Abstract
This study considers the verisimilitude of the harvest saying in Matthew 9.37–38 and Luke (Q)
10.2, specifically the opening statement that the harvest is plentiful but the workers few. By
‘verisimilitude’ is meant the tradition’s tendency to be viewed as realistic in its original sociohistorical
context. In other words, would the first listeners have nodded their heads in
agreement at the claim that the harvest is plentiful but the workers few? The focus here is not
on the logion’s possible metaphorical application, but on the literal saying, which involves
ancient agriculture. To address the verisimilitude question, the study will consider some
individual features of the logion itself, as well as the socio-historical context of farming and
harvesting in 1st-century Palestine and the Roman Empire.
Contribution: This study attempts to determine the verisimilitude of the literal claim that the
harvest is plentiful but the workers few. The author is not aware of any other study that
attempts to answer this verisimilitude question about Matthew 9.37–38 and Luke (Q) 10.2.
Answering this question is sure to contribute to the understanding and interpretation of the
chosen logion in the future.