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Evangelism According to (Based on :1-12, Year A, Dec. 8, 2019)

Today, we hear the voice, a very unique voice, crying out in the wilderness in our Matthew scripture. It’s John the Baptist, an of the who didn’t mince words and who could be best described as a blunt instrument of , hammering away his message of to anyone who would listen. In this season of quiet joyousness and expectant waiting we call , I would like to highlight the evangelist John the Baptist; a man who has a very important role in preparing our way for the coming of the child.

In order to better understand just who John the Baptist was, let us begin by examining some of the historical, cultural, and social aspects of his time. John was born to mother Elizabeth (suspected cousin of Mary) and father Zechariah under miraculous circumstances around 6 or 5 B.C. while was king. After his birth, very little is known about him other than in Luke's where it is reported that he grew and became strong in while living in the wilderness (:80). Then, in the fifteenth year of Caesar's reign which would be about 28 or 29

C.E., we find John the Baptist preaching near the . He is

1 described as a "wild" looking character clothed in a camel-hair garment that is said to eat and wild . His choice of preaching location is interesting also. It should be noted that the Jordan River is extremely important as a resource, as it is the only source of water in the Judean area. It also has great symbolic meaning because it is a crossing point where the ancient entered the and where the ascended into on a fiery .

As John the Baptist preaches, he immerses individuals in the river as an expression of their repentance and readiness to receive God's coming

Kingdom. This ritual act of cleansing is practiced several times a day by the ascetic community of located nearby. Some scholars believe that

John's were influenced by this community. In appearance, John the Baptist is visibly at the lowest rung of the social ladder, as he stands by the river wild eyed and articulate. However, those that listen to his message are not much higher on the social scale either. They are collectors, soldiers and other people of low social order and means. These people, disillusioned with the established religious authority, are seeking guidance and direction in their lives and to be baptised. There is a messianic fervor in the air, and John the Baptist knows this, and further heightens it by quoting the prophet 40:3,

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“A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the ,

make straight in the desert a highway for our God. ”

John's message is new, bold, exciting and just a little bit dangerous. The charismatic John communicates to the crowd that his role is preparatory and his evangelical message is as follows:

1. Repent, change your ways for the arrival of the

2. The mission of the Messiah will be to baptize with the and fire

3. He witnesses that the Messiah is much greater than him and that he is not even worthy to untie his sandals.

When examining evangelists, there exist three main types: prophet, and , though most evangelists and ministers tend to have a varying proportion of each. The prophet is one who speaks to power, is very theologically motivated, tends to draw hard lines, can be confrontational, and is a proclamational preacher. The priest on the other hand is an interpreter of scripture, a thinker, a thoughtful preacher, a proponent of philosophy, ritual, tradition, statements, and of the . Finally, the pastor is the of his or her flock. are big on , and encouragement. Their preaching style may seem more

3 like a fireside chat than a highly motivated message filled with . They are and service oriented and place a high value on community and collaboration. Their tends to involve cooperation, missional thinking, outreach programs, personal counseling, visitations, marriages, and funerals. In light of these three brief descriptions, I believe John the Baptist would primarily be considered a prophet evangelist. I say this because here is a man who is challenging all those who will listen to abandon their wicked ways, admit their , and prepare themselves for a messiah that only he knows is coming. He even goes so far as to challenge the and improprieties of the ruling authority. Remember that he disapproved of ' marriage to his own 's , who divorced her husband in order to marry Antipas.

These pronouncements are quite brazen and potentially inflammatory. In true prophetic form, John speaks what he to be true regardless of what others think or the consequences that may follow. This is the way he chooses to communicate the good news.

I believe there may also be a smaller part of the man that is a pastor.

As a leader, John had his own followers who believed in him and his . With these individuals, John would have had to develop a certain mutual relationship where understanding and trust resided. Their common

4 vision of the they had for God would have drawn them close together in care and fellowship. Another small part of John the Baptist could be also considered a priest. Though I think he would have been short on procedure, format, and personal decorum in light of his background, I believe he would have still been able to provide rudimentary and rituals, such as his baptisms, in order to convey the good news of God through word and action.

So, what is ? If we consult various church resources such as dictionaries, we come up with an amalgamate definition such as:

Evangelism is a firmly held faith of one faith group in which it is not satisfied with simply accepting its truth, but being compelled to spread its faith message to all those they deem as unbelievers. This necessity to share their truth has at its core the intention of converting all those spoken to. In Christian evangelism, not only does the power of convey God's love, but attitudes and actions, such as helping neighbours and caring for those that are ill, are equally effective in communicating of Christ.

If we take John the Baptist's evangelic message in Matthew 3: 1-12 and compare it with the meaning of evangelism that was just stated, we

5 observe some differences and similarities. Let us begin with the differences.

As we can see, the intent of evangelism is to convert. In John's message, he says nothing about converting nonbelievers, nor does he speak of held beliefs common doctrine, or even faith for that matter. His focus is on repentance, the of and the seeking of mercy from God.

Another point is that this crowd John speaks to are not necessarily unbelievers. John chastises them by calling them a brood of vipers, yet they don't react adversely by hurling insults back at him, nor do they tremble in fear or drop to their hands and knees for mercy. Instead, they earnestly ask questions in order to improve themselves. I suspect this crowd knows John the Baptist and even enjoys listening to him speak. John seems to be working a relatively friendly and familiar crowd.

Let’s now move to the similarities of evangelism and John's address.

To do this, we should also include the ’s version (:1-

20) of this event. We note that attitudes and actions are now equally important in conveying the good news. John echoes this sentiment by essentially telling us and the crowd to feed the hungry, cloth the poor, share with others and oppose and violence.

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What is your definition of evangelism? Does it fall in line the dictionary definition or do you have another interpretation? In case you are wondering, here is my definition:

"Evangelism, as I see it, is my deeply held belief that God's gracious love through the gospel of Jesus Christ is available and accessible to all. It is not only through my proclamation of God's word that I seek to spread His great truth, but just as importantly, through my decisions, actions, and compassion. It is the living of my faith and its demonstration to others that forms the basis of my evangelism. God's words are essential in communicating his love to his children, but it is our gracious response in kind to these words which leave indelible marks in people's minds, hearts, and . This, I believe, is the strongest impetus for conversion and adherence to the Christian faith that we as believers can offer."

Here I surmise that merely being a believer when it comes to the good news is not enough. We must all work for the common good of every man, woman, child and creation. According to John the Baptist, God judges us by our actions and conduct. I would state that in doing so, we as deliver the good news in all its manifestations to those who search for it rather than merely it in word.

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Evangelism in whatever understanding we have of it and how we act upon it for the common good is essential in spreading the good news in a world that desperately yearns for a message of , peace, joy and love.

In this Advent season, let us channel some of our inner John the Baptist and change direction (repent) from our busy societal lives and make our path straight for the arrival of the Prince of Peace. .

Resources:

1. Dioceses of Bristol. Archbishop Justin's Priorities. December 2014. Web site.

Available from http://www.bristol.anglican.org/parish resources/evangelism/what-is- evangelism. Accessed 3 December 2019.

2. Hartman, and Marc Gellman. for Dummies . New York: Wiley

Publishing Inc., 2002.

3. Wikipedia. Online posting. Available from http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelism. Accessed 3 December 2019.

4. Shrum, Kevin. "What Evangelism is Not." The Christian Post , 27 September 2010.

Newspaper on-line. Available from http://www.christianpost.com/church & ministry.

Accessed 3 December, 2019.

5. The Revell Bible Dictionary (1990), deluxe colour edition.

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