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It reads in Luke 10:2 (parallel is Matt 9:37-38):
Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
I’ve encountered people who interpreted this command from Jesus as applying to all people at all times. It appears they understand that Christians are the laborers and the field is the world at large; therefore, Christians ought to continue to pray for and (presumably) be laborers. However, I don’t think there’s evidence Jesus intended this command to be for future Christians.
There’s another harvest in Matt. 13 where the harvesters are clearly angels, and in Rev. 15 those that harvested were an angel and Christ. It doesn’t make sense to pray for angels, and elsewhere it is implied the collective of Christians should ask for Christ’s return (Rev 22:17), but that’s a prayer in a different context.
In the epistles, Paul talks of being a laborer/farmer in II Tim 2, but it’s not in an evangelical context.
In I Cor 3:6-10, Paul uses the farming metaphor explicitly, it appears evangelical in nature, but he covers the whole process (planting, watering, etc.), but not the act of harvesting. This convinces me he’s not reiterating Jesus’ command here like he’s done elsewhere, plus the context is completely different.
In the case of Luke 10:2, context implies that the harvest Jesus is speaking about are specifically the Jewish people and harvesters are those who Jesus personally sent out at the time he gave the command. John 4 might play into this some way, but I’ve not quite made the connection.
Have I missed something? Should I think Christians are commanded to pray for laborers today?
Steve Scott Alt
I think it is true that Jesus was speaking of his own situation and the need as it existed at the time. If we are to make application of this verse, we need to ask, Is the harvest still plentiful, and are the workers still few? If the answer to both is yes, then the verse still applies 1 to 1 to us today and we should ask the Lord of the harvest to send more laborers. The impacting thing I see is, as soon as Jesus says this, he says, “Go!” So, yes, we should pray for more laborers, but the first thing we need, is to be willing to become one of those laborers, ourselves. We can answer our own prayers by saying yes to the call to go into the harvest field.
Anonymous
Certainly. The Gospel is to be proclaimed everywhere every day. It is God’s work so we pray for Him to send laborers.
Anonymous
Duane L Burgess It reads in Luke 10:2 (parallel is Matt 9:37-38): Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
Anonymous
not 2 sure 2b sure at all Philip Williams guy comes from now where @fire-school.org and comments this. I think it is true that Jesus was speaking of his own situation and the need as it existed at the time. If we are to make application of this verse, we need to ask, Is the harvest still plentiful, and are the workers still few? If the answer to both is yes, then the verse still applies 1 to 1 to us today and we should ask the Lord of the harvest to send more laborers. The impacting thing I see is, as soon as Jesus says this, he says, “Go!” So, yes, we should pray for more laborers, but the first thing we need, is to be willing to become one of those laborers, ourselves. We can answer our own prayers by saying yes to the call to go into the harvest field.
perhaps Peter Vandever can Link him to comment on the Brown questions ?
Anonymous
THIS John Mushenhouse