Seeing What Jesus Sees: Living with Purpose in a Crowded World

What do you see when you look at the city around you?

If you’re anything like me, it depends on the day. Some days, I see the opportunities—great restaurants, good schools, new developments. Other days, I just see the traffic, the noise, the never-ending construction. And if I’m really honest, most of the time, I see the city in terms of how it affects me—how convenient or inconvenient it makes my life.

But in Matthew 9, Jesus gives us a different way to see the world around us.

As He moves through the towns and villages, He doesn’t just see crowds. He sees people. He sees their exhaustion. He sees their wounds. He sees their struggles. And when He sees them, He doesn’t shake His head in frustration or turn His focus inward. He is moved with compassion.

Compassion—that’s the word Matthew uses. Not just pity or concern, but something deeper. Compassion means to suffer with. It’s a response that moves from feeling to action. Jesus sees brokenness, and His immediate response is to step toward it, to meet people where they are, to bring healing and hope.

And then He does something unexpected.

He turns to His disciples and says, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest field.”

In other words, Jesus doesn’t just invite us to see like He does. He invites us to move like He does. He wants us to step into His purpose, to be the ones who proclaim good news and tangibly make people's lives better—right where we are.

So how do we do that?

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1. Pray for Eyes to See What Jesus Sees

Most of us don’t wake up naturally feeling compassion for the people around us. But we can ask Jesus to help us. A simple prayer I’ve prayed for years is, “Lord, let me feel what You feel when I see what You see.”

What would change if that became our daily posture? If, instead of seeing people as obstacles or background noise, we began seeing them as Jesus does—harassed and helpless, longing for good news?

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2. Step Into the Harvest Where You Are

Jesus describes the world around us as a harvest—not a wasteland, not a lost cause, but a place filled with people who are ready for hope. The problem isn’t that people are unwilling to hear; it’s that so few are willing to go.

Maybe you’ve been waiting for some grand sign to step into God’s purpose. But what if your greatest opportunity is already right in front of you? What if your street, your school, your office, your gym is the very place Jesus is inviting you to step into the harvest?

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3. Ask God to Send More Workers

Jesus’ invitation to His disciples wasn’t just about their personal involvement—it was about the bigger picture. The need is massive, and it’s bigger than any one of us. That’s why He tells them to pray.

When we pray for God to send more workers, we’re aligning ourselves with His heart. We’re acknowledging that the mission is His, not ours. And often, as we pray, He stirs our own hearts to step forward in new ways.

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Where Is Jesus Calling You to Step In?

Maybe your next step is simply to pay attention—to start seeing your neighborhood, your workplace, your school as a harvest field, filled with people longing for hope. Maybe it’s to be intentional in your conversations, looking for ways to proclaim good news and meet real needs. Maybe it’s to pray—for your city, for your neighbors, for more workers to be sent into the harvest.

But whatever it is, don’t wait. The fields are ready. The time is now. And Jesus is inviting you to join Him in something bigger than yourself.

Reflection Questions

1. When you look at the city or community around you, what do you tend to see first? How does that compare to the way Jesus sees people?
2. Who in your daily life might be longing for good news but looking in the wrong places? How can you be intentional in pointing them toward hope?
3. Have you ever asked God to send more workers into the harvest? What would it look like for you to join Him in that work?

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