We have found the Messiah!

On the next day, John again was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” And the two disciples heard him speak and followed Jesus. And when Jesus turned and noticed them following, He said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day. It was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. When Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

John 1:35-42

Introduction

Even from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, evangelism played a key role. Right from the start, Andrew finds his brother Simon (Peter) excitedly in order to tell him, “We have found the Messiah!” It’s such an interesting thing to me how many atheists/agnostics will say something like, “if God wants me to believe in Him, He can give me a sign.” Yes, He can absolutely give people signs. He can do anything He wants. But He chooses to accomplish His purposes through mediators.

For any given time, that mediator might be supernatural like angels (Deuteronomy 33:2; Hebrews 2:2), or entirely natural like a human army (Isaiah 10:5). And for His most important work, He chooses to use His Church, that is the entire body of believers (1 Corinthians 12:27).

When I was in college, I had the privilege of hearing a Romanian pastor (twice) who was imprisoned, tortured, and ultimately exiled for the crime of preaching the gospel. He refused to conform his words and messaging to the desires of the Soviet Communist Party and was punished for that. During his message, he told a little parable that stuck with me. It went something like this:

After Jesus ascended to heaven, He looked down on the newly minted apostles with joy at what they were about to accomplish with the help of the Holy Spirit. He turned to the heavenly host and told them of the mighty things they would do as the gospel spreads to the ends of the earth. One timid angel stood up and objected, “But Lord, what if they fail?” In response, the almighty stated, “Then I have failed.”

What always stuck with me about this apocryphal and invented story is the paradox implied. God cannot fail. But if God cannot fail, then that also means that the Church cannot fail. Because He has promised to be with us and to send the Spirit to guide us and preserve us (Matthew 28:20; John 14:16; Matthew 10:19). We are the means by which He has and will continue to spread the good news of Christ’s resurrection.

Being willing to let go

Another striking element of this section to me is how quickly and willing John was to send his disciples away to follow Jesus. When he saw the Lord, he immediately recognized Him and proclaimed, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” And then (at least) two of his disciples turned to follow this Lamb of God. How many leaders today are willing to let followers go to anyone else at all?

It is an incredibly difficult thing to build up a following, whether that is a ministry, business, or social, and then to send your followers away to someone else. This is an unfortunately frequent occurrence among disgraced pastors who have disqualified themselves for one reason or another only to pop up in some other location with a brand new ministry where they try to recapture their original following.

But John lets them go without a second thought. He understands his place in the framework of God’s plan for this particular time and place, and is pleased to point people to Jesus.

Sharing the gospel

Isn’t that what evangelism is at its heart? Pointing people to Jesus is the whole, well, point. It is the God-ordained means to bring people into a proper relationship with Himself. That is why Jude is comfortable using such strong terms of agency when he says you ought to, “others, save, snatching them out of the fire.” God lovingly allows us to participate in His plan of salvation, giving us the simple blueprint for doing so: point to Jesus.

This is the exact advice Paul follows when he goes on his missionary journeys. Consider 1 Corinthians 2:1-2, “And when I came to you, brothers, I did not come with superiority of word or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the witness of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” Nothing more is needed. No fancy arguments, clever answers, or persuasive words will ever be enough to save someone’s soul. But Jesus Christ and Him crucified – now He is enough.

Evangelism really is that easy and that crucial all at once. Without it, the plan of God fails. Without it, darkness prevails. But God cannot fail, and so your evangelism cannot fail. Even though you will share the gospel with many who will reject it, your evangelism still has not failed.

May the Lord bless you and conform you into the image of His Son.