Luke 10:2 kjv
Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
Luke 10:2 nkjv
Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
Luke 10:2 niv
He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
Luke 10:2 esv
And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
Luke 10:2 nlt
These were his instructions to them: "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.
Luke 10 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mt 9:37-38 | Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." | Direct parallel command. |
| Jn 4:35 | "...Lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest." | Spiritual urgency of ripe fields. |
| Acts 1:8 | "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." | Divine empowerment for witnesses. |
| Mt 28:19 | "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them..." | The Great Commission for discipleship. |
| Jn 9:4 | "We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day..." | Timeliness and urgency of performing God's work. |
| 1 Cor 3:9 | "For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building." | Believers are God's co-laborers. |
| Phil 4:3 | "...help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel..." | Recognizing and valuing fellow gospel workers. |
| 2 Tim 2:15 | "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." | Qualities of an effective spiritual worker. |
| Mk 6:7 | "And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two..." | Jesus commissions and sends out disciples. |
| Lk 9:1-2 | "He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority... And he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God..." | Initial sending of the twelve with power. |
| Rom 10:14-15 | "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?" | Necessity of sending laborers for people to hear the Gospel. |
| Eph 6:18-19 | "...praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert... and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly..." | Prayer for effective ministry and bold proclamation. |
| Col 4:2-3 | "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word..." | Prayer for open doors for gospel proclamation. |
| 2 Thess 3:1 | "Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored..." | Prayer for the swift spread and honor of God's Word. |
| Jas 5:16 | "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." | Emphasis on the efficacy of fervent prayer. |
| 1 Cor 3:6-7 | "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." | God's ultimate sovereignty over spiritual fruit. |
| Acts 13:2-4 | "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul...'" | The Holy Spirit commissions and sends workers. |
| Psa 127:1 | "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build labor in vain." | God's indispensable role in all endeavors. |
| Is 55:10-11 | "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven... so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose..." | God's Word accomplishes its intended purpose, implying His orchestrating power. |
| Joel 3:13 | "Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe." | Metaphor of ripe harvest for judgment or gathering. |
| Rev 14:15-16 | "...Another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, 'Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.' So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped." | Ultimate harvest at the end of the age. |
Luke 10 verses
Luke 10 2 Meaning
Luke 10:2 states that Jesus observed a profound imbalance: an abundant spiritual harvest (many people ready for the Gospel) but very few individuals prepared to work to gather them. Consequently, He instructed His disciples to pray earnestly to God, the owner and controller of this spiritual harvest, to actively dispatch workers into the field. The verse emphasizes the vastness of the opportunity, the scarcity of labor, and the absolute necessity of prayer to the Sovereign Lord for the deployment of His chosen people into the mission field.
Luke 10 2 Context
Luke chapter 10 begins with Jesus appointing and sending out seventy-two (or seventy in some manuscripts) other disciples beyond the original twelve, a broader circle of messengers. This dispatching marks a significant expansion of His mission, reaching into "every town and place where he himself was about to go" (Lk 10:1). The verse 2 sets the urgent tone and strategic need for this mission. Jesus knows His time on earth is limited and there's a vast need for the Kingdom message to be spread ahead of Him. Historically and culturally, "harvest" was a concept universally understood in an agrarian society, representing a critical, time-sensitive period of labor to gather produce before it spoils or is lost. Spiritually, it implies a time of spiritual receptivity among people. Jesus’ statement serves as a gentle polemic against spiritual inertia, challenging the assumption that outreach should only be the task of a few, or that divine action happens without human involvement. It emphasizes proactive, strategic evangelism rather than passive waiting for inquirers to come.
Luke 10 2 Word analysis
- He told them,: Signifies Jesus’ authority and direct command to the disciples He had just appointed and was about to send. "Them" refers to the seventy-two/seventy.
- The harvest: (Grk. ho therismos, ὁ θερισμός) Metaphor for people spiritually ready to receive the Good News of the Kingdom of God. It highlights the abundance of individuals waiting to hear and respond, implying a season of opportunity that should not be missed. This metaphor appears elsewhere, pointing to both spiritual ingathering and eschatological judgment.
- is plentiful,: (Grk. polys, πολύς) Indicates a vast quantity, a large number of people who are open or ripe for the message. This emphasizes the immense opportunity and the broad scope of the mission.
- but the laborers: (Grk. ergatai, ἐργάται) Refers to workers, those who actively toil and exert effort. They are not merely observers or well-wishers but active participants in the demanding work of gathering the harvest.
- are few.: (Grk. oligoi, ὀλίγοι) This creates a stark contrast to "plentiful," highlighting a severe disproportion between the task at hand and the available workforce. It underscores a pressing, critical shortage.
- Therefore: Connects the observed problem (plentiful harvest, few laborers) directly to the commanded action. It signals the logical next step the disciples must take.
- pray earnestly: (Grk. deomai, δέομαι) Conveys a sense of intense, fervent, and suppliant prayer, a strong request, rather than a casual wish. It suggests a profound recognition of human inadequacy and dependence on divine provision.
- to the Lord of the harvest: This identifies God (the Father) as the supreme authority and owner of the harvest. He is the one who controls the timing and deployment of workers, and His ownership emphasizes that the mission is fundamentally His, not merely a human endeavor.
- to send out: (Grk. ekballein, ἐκβάλλειν) A forceful verb, often translated as "to cast out" or "to drive out." Here, it signifies a strong, compelling divine dispatching or commissioning of workers. It implies God's decisive, possibly urgent, action in propelling individuals into service, even if they are initially hesitant, or by sovereignly overcoming obstacles.
- laborers into his harvest.: Reaffirms the necessity of having people to do the work and reiterates that the harvest belongs to God, ensuring that the mission is aligned with His will and purposes.
Luke 10 2 Bonus section
This verse establishes prayer as a critical and proactive component of mission, not a passive one. It emphasizes that while the human role is to labor, the divine role is to provide the laborers. The ekballein ("send out") word suggests that God doesn't just ask for volunteers, but powerfully compels or propels individuals into His service, overcoming their own hesitations or earthly attachments. This teaching contrasts with any notion that spiritual growth or evangelistic success depends solely on human strategy, manpower, or ingenuity. Instead, it places the ultimate authority and source of mission capacity squarely in the hands of the "Lord of the harvest." It also implicitly calls all believers to discernment: recognizing the ripe fields around them, understanding their personal calling as potential laborers, and engaging in fervent intercession for others to be divinely sent.
Luke 10 2 Commentary
Luke 10:2 reveals a foundational principle for Christian mission: the vast opportunity for spiritual gathering far outstrips the number of active participants. Jesus' observation, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few," is not merely a statistical note but an urgent call to action rooted in the spiritual realities of humanity. The "harvest" represents people, ready and receptive to the Kingdom message due to God's preparatory work, much like a ripe crop awaiting collection before it spoils.
The core command, "Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest," highlights divine sovereignty in mission. It's a humble acknowledgment that increasing the workforce is not primarily a human recruitment effort, but a supernatural act of God. We are called to supplicate to Him who owns the harvest, acknowledging that He alone has the power to call, equip, and "send out" (ekballein, often "to cast out" or "drive out") workers with divine urgency and empowerment. This "sending out" implies a compelling, supernatural deployment rather than mere voluntary enlistment. This command urges believers to move beyond concern to fervent, strategic prayer for more men and women to be sovereignly chosen and commissioned by God for the task of proclaiming the Gospel and making disciples. It underscores that all fruitful ministry flows from God's initiative, mobilized through the faithful prayers of His people.