The Teaching: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” Jesus

The Practice: Feed the hungry, heal the sick, love the outsider, and break the social and religious rules of the pious in order to embody radical love, service, advocacy for the poor, the oppressed, and the immigrant.

Jesus embodied in himself what a son or daughter of God does when fully connected to God our “Father.” Spirit is hovering, filling and dancing over all creation looking for image bearers to embody what our creator desires for his creation. Sure, our life source could just redeem all the wrongs in the world, but has chosen to invite creation to be the hands and feet, the healers, menders, those who give life. As our creator gives life, so should we. We are the answer to our prayers, the answer to others prayers, Gods action on this state of existence. We can be the blessing and live out Gods Kingdom on earth, or we can bring about Hell, despair, separation and have a parasitical relationship with the earth and others. I don’t know why God has chosen this reality, but its clear that we have been chosen to be the hands and feet of the divine. Apparently we can embody self-interest, build an evil empire’s on the back of the poor, and exploit all beauty and corrupt the givers good gifts.

If we claim to be followers of Jesus then we need to emulate his life and teachings. Jesus didn’t ask his disciples to believe in him, but to follow him. This invitation still exist for us today and if Jesus was physically present he would invite us to feed the hungry, heal the sick, love the outsider, and break the social and religious rules of the pious. Any policy, rule, government, political party, institution or social regularity that alienates or oppresses a person is anti-Christ. Every generation, sub-culture, nation, people group and person is invited to reimage and embody these teachings afresh. God doesn’t need more people to believe, but those who are willing to embody Spirit. Jesus as teacher beautifully modeled what this looks like.

Matthew recounts Jesus saying, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” The context that Jesus said this was where he was healing, forgiving, inviting, restoring, inspiring and explaining. Every day those of us with eyes to see and ears to hear are invited into forgiving, healing, including, and restoring. If our politics, religion, or lives are not actively engaged in this invitation we are invited to return. If we insist in selfishness we corrupt our souls and strong rebuke awaits us. If we build a Hell on earth, the groans of those we oppress, persecute or abuse may be broken under our yoke in this life, but whoa be unto the unmerciful servant and isn’t known by the divine. Spirit will not receive deeds that are evil and oppressive in any age. We can pin the word Christian on evil deeds for a season, but the weeds of oppression will be separated from those who seek pure love. We all wonder off the path, but never forget that Jesus told us how loving our father is and how quick God is to include us in the restoring of all things. Now this is, “Good News.” We can live in the expectation that we have been included in the work of God here and now. We are invited to embody the teachings and power of Jesus, his radical love, service, advocacy for the poor, the oppressed, and the immigrant. You’re invited to this table, this life and to build communities a new that are in tune with Jesus. Lets become true followers of Jesus and return to him as teacher anew. Lets sit at his feet and learn what it means to follow him from him and not our religious institutions that seem to not be seeing or hearing the voice of the good shepherd. We must align ourselves with our teacher even if we find ourselves alienated from those who misuse the divine.