3rd Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 6) – June 18th, 2023
Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church, Block
Rev. Joshua Woelmer
Text: Matthew 9:35—10:8
“The Harvest Is Plentiful”
Theme: Christ entrusts to us the preaching of the Gospel, for the harvest of souls is plentiful.
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
What is the difference between a pessimist and an optimist? The pessimist says, “It can’t possibly get any worse than this.” The optimist says, “Of course it can!” Here’s another: “What's the difference between an optimist, a pessimist and a realist? The optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel. The pessimist sees nothing. And the realist sees the train.” I could probably keep going; there’s so many funny jokes relating to how we see the world, whether we have a positive or negative perspective. I’m sure some people are born with happier dispositions than others, and others are not, but there is a question worth asking here: how should we as Christians see the world? Should we be pessimists? Should we be optimists? Should we be realists? And what about Jesus, our Lord? How does he see the world? That, I believe, is a good way to approach our Gospel text for today.
At first, you could see Jesus as a pessimist, albeit a compassionate one. He’s going throughout the cities and villages of Galilee, teaching and proclaiming the gospel and healing diseases and afflictions. He’s busy. Then our text says, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (36). Those words for “harassed and helpless” are interesting.
The first one has the meaning for someone who’s lost some of their skin. If you’ve burned your arm, you know how tender it is for a long time. Touching or bumping the burn will cause needles of pain to shoot everywhere. This is like someone who’s ill-treated at work by a boss who’s tyrannical. Employees know that just the wrong sort of word will mean spiteful anger. They feel like they’re on pins and needles, not wanting to anger him in any way.
The second word means thrown away or cast away like garbage. You can feel worthless if you don’t think that anyone loves you. We understand the third image best of all, I think—sheep like a shepherd wander and are vulnerable to attack by enemies.
I think that we Christians can tend towards pessimism. There’s a lot of bad things going on in the world. Internationally, we’ve got a lot of enemies. Nationally, well, where to start? Political correctness can feel like you’re on pins and needles, not exactly sure what to say so you don’t have people looking at you weird. Christians often feel like we’re in a society that no longer cares about us, casting us and our beliefs away. It feels like the things Jesus mentions at the end of our reading about persecution are just around the corner.
Jesus, however, is an eternal optimist. I mean this in two ways. First, he has eternity in his hands. He is our Lord, and he will come again. All will be made right.
Second, even here and now in 2023 America, he is an optimist for you in east-central Kansas. What does he say? “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (37). You could focus on the second part of that statement and see it pessimistically, as if there aren’t enough pastors or enough evangelists wanting to spread the Word of God. I see it optimistically. There will always be more work for the church than we have the laborers to manage it.
It’s like if you’re a farmer and you have too much land to plant and harvest in any given year, so you work hard and buy more tractors and combines and hire more farmhands, and get it all done in a year. Then, you crest a hill and realize that you’ve got so much more to do. Do you despair? No, you realize that you’ll be even busier next year. That should be a good feeling.
How does Jesus see the world? First of all, you are the harvest of wheat that he is gathering in. God sees you as one who is worthy of saving. God wants to gather you into his barns of salvation. He sends out pastors to preach the gospel—and the twelve disciples were his first pastors to do this.
But this text isn’t only about pastors; it’s about the spreading of the gospel. However, pastors ought to be optimists, because we ought to take to heart Jesus’s promises and gifts in the midst of sinful situations. I speak that to myself who can tend towards pessimism at times. I also encourage you not to be pessimists.
I mentioned last week that every single person you interact with has a soul. This is true. It shapes how Jesus wants us to see the world. Go into a public area sometime, like Walmart, and just think—where is that person going? Not just in this life, but in the life to come. They are a stalk of wheat that will either be harvested or will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
This also impacts how we behave around other people. It includes speaking with Christian love and respect. We also share God’s Word with everyone. This includes nonbelievers.
This includes believers, especially our youngest ones. It’s Father’s Day, so it’s worth commending fathers who teach the faith to their children—and I don’t want to exclude mothers in this either, of course. Children react differently to fathers and mothers. There was a poll out a decade ago about church attendance tied to family structure. If both parents went to church, kids’ attendance was high. If neither went to church, church attendance was low.
But what about fathers and mothers? Children who only had their father taking them to church were more likely to stay in the faith in the long term. In fact, fathers bringing their children to church were right up there with fathers and mothers. Fathers, you play an important role in the faith of your children. Teach the faith with your words around the dinner table and at devotions. Model the faith in your actions. The Holy Spirit will work to bear fruit. Pray for that. Pray for the salvation of all you know.
Coming back around to my jokes at the beginning, perhaps we ought to be realists about everything. Is the Word of God real? Does it accomplish salvation? Yes. Christians can be optimists about the Word of God, because God is an optimist about his Word. It’s a reality that God works through his Word. Even when we are tempted to be pessimists because of the rejection and opposition to the Word of God, God does not want us to be anxious and give in to those feelings. Even though all the bad things in the world happen to you, remember always his promises to you: “It is not you who speak, but the Spirit of Your Father speaking through you” (20). We can prepare for bad times, not by buying a year’s worth of ammo and vacuum-sealed food, but by storing up God’s Word in our hearts.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
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