December 4 | Application (‘Something Is Missing’)

By David Faust  

Do you ever feel like you’re missing something, like in the movie Home Alone? While driving away from home, do you wonder if you left the lights on or forgot to lock the door? While preparing a meal, have you ever omitted an important part of the recipe?  

Matthew 9:36-38 mentions several missing ingredients.  

A CROWD WITHOUT A PURPOSE 

Jesus “saw the crowds” and “he had compassion on them” (v. 36) because, despite the crowd’s large size, he knew something was missing. Big crowds create excitement at concerts or sporting events, but the size of the audience isn’t all that matters. Priorities can be misguided. Sometimes big groups gather because of trivial things.  

The silversmiths’ union got upset when Paul preached in Ephesus. They thought the gospel was bad for business because customers who became followers of Christ would stop buying silver statues of the goddess Artemis. Soon a crowd of angry protestors filled the city’s outdoor theater and the frenzied crowd screamed for two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” The Bible says, “The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there” (Acts 19:32, emphasis mine). The crowd was large and enthusiastic, but the purpose of the gathering was unclear. 

Could the same be said about the church? When believers gather on Sunday, do we know why we are there? The church shouldn’t be a crowd without a purpose. 

HURTS WITHOUT A HEALER 

Jesus saw individual boys, girls, men, and women in the crowd who were “harassed and helpless” (v. 36)—otherwise translated as “distressed and dispirited,” “faint and scattered,” “confused and aimless.” Depressing words like these provide a realistic snapshot of the condition of lost humanity. They contrast sharply with the previous verse, where Jesus displayed his messianic authority by “healing every disease and sickness” (v. 35).  

Some hurts only the Lord can heal. The good news is, when Christ comes on the scene, we need not remain harassed and helpless. On this side of heaven, not every disease or sickness is healed, but no hurt goes unnoticed by the Lord. Even when the Great Physician withholds his healing touch in this life, we can be sure he will repair all our brokenness in the life to come.  

SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD 

Some people in the crowd didn’t look harassed and helpless at all. They appeared healthy and wealthy on the outside, but they couldn’t pull the wool over Jesus’ eyes. He knew their true spiritual condition. They were “like sheep without a shepherd” (v. 36).  

Shepherdless sheep are directionless, needing guidance . . . hungry, needing nourishment . . . weary, needing rest . . . thirsty, needing refreshment . . . vulnerable, needing protection from predators. Sheep can’t survive without a shepherd.  

A HARVEST WITHOUT WORKERS 

Jesus mentioned one more missing ingredient. “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few” (v. 37). On the farm where I grew up, every family member pitched in at harvest time. We would never leave a ripened crop in the field or let sweet corn, beans, and tomatoes rot in the garden.  

In the church, the bystanders, spectators, and critics are many, but the workers are few. Something is missing in God’s harvest field. Is it you? 

Personal Challenge: In the Lord’s harvest field, what steps will you take this week to sow the seed of the gospel or to help water, weed, or harvest a crop that is growing in someone’s heart?  

Author: David Faust

David Faust serves as contributing editor of Christian Standard and senior associate minister with East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the author of Not Too Old: Turning Your Later Years into Greater Years.