The "harvest is plenteous": A Promise People Will Always be Saved in Matthew 9:35-38?

 "The harvest truly is plenteous," Matthew 9:37.  Is this a promise that there will always be people who will be converted when the gospel is preached? Such a view is common among advocates of Keswick theology.  For example, John VanGelderen on the Revival Focus blog wrote:

Jesus said, “The harvest truly is plenteous.” The harvest is plentiful. Not will be, but is—right now. Since this is so, Jesus continued, “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” The sending is not just into His fields, but into His harvest! If words have meaning and if language has integrity, then within the sphere of your life and mine, there are people ready to be harvested right now. The Lord of the harvest—the Holy Spirit—has already done His preparatory work to help people become aware of their need. Now they just need the answer—Jesus. They just need to hear the message of the Gospel in power. ... The harvest truly is plentiful. This is more than a promised environment that someday “will be.” This is a present fact. It “is.” Amazing! When you embrace the fact of a ready harvest, it changes everything. ... One of my favorite stories of living according to the ready harvest comes from the life of a good friend of mine ... [a] missionary[.] ... When he began deputation he attended a Netcasters seminar, a course on the Spirit-filled life applied to evangelizing. God brought two truths home to [this person's]  heart: the power of the Holy Spirit though faith and the fact of a ready harvest—a particularly explosive combination. Quickly, he went from ineffective duty-witnessing to effective delight-witnessing.

This particular person who caught the Keswick doctrine now sees huge numbers of people pray the "sinner's prayer" all over the mission field.  While only a small percentage of them manifest a changed life comparable to the people in Acts 2:41-47--as is overwhelmingly the case when the Netcasters techniques are used instead of more careful methods of evangelism that plainly explain repentance--the fact that such large numbers of people can be led to repeat the sinner's prayer is proof that Matthew 9:35-38 is a guarantee that people will always be saved.  Other testimonials from various places similarly validate the Keswick explanation of the "harvest" being "plenteous."  Don't worry about the fact that this view of Matthew 10 would mean that the Lord Jesus Himself and His Apostles lacked the Keswick power since Christ was crucified with the consent of the large majority, while only a small number were truly converted.

Clearly, then, as is regularly preached in Keswick circles taking this view of the passage, if you are not "regularly" seeing people pray the sinner's prayer there is something wrong with you. You can't be right with God if there are not enough people making professions. Even if you search your conscience, ask God to show you your secret faults, and as far as you can tell, you have an upright heart before Him, you must really not be pleasing God because there are not enough people making professions. You clearly don't have enough faith, or you have not received the special Keswick power that you have read about others receiving in easy-to-read and interesting but too often historically inaccurate books on those who got the secret and obtained the special power.  There must be something wrong with you, because the phrase "the harvest truly is plenteous" guarantees lots of professions.

Or does it?

The "white harvest" in context

Matthew 10 is what Christ does and teaches based on Matthew 9:35-38. Christ teaches His disciples Matthew 10, and then He sends them forth to preach in Matthew 11:1.  Matthew 10:1-11:1 records the following (please read the chapter carefully):

10:1   And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. ² Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; ³ Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. 5   These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: ⁶ But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷ And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. ⁸ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. ⁹ Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, ¹⁰ Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. ¹¹ And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. ¹² And when ye come into an house, salute it. ¹³ And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴ And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. ¹⁵ Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. 16   Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. ¹⁷ But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; ¹⁸ And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. ¹⁹ But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. ²⁰ For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. ²¹ And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. ²² And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. ²³ But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. ²⁴ The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. ²⁵ It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? ²⁶ Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. ²⁷ What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. ²⁸ And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. ³⁰ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. ³² Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. ³³ But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. ³⁴ Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. ³⁶ And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. ³⁷ He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. ³⁹ He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. ⁴⁰ He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. ⁴¹ He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. ⁴² And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

11:1   And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.

So what does the Lord Jesus Himself indicate in Matthew 10 about Matthew 9:35-38's teaching concerning a white harvest?  He sends people out to preach--so we should go out and preach (10:1ff.). He teaches that God takes care of His people (10:8-10), so we should trust in His care.  He tells the Apostles to find a single place to stay for as long as one is in a location instead of floating from house to house (10:11), a good pattern. He commands the Apostles to greet people when they approach a house, and share the peaceful truth with them if they are open, but to shake off the dust from their feet as a sign of horrible coming judgment if they do not listen (10:12-14). Not only individual houses, but whole cities will be full of people who do not listen (10:14), and their judgment will be worse than that of Sodom (10:15).  He teaches His people to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves because they will receive severe persecution (10:16ff.).  In fact, all men will hate them and even family members will deliver them up to death; however, if they persevere in faithfulness to Christ they will be saved (10:21-22).  When persecution arises in one city, flee and go to another one because the work will not be done before the return of Christ (10:22-23). Since Christ Himself is slandered and persecuted, they should expect slander and persecution (10:24-25), but they should not be afraid because in the coming day of judgment all will be made right (10:26), so boldly preach the truth, and do not be afraid, for the Father cares for them (10:27-31). Fearlessly confess Christ before men and He will confess them instead of denying them (10:32-33). The gospel will divide families, but do not forget that at conversion they took up the cross and must continue to follow Christ despite opposition (10:34-39). If people receive them or help them, God will reward those people (10:40-41). Now go out and preach (11:1)!

Notice Christ never states, hints, or implies in Matthew 10 that the fact that He had spoken of a "white harvest" in chapter 9:35-38 means that there will always be people who will be converted.  On the contrary, Christ's explanation includes the warning that in entire cities everyone will reject them and they will need to flee.  He does not tell them, or breathe the slightest hint, that if every single person in a city does not listen it was their fault for not entering into the Higher Life or for not having the special power that makes people listen, or that it was their fault for not believing His (alleged) promise of a "white harvest" that means many people will always believe.  Rather than explaining the Higher Life secret, Christ just tells the Apostles to run away and go to the next city; it was the fault of the people who did not listen, not their fault, that they did receive the gospel. The Lord Jesus tells them over and over again, not "lots of people will always listen," but "persecution, persecution, persecution, persecution."  He tells them to keep going because the Father cares for them and because He will reward them in the last day, but never tells them to keep going because there are always people who are going to listen.

In the parallel passage in Luke 10 Christ also speaks of a "great ... harvest," and then immediately afterwards speaks of entire cities where nobody will listen.  Nobody who read the entire passage honestly would conclude that lots of people will always be saved based on the "white/great harvest" language of Matthew 10 and Luke 10.

So should we tell people what Christ told them is involved in going into a "white harvest," or should we tell them what Keswick theology teaches about the "white harvest," even if that means ignoring the immediate context of the passage?

What about the Old Testament harvest imagery that Christ was alluding to when He spoke of a great or white harvest?  The strong emphasis of the Old Testament harvest imagery in passages such as Micah 4:11-13 is coming judgment.  "The harvest is white/great" means "the harvest is ready to be reaped--judgment is coming!" according to the Old Testament, and according to Matthew's gospel just a few chapters later:  "the harvest is the end of the world" (Matthew 13:39). The judgment of the last days involves both the destruction of the wicked and the deliverance of the righteous, but the nearness of judgment justifying urgency in preaching is the point in Matthew 9:35-38, not that a large number will always respond to the gospel positively.  To ignore the Old Testament imagery of the harvest, and the use of the image elsewhere in Matthew, is to rip the harvest metaphor from its broader context, just as to ignore the verses immediately surrounding the passage rip the metaphor from its immediate context.

The book context of Matthew is also ignored in order to make the "white harvest" language into a promise that people will always listen to the gospel in large numbers:

9:35 and 4:23 mark an inclusion which underlines the importance of reading chaps. 5–7 and 8–9 together and, when linked with the emphasis on the mission of the disciples in what precedes 4:23 (vv. 18–22) and what follows 9:35 (9:36–11:1), provide a chiasmic structure which enhances the significance of the mission perspective for the whole body of the encompassed materials. 9:35–37 function as an introductory piece for the section that runs to 10:42 (11:1), which consists mainly of the second major discourse by Jesus in Matthew, in a set of five marked by a shared concluding formula (here in 11:1[)] ... Mt. 9:35 closely echoes 4:23 ... this time Jesus is explicitly named; ‘all the towns and the villages’ replaces ‘in the whole of Galilee’ (probably with the intention of being more general) ... Jesus’ ministry is freshly summarised/characterised after the expansiveness that has marked chaps. 5–9.

 John Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2005), 406–407.

In chapter 4:23ff. Christ never says that many people will always repent and believe.  He did have large crowds that wanted to be healed, but He never said that the number who were spiritually saved would always be large--on the contrary, He said: "strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:14).

So what?

So why does this all matter?  First, it matters because taking out of context Christ's language about a "white harvest" and telling others that many people will always believe the gospel is telling them a lie.  It is telling them what God did not say and claiming His authority for it.  Even if done in sincerity, whenever God's Word is distorted a great evil is perpetrated. Don't lie to people. Tell them God's truth.

Second, it is important because whether someone expects what Keswick theology tells him to expect, or what Christ told him to expect, has a huge impact on how he does ministry.  If an evangelist or church-planter believes the Keswick wresting of Scripture instead of Christ's actual promises he will become very discouraged if he finds out that what Christ said is actually true instead of what he wrongly thought Christ promised in Keswick theology.  He will conclude that something must be wrong with him and he is not pleasing God if there are not lots of people who are born again.  Instead of confiding in the Father's care in the face of virulent opposition, like Christ commanded in Matthew 10, he will pour over his Higher Life literature and try to find out how he is missing the secret power that will finally make many people listen all the time. He may quit the ministry altogether, concluding that he is a failure when he sees the persecution Christ promised instead of the big crowds Christ never promised.  He will probably water down the gospel message and start practicing man-made promotion and marketing techniques in order to get the crowds and numbers of professions he wrongly thinks are promised in Matthew 9:35-38.  He will not evaluate other churches based on whether they are trusting in the Father and boldly preaching the way Christ commanded in Matthew 10, but on whether they are seeing the numbers of professions promised by the Higher Life.  A church that is obeying Matthew 10 but seeing fewer professions will be rejected as a model for ministry or for fellowship in favor of one that is using marketing techniques and seeing more professions, or has "secrets to success" which cannot be discovered by careful exegesis of Scripture.  In short, he will displease God.  Whenever Scripture is twisted lots of problems come about.

So you need to believe what Christ taught about the white harvest--it means judgment is coming.  It means you need to boldly preach what He said from the housetops even when persecution comes--and it will come.  When it comes, trust in the Father's care, and remember that if you confess Christ before men He will confess you before your heavenly Father.  If you are not trusting in the Lord and are not consequently boldly preaching, and as a result you experience no persecution, there is something wrong with you. If lots of people are not listening, that does not prove that something is wrong with you.

Now certainly it is possible that if you are evangelizing to see a church established but people are not listening to you it may be that you are a bad example--if you are soon angry, or are not ruling your family well, or are a drunkard, or are not apt to teach, etc. (1 Timothy 3) then it is true that you are the problem.  But if you have an upright heart before God and are qualified, if you can say "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24), then don't worry about missing out on a secret Higher Life power that supposedly guarantees lots of visible results.  Keep boldly preaching, expect opposition, and trust in the Father's care. Do not change your practices one iota from what you can prove from Scripture based on anything invented by mere men.  Do not model your ministry after people who claim to have special powers but who distort Scripture to teach Keswick and are really just good at man-made marketing.  Fellowship with churches that derive their beliefs and practices from the Bible alone, and get the sweet encouragement that is truly offered in the Word instead of the false expectations and hopes offered by distorted theological errors.

It could please God in His grace to allow much of the seed of the Word to land on good soil, and you could have a big church like the one in Jerusalem shortly after Christ's ascension (Acts 2, 5). Alternatively, you could have a small church like the one in Philadelphia that highly pleased Christ (Revelation 3:7ff.) with not the slightest hint that they were doing something wrong because they were small. Reject the Keswick distortion of the "white harvest" and instead keep boldly preaching and obeying all Scripture in faith and love, in light of the fact that the harvest--judgment--is coming:  "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown" (Revelation 3:11).

-TDR