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Matthew 9:37
Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest."
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Interpretation

Jesus teaches a harvest plentiful that is worked out in concrete decisions in Matthew 9:37—look for "harvest" and "laborers". Let harvest plentiful in the use of resources—carry peace past preference.

Context

The setting is Matthew—gospel narrative, developing harvest plentiful. Read in Matthew 9, its force becomes clearer. Listen for “harvest” alongside “laborers”.

Authorship & Historical Background

Long‑standing tradition credits Matthew to Matthew the disciple, once a tax collector. Many scholars judge Matthew as follows: Initially anonymous; tradition later assigns Matthew; engages Mark alongside a sayings tradition.. Scholars commonly date Matthew AD 80–90. Matthew appears framed for Jewish‑Christian community.. Jesus teaches as a new Moses figure. Readers often compare Matthew’s arrangement and sources with Mark and Q.

More details
Traditional:Matthew the tax collector
Modern scholarship:Anonymous; attributed to Matthew; uses Mark + Q source.
Date:AD 80–90
Audience:Jewish‑Christian community.
Manuscripts & Textual Witnesses
The Greek text is preserved in thousands of manuscripts. Early papyri (P46, P66, P75) from the 2nd-3rd centuries, along with major uncials like Sinaiticus and Vaticanus (4th century), provide strong textual witness. Minor variants exist but do not affect the core meaning.
Sources & witness notes
SinaiticusVaticanusP46