Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Matthew 10 sets the church before a world of work that will not get finished by human strength. Jesus sees the crowds like sheep without a shepherd, teaches and proclaims the gospel, heals, and then says, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” The work begins with prayer because the harvest belongs to the Lord, not to the workers. The disciples are sent to heal, resurrect, baptize, cast out evil, and bring God’s peace, but Jesus tells them plainly that hatred, rejection, and unfinished towns will remain until he comes.

Jesus stands at the center of that work as the one who is not self employed. He does not work for himself, and no disciple who follows him works for himself either. “A disciple is not above his teacher,” and that is good news, because it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher and the servant to be like the master. The comfort is not that the work is manageable. The comfort is that Jesus has already carried the work all the way to the cross and cried, “It is finished.”

The American fiction that each person is finally in charge gives people wealth, power, and the feeling of keeping life instead of losing it. That pleasant humanist fiction also leaves out “everything that God alone can do.” Such a life has little room for the truth of God’s law, the hope of heavenly beauty, or love that saves the lost. Jesus brings a sword to every head that assumes it is in charge. That sword is God’s word, bringing every day, every week, every relationship, and every life to an end in repentance.

The reward of going under that sword is greater than life itself. If Jesus is the head, then the greatness of God’s own goodness is the reward. Whoever receives a disciple receives Jesus. Whoever receives a prophet gets a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous person gets a righteous person’s reward. Jesus makes his people righteous by placing himself in their midst, crucified for forgiveness and raised for eternal life.

The little ones show the best part of the reward. The innocence, righteousness, blessedness, and merits of Jesus are shared with those who could not earn them. Prayer begins the work because none of this depends merely on one person, and in the end it all depends on Jesus. The call goes out to receive the end of what is merely self-owned, receive Jesus, and go to work for him who has the final say.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Work belongs to God alone [42:48] Jesus’ workers are not self employed souls building private kingdoms. The disciple receives the shape, limits, and confidence of the Master. Freedom comes when the burden of being final head is taken away, because God works out everything for good. [42:48]
• 2. The harvest stays larger than labor [22:53] Jesus does not pretend that faithful people will get to the bottom of the need. The towns remain, the work remains, and the week still ends with tasks undone. That truth humbles ambition without crushing hope, because the finished work belongs to Christ. [22:53]
• 3. God’s word ends self-rule [45:15] The sword Jesus brings is not a weapon for pride, but the word that cuts down the illusion of being in charge. Every day, every relationship, and every life must go under that sword in repentance. The loss is mercy, because only what dies there can receive a reward greater than life. [45:15]
• 4. Receiving Christ means receiving his people [46:43] Jesus ties himself to those he sends so closely that receiving them becomes receiving him. The economy of the kingdom is not built on each person as an isolated head. Christ gives a shared reward, where welcome, partnership, and hospitality become signs of his own presence. [46:43]
• 5. The little ones reveal the reward [48:48] Jesus saves the best for last by putting the littlest ones at the center of heavenly welcome. Their innocence is not a sentimental image, but a gift God makes common in Christ. The kingdom is richer than merit, net worth, accomplishment, or reputation, because Jesus shares his own righteousness.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [21:34] - Leaders Welcomed Around God’s Word
• [22:27] - A World of Unfinished Work
• [23:22] - Christ Has Finished the Work
• [40:05] - Grace, Mercy, and Peace in Jesus
• [40:20] - Jesus Is Not Self Employed
• [41:24] - The Harvest and the Workers
• [42:24] - Disciples Work Under the Master
• [43:21] - The Fiction of Being in Charge
• [45:02] - The Sword of God’s Word
• [46:22] - The Reward of Receiving Jesus
• [47:39] - Christ Makes His People Righteous
• [48:48] - The Little Ones and Heavenly Welcome
• [49:15] - Prayer Begins the Work
• [50:13] - Sent to Work for the Final Word

1. What specific tasks did Jesus give his disciples in Matthew 10, and how does he prepare them for resistance?
2. How does Jesus’ statement “It is finished” (John 19:30) contrast with the idea of unfinished work described in the sermon? [23:22]
3. According to the sermon, why does Jesus begin the work of the harvest with prayer? [41:24]
4. What does Jesus mean when he says, “Whoever receives you receives me” (Matthew 10:40)?

1. Why does Jesus emphasize that the harvest is “plentiful” but the workers “few” (Matthew 10:37-38) instead of focusing on strategies to complete the work?
2. How does the sermon connect the idea of “self-rule” to the American cultural emphasis on individualism? [43:21]
3. What does it mean for God’s word to act as a “sword” that ends our illusion of control, and how does repentance relate to this? [45:15]
4. How does Jesus’ identification with “the little ones” redefine what true greatness looks like in God’s kingdom? [48:48]

1. Where do you feel the pressure to “finish” work in your life (family, job, ministry) that only God can complete? How might trusting Christ’s finished work change your approach? [22:53]
2. The sermon says prayer begins the work because “none of this depends merely on one person.” What area of your life or community needs prayerful dependence on God rather than personal effort? [49:15]
3. How can you intentionally “receive” someone this week (a coworker, neighbor, or fellow believer) as if you were receiving Christ himself? [46:43]
4. What “sword” (truth from Scripture) do you need to let cut down a habit or attitude where you’re trying to stay “in charge” instead of surrendering to God? [45:15]
5. The “little ones” include those easily overlooked. Who in your life reflects Christ’s innocence or dependence, and how can you honor them as a sign of God’s kingdom? [48:48]
6. Jesus ties our reward to welcoming others. What practical step could you take to deepen partnership with other believers instead of working in isolation? [46:56]