"therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.""
Introduction
This short verse, Matthew 9:38 — “therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” — comes at the close of a scene in which Jesus has been moved with compassion for crowds who are like sheep without a shepherd (Matt 9:35–38). In one sentence he gives a single, urgent instruction that links prayer and mission: ask God to provide workers for the abundant but needy harvest.
Historical-Cultural Context and Authorship
The Gospel of Matthew is traditionally attributed to Matthew (Levi), the tax collector and one of the twelve apostles. Modern scholarship often describes the author as a Jewish-Christian teacher who wrote in Greek in the late first century for a community steeped in Jewish Scripture and practice; some scholars place the community in Syria/Antioch or Palestine. Matthew’s narrative frequently shapes Jesus’ sayings to highlight fulfillment of Scripture and the teaching authority of Jesus.
This verse appears in a tightly knit literary unit (Matt 9:35–38) that emphasizes Jesus’ compassion and the need for workers; a closely parallel saying appears in Luke 10:2, indicating an early and widely held missionary theme in the tradition. The imagery of harvest is common in ancient Israelite prophecy and wisdom literature as a metaphor for God’s gathering of his people (see prophetic harvest images in the Hebrew Bible), so Jesus’ use of it would have resonated with his hearers.
Original-language details sharpen the sense of urgency and agency in the line: the Greek verb Δεήθητε (deēthēte) is an aorist imperative of δεόμαι/δεήομαι, properly rendered “pray earnestly” or “beg” — an urgent, single act of petition. The phrase κύριος τοῦ θερισμοῦ (kyrios tou therismou) literally means “Lord of the harvest,” and ἐκβάλῃ (ekballē) here carries the sense of sending or dispatching forth (from ἐκ- + βάλλω), while ἐργάτας (ergatas) denotes laborers or workers.
Characters and Places
Lord of the harvest — a title Jesus uses for God who governs and owns the harvest; in the Jewish context this primarily denotes Yahweh’s sovereignty, and Jesus directs prayer to him as the one who supplies workers.
Laborers — those sent to reap the harvest: in the immediate context this points to the Twelve and other disciples, and broadly to all Christians called to evangelize, teach, heal, and pastor.
The harvest — a metaphor for the people ready to receive God’s kingdom; not a geographic place but a description of the field of mission.
Explanation and Meaning of the Text
Taken in context, the command links Jesus’ compassion with the mission of the church. Seeing the crowds as “harassed and helpless” (9:36), Jesus declares the harvest plentiful but the workers few (9:37), then instructs his followers to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send out laborers. The flow shows both God’s initiative (he is the Lord of the harvest who sends) and human dependence (the community is to petition God) while also implying human responsibility to answer such sending.
Greek nuances matter: Δεήθητε as an aorist imperative conveys urgent pleading — not casual prayer but earnest intercession. Ἐκβάλῃ ἐργάτας properly communicates dispatching workers into the field; the verb’s force is directional rather than malicious. The agricultural metaphor would have been immediate and vivid to first-century hearers: a plentiful harvest asks for swift, organized labor before the opportunity passes. Theologically, the line affirms God’s sovereignty over mission and invites the church into a pattern of intercession, readiness, and obedience: we pray for workers, God provides or marks out workers, and those workers go into the field.
Practically, the verse supports both intercessory ministry (pray for missionaries, pastors, evangelists) and personal vocational discernment (might God be calling you to be one of the laborers?). It also warns of urgency: the harvest is now, and the need is great.
Devotional
When Jesus tells us to pray to the Lord of the harvest, he invites us into dependence and hope. Rather than leaving the mission to plans and programs alone, we are called to kneel and ask God — the sovereign owner of the field — to provide the people he knows the harvest needs. Such prayer changes the heart: it softens us toward the lost, aligns our desires with God’s purposes, and opens our eyes to the workers he has already placed among us.
At the same time this verse quietly asks each believer a personal question: will you be one of the laborers you ask God to send? Prayer and sending belong together. Let your petitions lead you to service: pray earnestly, listen for God’s call, and step into the field with humility and courage, trusting the Lord of the harvest to equip and guide you.