A Vision for Evangelism
Matthew 4:12-23
by Richard Gehring

I once saw a pastor on a Christian TV show telling of a man named Herman who had recently come to Christ as a result of the work of his congregation. Herman was a particularly rough sort of character and there was much rejoicing when he was baptized and joined the church.

The following Sunday, Herman came to the pastor and told him of how he had witnessed to a coworker. "That's wonderful!" exclaimed the pastor, "How did you go about it?" "Well," said Herman "I took my cigarette lighter and held his hand over it as I flicked it on. Then I told him `You think that's hot, just wait and see what Hell will feel like.'" The pastor was appalled at Herman's tactics and began explaining to him that this was not the way to go about evangelizing others. Herman interrupted and said, "But, pastor, I brought him with me this morning. He wants to be baptized." The pastor responded, "Praise the Lord!"

I have to admit that my own reaction was quite different. The approach that Herman took to witnessing is all too typical of what the church has done over the years. The attitude has been, "Do whatever works." Get people baptized. Get them to say the right words that somehow will magically save them. And whatever it takes to do that is OK, even if it means scaring them with an image of a harsh, angry God just waiting for a chance to send them to hell. The ends justify the means. But that's not the way evangelism has to be. That's not the way it should be. Indeed, that's not the way Jesus himself went about his ministry.

In Matthew 4, we find Jesus at the very beginning of his public ministry. Following his baptism by John in chapter 3 and his struggle with temptation in the wilderness at the start of this chapter, Jesus enters into a new phase when he finally begins to do the work that he has been sent to do. And central to that work is his announcement of “good news.” That's what “evangelism really means. The word "evangelism" comes from a Greek word that means "good news." This good news often was the pronouncement of victory in battle, but could mean any news that brings joy to the hearer.

The first section of today's text, verses 12-17, tell of Jesus beginning his ministry of good news by discovering a vision for that ministry. It's important to realize that Jesus didn't just wake up one morning and say, "I think I'll start my ministry today. Maybe I'll call a few disciples, maybe perform a miracle or two. We'll see how it goes." That's not the way Jesus operated. He prepared. He planned ahead.

I mentioned his time of preparation with John the Baptist. You'll notice that Matthew is very careful to point out in verse 12 that Jesus doesn't begin his ministry until John has ended his. As soon as he hears that John has been arrested, Jesus returns to his home province of Galilee to begin his ministry.

It's clear from the close association of these two figures that Jesus relies heavily on the ministry of John in shaping his own vision. In fact, when Matthew introduces John the Baptist at the beginning of chapter 3, he says that John "appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, `Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.'" If you look at verse 17 of our text, you'll find Jesus using those exact same words. Such similarity must be more than coincidence. Jesus took John's message and incorporated it into his own vision of ministry.

There is another factor here that also shapes Jesus' vision for ministry. You'll notice that Jesus, although he returns to his home province, does not settle in his home town of Nazareth. Luke tells us about a rather nasty incident that occurred when Jesus tried to bring his ministry to Nazareth. But Matthew offers some other reasons for Jesus' relocation to Capernaum.

Matthew quotes a prophecy spoken by Isaiah many centuries earlier. Isaiah foresaw a time when the region around the Sea of Galilee, a region on the fringe of the Jewish world, would become the center of a great revival within Judaism. The implication from Matthew is that Jesus has read this message from Isaiah and realizes that his ministry is exactly the sort of thing that the prophet had in mind when he spoke of a great light dawning on those who walk in darkness and dwell in the shadows. So Jesus identifies himself with this prophecy by locating in Capernaum, a village on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Based on the ministry of John and on scripture, then, Jesus begins his ministry. And he begins it with a brief statement, a statement that we've already seen has come from John, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." This statement provides a summary, a vision statement if you will, of what Jesus intends to do in his 3year ministry.

The phrase "kingdom of heaven" is a very important one in the Gospel of Matthew. It appears 30 times in this book. And the corresponding phrase "kingdom of God" is used no less than 70 times in the New Testament. "Kingdom of heaven" or "kingdom of God" is Jesus' way of talking about his mission. He describes his ministry as comparable to founding a nation, a nation that is based on godly principles. And all throughout Jesus' ministry he harkens back to this vision voiced for the first time in Matthew 4:17, the "kingdom of heaven." It is this concept that shapes and drives his entire ministry from this point onward.

We, too, must discover a vision for ourselves as the church today. What do we hope to accomplish? What should we be accomplishing? What are our strengths and weaknesses? What needs and opportunities exist in our community? All of these are questions that need to be explored as the church, like Jesus, discovers a vision for outreach and evangelism today.

Discovering a vision is, of course, only the first step. A vision doesn't do much good unless it is implemented. Jesus began implementing his vision of the kingdom of heaven right away. Verses 18-22 of our passage tells of how he called his first disciples. He invited his neighbors to join him in creating the vision he had been given.

Once Jesus has discerned his vision, he simply cannot keep it to himself. He goes out and calls others to be a part of the vision. In fact, calling them is an inherent part of his vision of the kingdom. The kingdom is not really the kingdom of heaven unless it invites others to become citizens of the kingdom.

You'll notice that Jesus goes out to find his disciples. He doesn't just set up a sign outside his home that says "Disciples Welcome" or run an ad in the paper, "Wanted: Disciples" and wait for applicants to respond. Jesus takes the initiative to go where the people are and invite them to become disciples. He goes to the Sea of Galilee where the fishermen are. He finds Matthew sitting at his tax collection both and invites him. He initiates a discussion with a Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well.

Time and again, we find Jesus in the course of his daily life encountering people, sharing with them about his vision of the kingdom, and inviting them to join him. Some respond. Many do not. But regardless of the outcome, Jesus remains faithful to his vision and continues to invite his neighbors.

Another thing I notice about these encounters that Jesus has is that he is always able to relate to others on their own terms. For example, in our text today Jesus is talking to fishermen, so he invites them to "fish for people." Now to someone who is casting a net into the sea and drawing fish into their boat, this image says a great deal. To someone in the middle of a desert, miles from any body of water, however, the image is meaningless. So, by contrast, when he talks to the Samaritan woman I mentioned a moment ago he talks instead about "living water."

All throughout his ministry Jesus spoke of himself and his mission, the kingdom of heaven, in terms that people could understand. In the pastoral setting of Palestine, he called himself "The Good Shepherd." To the crowd that he had fed just the day before using only five loaves and two fish he said he was "The Bread of Life." The very term "Kingdom of Heaven" probably had a lot more meaning for the people of Roman-occupied Palestine than for those of us who live in a relatively free nation at a time when there are not many kingdoms left in the world.

As we also seek to invite our neighbors, we can learn much from Jesus' example. We can learn from his initiative and courage to reach out to those he encounters in everyday life. And we can learn from his effort to make his message understandable to the common person.

This latter point is, I think, becoming more and more important in our increasingly urbanized society. The mostly agricultural images that Jesus used worked well in first century Palestine, but may need to be adapted to 20th century North America. For example, if Jesus had come into our sports-oriented society, he may have called himself "The Good Coach" instead of "The Good Shepherd." And perhaps he would have called people to "The Divine Nation" instead of "The Kingdom of Heaven." We need to find ways to speak of Jesus that have meaning for us and for those around us.

It's important to note also that Jesus' work does not end with the invitation. Indeed, in many ways the invitation is only the beginning. For as soon as he invites the disciples, he goes about including the ones who respond positively.

Once Jesus has called a few disciples, he immediately goes to work teaching, preaching and healing. Matthew never says so, but I imagine that the disciples must have been put to work in this ministry right away. Otherwise, he could have simply begun this ministry on his own.

Once again, though, it seems that Jesus has a plan. His vision of the kingdom of heaven not only calls for finding disciples, it also calls for putting them to work. After all, Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen. Jesus simply called them to become new kinds of fishers, not to give up fishing entirely. So I'm sure that as Jesus taught and preached, they did a lot of listening. But I'm also sure they were asked to assist in whatever ways they could as Jesus "fished" for people.

These four disciples are not, however, the only ones that are being included in this passage. The final verse speaks of great crowds flocking to Jesus from all over Palestine. All of the people that come are also being included in the kingdom of heaven as Jesus heals them and their friends. For a part of being in the kingdom is being made more whole.

The list of ailments that Jesus cures includes not only physical disease, but mental, emotional and spiritual as well. Including new people means including them not only in terms of involving them in various roles. It also means having an inclusive approach in terms of ministering to all people and to all of a person's needs.

We must practice that same inclusiveness. The vision we develop should be one that allows for different kinds of people with a variety of gifts and needs to be a part of the church. We need to make sure that those who come are made a part of the congregation and allowed to utilize the gifts they bring.

Having said this, there is also a caution that must be raised. There's a difference between inviting someone to use their gifts and demanding them to. As we include newcomers, we must be sensitive to their willingness and ability to serve. For example, some may be ready to serve in leadership roles after only a short time in the church, and we need to be open to allowing them. On the other hand, most will likely be uncomfortable in that role for some time, and we must resist the urge to pressure them to serve in ways they aren't ready. Jesus' vision allowed for various kinds of involvement. So should ours.

In the end, evangelism is not about threats and coercion. It is not about slick ad campaigns and in-your-face tactics. It is not about programs and pamphlets and publicity. Evangelism is about proclaiming in word and deed that the kingdom of heaven has come near through Jesus Christ, and welcoming others to live as citizens of that kingdom. As the church discovers a vision for sharing the good news of Jesus in our time and place, as we invite our neighbors to join in living out that vision, and as we include new people into the life of our community of faith, we follow in the footsteps that Jesus himself set forth.