What does it mean that the workers are few (Matthew 9:37)?

Again (in Matthew 9:36): "When he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (or were tired and lay down), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd." What was it that moved, at the sight, the innermost heart of our good and tender Shepherd? Here it was not the momentary outward want, but the spiritual need of those starving sheep of Israel.

Then saith he to his disciples: The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few. Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."

Our blessed Saviour had the heart of a pioneer-evangelist. Towards the close of His three and a half years of public ministry the shadow of Calvary cast itself with increasing definiteness upon His soul. He warned His disciples that "the Son of man must suffer many things … and be slain (Luke 9:22). But even then, He appointed "other seventy also" (Luke 10:1), besides the twelve apostles, and the man sent to preach in Luke 9:60. And then He declared that "the labourers are few." That is, He deemed eighty-three too few for a small country no larger than Wales!

The Lord refuses, then, the leaders of the people as representing the people themselves. They are mere misleaders, shepherds not feeding the flock, but injuring and rending them. As He goes up and down Galilee, constantly bearing testimony of the Kingdom at hand, and doing every where the mighty deeds which were the demonstration of the power of God already among them to bring it in, His heart is moved with the misery of their condition. Yet the sheltering wings of divine mercy were manifestly ready to be folded over them. It depended but upon themselves whether they would welcome the love that was seeking them. The abundant miracles, appealing as they did to the very senses of men; by the relief of need in every form and however desperate, could not but appeal to every legitimate self-interest on man's part. And, however it might be with the nation at large, He is assured of the harvest that will reward labor in these beckoning fields. But the laborers, where are they? He bids His disciples, therefore supplicate the Lord of the harvest that He would thrust forth laborers into His harvest ― not merely "send" but impel them to go out and then He turns these praying ones into laborers themselves. He gives them authority to do the works that He is doing ― power over the whole power of the enemy and every outward consequence of sin; and sends them out to testify thus by word and work of the Kingdom drawing nigh.

In the First Gospel the call of the twelve is narrated in connection with the great need that sprang up for more extensive service among the masses of the suffering poor of the land. "But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were distressed and scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd. Then says he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he send forth labourers into his harvest" (Matt. 9:36-38). Such was the sympathy of the Good Shepherd for the distresses and infirmities of the lost sheep of the house of Israel, that He desired that others should co-operate in the work of speedily gathering together those that were scattered abroad. And immediately, being Himself the Lord of the harvest, He proceeded to send forth labourers into the harvest.

100 In verse 27 we enter exclusively on the Israelitish ground, where the spirit of the heads is fully manifested, whilst the patience of the Lord continues still in grace. The blind in Israel recover sight by faith in the Son of David, and here He is in the house, and then He opens there also the mouth of the dumb. The attention of the crowd is drawn, and they confess that they have never seen the like. But if He casts out the power of the devil, the heads of the people call His power that of the devil. The spirit of an unpardonable apostasy was already manifested; but Jesus had not done His work of goodness in Israel, and He goes through the villages and the small towns, teaching, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and working cures. His heart was touched with compassion for Israel, for those multitudes which were as sheep without shepherds. For if He was Jehovah in His goodness, His heart could be moved with what He saw as man and until that goodness could find no more place for its exercise. His time found no obstacle in the wickedness of those who were His enemies; the harvest was yet abundant, the labourers but few. Oh, how much the heart can still feel this! He wishes as yet to accomplish His work, to have His sheep. Our part is to pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers.

"And Jesus went about … teaching … and preaching … and healing," etc. But when He saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion. They were harassed or troubled; the word means tired or worn out. Their condition is brought before us to show the heart of the Lord toward them, so different to that of their religious leaders. They little understood the heart of this blessed One. In the two chapters we have had before us we get a cluster of miracles showing that He had a heart toward them, but they had no heart for Him, so He anticipates in the next chapter what He tells them to pray for here. He sends out the labourers into His vineyard. We get nothing like this prayer in the Epistles; evidently it was answered here. Everything we need now is given by an ascended Christ as head of His body the church, and the Holy Spirit dividing to every man severally as He will.

"After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two and two253 before his face into every city and place where he himself was about to come."254 The Lord's heart felt for the people as He said, "The harvest indeed255 [is] great, but the workmen few." Now there are more labourers raised up by far as the pressure of the need was before His soul. "Supplicate therefore the Lord of the harvest." Nevertheless He was encouraging prayer, because before He tells them to pray He is Himself appointing these seventy to go forth. He was the Lord of the harvest. At the same time He warns them what they were to expect. "Go: behold, I† send you forth as lambs among wolves." He well knew, and they were to know, what man was, even in Israel. Flesh was completely judged. The Jews are no longer regarded as the lost sheep of Israel, but as wolves with themselves to prey on as lambs. "Seventy": so Tisch. Treg. and Revv., as ℵACL., later uncials, nearly all cursives, Goth. Aeth. W. H., Blass, and Weiss read "seventy-two," after BD, etc., several Old Lat., syrrcu sin.252 †"I" (ἐγώ). "It is I who": so CDLΔ. Edd. omit, as ℵAB (from Matthew).

Yet the testimony of the Lord increased. He sent forth seventy other disciples, in pairs, to prepare the way for Him in every city to which He would come. He gave them no encouragement to believe they would be kindly received: indeed His earthly nation Israel was determined to reject and kill Him. In view of this, the laborers were few, though the harvest was great. They were not to think of themselves therefore as a select group on a higher plane than others, but to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send forth more laborers into His harvest. The term laborers is used for those on the lowest level of employment, but though having no dignified title, they do the hard work. Yet what is their work compared to His? -- for He was to come to every place where it required seventy plus the twelve to prepare the way for Him.

Full of solemn meaning it is to us of this day, that the Lord in that day looked on Israel as an unkept, unfed flock. "When He saw the multitude, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd." And yet (though this was the judgment of the Great Shepherd) there was much religion then. Sects were numerous; feast-days were kept; and there was a great stir in all that which might have marked a day of public religious decency and devotion. That generation were soon to bear witness to themselves that they would not go into the judgment-hall of the Gentiles, lest they should be defiled, and be thereby hindered from keeping the passover. The money that was soon to purchase the blood of a guiltless Man they would not put into the treasury. Excision from the synagogue was dreaded, and Moses was boasted in; the Gentile was despised likewise, and the Samaritan was shunned. Ceremonial cleanness would be preserved. Teachers abounded, and zeal. And yet, under the eye of Him Who saw them as God saw them, Israel was without a shepherd, an unkept, unfed flock. The land was as a field which needed the tillage of spring. It was no reaping time then, as it ought to have been, where all this religiousness was, and when the Heir of the vineyard had come. In the thoughts of the Lord of the harvest it was rather a time for "the first works" to be done over again, a sowing time; and the servants had to be sent into the field with the plough and the seed, and not with the sickle.

We live in a country where I believe we are well supplied, broadly speaking, with able ministers of the word of God. There is a continual supply of ministry available for us to read for our encouragement, but it is very sad to know that there are places in the world at the moment where they are crying out for Christian teachers because of new converts who have been brought to the Lord Jesus Christ who require ministry for their upbuilding and for their health, and there are not enough teachers to go around in that locality. So here is a field that requires to be reaped at the present moment. Here is something we can pray about, that the Lord will raise up those who are able to minister the truth of God to those newly converted souls. We were saying this afternoon, concerning the parable of the sower, that souls that were not established could be led by various influences away from the Lord, so there is a great need for soul establishing ministry that those who are converted might stand and bring forth fruit for God. Here is something to exercise every soul, the Lord indicating that there are abundant opportunities for service for His pleasure and for His glory.