Here in this turbulent world of ours, let’s ask: How did Jesus view “the crowds,” the wider public, the great mass of humanity?
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:36-38).
Jesus uses two different metaphors to express his heart for the lost: sheep-shepherd; and planting-harvesting.
The first one gives us a sense for the true condition of those who don’t know Christ: they’re “like sheep without a shepherd.” Sheep are vulnerable; they don’t do well without proper supervision. Jesus sees the vast human “flock” that way—people are “harassed” (under assault, subject to abuse) and “helpless” (and thus in great danger), without protection and guidance and care.
So what’s Jesus’ attitude toward these sheep? I have to admit, sometimes when I look out the window or at the news, and I see the vast multitudes of non-believers, I can feel anger or disdain: these people reject God, flaunt sin, twist truth… But Jesus feels compassion for these forlorn sheep; he loves them—and not just those who fit my preferred social or political ideals: all of them.
The second metaphor gives us a sense of what needs to be done about the desperate plight of lost “sheep”: first and foremost, they need to be prayed for. The masses of humanity are like a crop ready to be harvested—and more farmers are needed to gather them in. But to accomplish that goal, prayer is step one. Jesus doesn’t say, “Get to work, find those lost sheep, go harvest the crop.” No, he says PRAY. And in this way he teaches us that the most crucial action in saving the lost is the work of God. Yes, he sends us out; yes, we testify and spread the Good News. But a harvest is gathered only by laborers who pray!
