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Evangelism According to John the Baptist (Based on Matthew 3:1-12, Year A, Dec

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Evangelism According to John the Baptist (Based on Matthew 3:1-12, Year A, Dec Evangelism According to John the Baptist (Based on Matthew 3:1-12, 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 evangelist of the New Testament who didn’t mince words and who could be best described as a blunt instrument of God, hammering away his message of repentance to anyone who would listen. In this season of quiet joyousness and expectant waiting we call Advent, 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 Christ 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 Herod the Great was king. After his birth, very little is known about him other than in Luke's gospel where it is reported that he grew and became strong in spirit while living in the wilderness (Luke 1:80). Then, in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar's reign which would be about 28 or 29 C.E., we find John the Baptist preaching near the Jordan River. He is 1 described as a "wild" looking character clothed in a camel-hair garment that is said to eat locusts and wild honey. 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 Israelites entered the Promised Land and where the prophet Elijah ascended into heaven on a fiery chariot. 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 Qumran located nearby. Some scholars believe that John's baptisms 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 tax 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 Isaiah 40:3, 2 “A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD , 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 Messiah 2. The mission of the Messiah will be to baptize with the Holy Spirit 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, priest and pastor, though most evangelists and ministers tend to have a varying proportion of each. The prophet is one who speaks truth 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, faith statements, and doctrine of the church. Finally, the pastor is the shepherd of his or her flock. Pastors are big on mercy, and encouragement. Their preaching style may seem more 3 like a fireside chat than a highly motivated message filled with fire and brimstone. They are compassion and service oriented and place a high value on community and collaboration. Their vision 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 guilt, and prepare themselves for a messiah that only he knows is coming. He even goes so far as to challenge the morality and improprieties of the ruling authority. Remember that he disapproved of Herod Antipas' marriage to his own brother's wife, 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 believes 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 prophecy. With these individuals, John would have had to develop a certain mutual relationship where understanding and trust resided. Their common 4 vision of the love 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 worship and rituals, such as his baptisms, in order to convey the good news of God through word and action. So, what is evangelism? If we consult various church resources such as bible dictionaries, we come up with an amalgamate definition such as: Evangelism is a firmly held faith belief 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 the word convey God's love, but attitudes and actions, such as helping neighbours and caring for those that are ill, are equally effective in communicating the gospel of Jesus 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 forgiveness of sins 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 gospel of Luke’s version (Luke 3:1- 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 corruption and violence. 6 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 souls. 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 Christians deliver the good news in all its manifestations to those who search for it rather than merely offering it in word.
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