he realizes it is a drop in the bucket of the human need just in his sphere of influence. Then he prays for more workers to respond to the harvest that is right there (more workers to bring genuine good news matched with genuine good deeds). And is he asking the Father to send more messiahs? No. He is referring to folks just like those of us who are spending our lives following him. He means people like you and me who are dedicated to him and his cause. The extraordinary thing (the mind blowing thing) is that when he asks for these miracle workers to join him in the healing, casting out demons, discipling and taking on the religious order outreach, he means me and you-precisely you-and precisely me. How in the world am I going to do that? How can you? ONLY if we join him in what he is doing; moving at his leading; working where and how he guides us to do it. That is the method-taking and keeping him and his ways in the center of our lives. That he expects us to be able to do the things he did continues to be amazing and extraordinary. That such things happen when we join him in this work is just, by God, the truth.