Saying 73

English

Jesus said, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. So ask the Lord to send out laborers to the harvest.’

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Interpretation

Jesus stresses that the work his disciples are being prepared for is difficult or large-scale, but that there may not be enough of them due to the strict requirements to become such a disciple. The simplicity of the saying, its lack of introspective theology, puts it on the far early end of the book’s development.

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Parallels

Matthew

9.37–38 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers to his harvest.’

Luke

10.2 He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers to his harvest.’