PRAYER AND COMPASSION...

...should lead to action. Just a summary of what we hope to understand from tomorrow's lesson, using Matthew 9:35-38.

Matthew's gospel is "the gospel of the kingdom of the heavens." Only a handful of times does he use the phrase "the kingdom of God" as do the other gospels. The significance of this, writes Dallas Willard, is that the plural shows that God is not far off but is ever near--not just in the far off spaces of the universe, not just in outer space, but even in the atmosphere around us. Jesus as the king has brought that kingdom near, and in his preaching says that it is accessible and available NOW.

First, that was the theme of his preaching (as it was for the apostles in Acts), 9:35. He demonstrated the power of the kingdom with his teaching and with his authority over demons, disease, nature, and death. That kingdom was prophesied in Daniel 2:44-45 and 7:13-14, expected by Simeon and Anna in Luke's gospel, and shown its fulfillment in passages like Matthew 3:2, 4:17, and 12:28.

Second, Jesus had compassion for those among whom and to whom he ministered. 9:36-37 The crowds were heavily burdened by religious rules and regulations not found in Scripture; the religious shepherds never lifted a finger to help them. No wonder they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd, left at the mercy of predators, untended and unloved. To these, Jesus offered compassion--meeting their physical and spiritual needs--and promised to share their burden by offering them rest (see Matthew 11:28-30).

Third, Jesus exhorted his disciples to pray for harvesters to go into the fields, 9:38. In a day without tractors and combines, plenty of manual labor was needed to gather the crop, and especially if it was in danger of loss. The idea behind the prayer was urgency, that these workers would be thrust out. And chapter 10 continues the context, where Jesus answers his own prayer by combining it with compassion leading to action.

There are still harassed hurting people to whom we must go with the message of the kingdom. This message is neither ritual nor religion, and it is more than forgiveness. The content is that God is here, he is able, and he is good. We must not see people as "prospects" or go off on "spiritual scalp hunts." We go with compassion, using the gifts that we possess to minister to them in love.

Think about your circle. What does your heart move you to do? Will you invest your time and effort with them? Will you pray for workers, and will you help answer your prayer?