“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 9:37–38 (ESV)
This passage in Matthew’s gospel is one of my favorite passages in all of Scripture. I have always seen this passage from a missional perspective, and it has consistently convicted me on some level. This passage displays the importance and the power of prayer and the authority of Christ in calling believers to be “sent out” as laborers into the harvest.
Recently, it was pointed out to me by a fellow biblical Greek nerd (Dawn Rutan, I’m looking at you) that this passage holds even more significance in the original language. When I cracked open my very dusty Greek New Testament to dig a little deeper into what was pointed out to me, I found myself humbled and amazed at the power and authority of Christ.
The Greek word used in this passage, translated as “send out,” is the word ἐκβάλλω, or ekballō (pronounced ek-ball-oh). This is not the Greek verb commonly translated as “send,” which would be ἀποστέλλω, or apostellō. Apostellō is the word where we get the title of “apostle,” which means “one who is sent.” This makes sense, because apostellō means “to send.”
However, ekballō is a word that can carry a stronger and more forceful sense, such as “cast out,” “drive out,” or “thrust out.” There is often power and force behind this word – a spiritual weight or gravity that is difficult to ignore.
Typically, this word is used when Jesus and the apostles are casting out demons. In fact, the same word is used earlier in this chapter of Matthew only a few verses before this passage. When ekballō is used in reference to demons being cast out, that forceful nuance seems especially fitting.
I think it’s interesting that Matthew chose such a strong verb here. Whether or not he intended readers to hear all of its associations, the choice of ekballō instead of the more common apostellō invites us to consider the urgency, authority and initiative of the Lord of the harvest.
But what about when Jesus says to pray to the Lord to ekballō laborers into his harvest? For a long time, I had this image in my mind of the gentle Good Shepherd Jesus gently laying hands on those he calls to the mission field. It’s always been something I imagine to be a gentler event than what the text indicates.
This changes things.
When Jesus casts out demons, or a follower of Christ casts out demons in the name and authority of Christ, the demons must go. They are “cast out,” “thrust out,” “driven out” without choice. They can do nothing but obey.
That same spiritual authority and force is what ask of the Lord. When we pray for the Lord to send out laborers, we are asking him to place a call on the hearts of those he chooses — a compelling call that presses upon them with such weight and authority that they cannot remain where they are. Even if they wrestle with the decision, we pray that they won’t dismiss it.
Perhaps we should pray this prayer with greater expectation. We are not merely asking God to spark an interest in missions or stir a passing curiosity about serving. We are asking the sovereign Lord to send men and women boldly out into the field.
