Sent Forth as Harvest Workers

3. In what respect did Jesus’ early followers experience joy?

³ How the lives of early harvest workers​—particularly Jesus’ 11 faithful apostles—​changed on the day in 33 C.E. when they went to a mountain in Galilee to meet the resurrected Christ! (Matthew 28:16) “Upward of five hundred brothers” may have been present on that occasion. (1 Corinthians 15:6) The commission Jesus gave them rang in their ears. He told them: “Go . . . and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19, 20) Despite bitter persecution, they experienced much joy in the harvest work as they saw congregations of Christ’s followers being established in one place after another. In time, ‘the good news was being preached to all creation under heaven.’​—Colossians 1:23; Acts 1:8; 16:5.

4. Under what circumstances were Christ’s disciples sent forth?

⁴ At an earlier point in his ministry in Galilee, Jesus had summoned the 12 apostles and had sent them forth especially to declare: “The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.” (Matthew 10:1-7) He himself had “set out on a tour of all the [Galilean] cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news of the kingdom and curing every sort of disease and every sort of infirmity.” Jesus felt pity for the crowds “because they were skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:35, 36) Deeply moved, he then told his disciples: “Yes, the harvest is great, but the workers are few. Therefore, beg the Master of the harvest [Jehovah God] to send out workers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37, 38) Jesus’ assessment of the need for harvest workers was the same in Judea when only six months of his earthly ministry remained. (Luke 10:2) On both occasions, he sent his followers forth as harvest workers.​—Matthew 10:5; Luke 10:3.

6. In what activity did the apostles engage in the first century?

⁶ By the middle of the first century, the apostle Paul was busy preaching the good news. And his harvesting work was surely effective, for in writing to Christians in Corinth in about 55 C.E., he said: “I make known to you, brothers, the good news which I declared to you, which you also received, in which you also stand.” (1 Corinthians 15:1) The apostles and other early Christians were industrious harvest workers. Although the Bible does not tell us how many apostles lived through the momentous events ending in Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 C.E., we do know that the apostle John was still preaching some 25 years later.​—Revelation 1:9.