The Bible Study Podcast, episode 428.

Today, the Bible Study podcast wraps up the study of chapter 9 and starts chapter 10 of Matthew.

Welcome to the Bible Study podcast. I'm your host, Chris Christensen.

We continue on the study of Matthew 9 in verse 35. Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were

harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, the harvest is

plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers

into his harvest field.

A couple interesting things there.

Jesus was sort of feeling the problem with being here and being incarnate and being in only one place at a time because Jesus couldn't be everywhere.

And he is looking at the crowds and he's looking at all these people in all these towns and all these villages, and he's seeing so much need.

He's seeing so much helplessness.

I thought that was interesting.

They're harassed and helpless.

Who's harassing them?

Is it life?

Is it the religious leaders?

Is it the Romans?

But they have all of these things that are getting in their way, that are oppressing them, that are making their lives more difficult.

And he looks at them with compassion. And he says, what they need is shepherd. They need someone to

point them in the right direction and to kind of shoe them along and to keep them safe. They need someone to guide them.

And he looks at the disciples and says, there are so many people. There's so many people who are

ready, but there aren't enough people to go get them. Pray that the Lord will send workers into

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