The text this morning is from the Gospel according to Matthew, the fourth chapter:
Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
Epiphany would be a meaningless season for us if we missed the obvious evangelistic implications for us. Christ will not be made known to the Gentiles if the Gentiles are not told the good news of Christ’s salvation. If Paul had only gone to the Jews, the fame of Christ would not have spread through the Roman world. If the apostles had not been sent to the farthest reaches of the world, even to their deaths, the Gentiles would never have turned and our ancestors, and maybe even us, would still be worshipping at the base of some tree somewhere.
Evangelism, telling another about Christ, is absolutely essential to the Christian life. The Christian will evangelize. They must. If you have been redeemed through the blood of Christ, bought back from sin and welcomed into the new life that lasts forever, you should want to bring others with you; you’re going to desire that all people should feel as you do. This namby-pamby junk that’s out there today that says to live your truth is damnable. There’s no your truth; there’s only the truth, and that’s Jesus. If people believe in something else, if they disregard Him, if they reject Him, they are going to hell. They will suffer eternally. And if you just go along with them, if you give in to their delusions of righteousness, then, really, you hate them.
I’m not saying that we get to be jerks to them. I’m not even saying that you have to warn people right away. But, if you’re not giving them the Word as you live and breathe with them, then you’ve got to really wonder what your motivations should be. We should be so inspired by our Lord and Savior that we desire to bring everyone with us. Why aren’t we?
In the text today, Jesus Himself specifically goes to a place where He will find people who need to be brought to Himself. He’s going to a place in Galilee, where there are already many Gentiles living, and specifically to Capernaum, a town in a land prophesied to be brought from great darkness into the light. And what does He do there? He preaches. He tells them to repent. He’s not willing to leave the Gentile sinners in their sins; He desires to save them all. He lived there among them.
I don’t know about you, but every few months, the idea of taking my family and disappearing into the wilderness with a couple other Christian families and living in some type of commune sounds pretty great. Recusing myself from the world and living in a Christ-like way where I don’t have to keep on defending myself or keep on getting disappointed with the stuff I see out in the world seems quite lovely. But if my Lord goes into the places where He will be most despised, how can I do anything different? And if He goes to a place and lives among people who are so antithetical to the standards of God’s Law, how can I do anything different?
The reality is that the vast majority of our neighbors are likely just like the people of Capernaum, unbelievers, caught in lives of sin. Our job is to be the light of Christ to them. You know, Jesus didn’t run around whipping everywhere He went. That was just in the Temple, where people we desecrating the house of God. When He lived among them, we can see how Jesus was. He was present, He was kind, compassionate. But He spoke the truth. He didn’t shy away from it. He told them to repent, the kingdom of heaven was at hand.
This, by the way, is a great thing to point out: that Jesus Himself is the embodiment of the kingdom of heaven. Through Him, God reigns. Through Him, the mercy of God is evident, but that mercy only comes through Christ and His death. And that mercy can only come upon those who believe in Christ and trust Him for their salvation. So, when Christ comes to a person, or stands among people, literally, the kingdom of God is there. And when He’s standing before you, and the kingdom of God is in front of you, your response, out of shame for your sin and love for His holiness, should be to repent.
But not everyone does. Many will reject that call, just as many rejected Christ, just as many reject you. Living at peace with others will not guarantee that people will like you, live peacefully with you, listen to you. In fact, because you are a Christian, many will persecute you, revile you, hate you. You will be slandered on His account. But that doesn’t stop us from being called to do our duty. The Christ who revealed Himself to the nations now calls us to Him to the nations. So He did; so we do.
Just as our Lord called to Himself disciples to spread the Gospel of His Word, so, too, does Christ call you. You may not have accompanied Him on His missionary trek, but you are spending a great amount of time with Him, learning from Him, gaining strength from and through Him. You are now called by His grace, called by the one who gave up all for you, to follow Him. And follow Him you shall, not just to your neighbors, not just to your communities, but to your deaths. This, after all, is what awaited His disciples, deaths out of love for those whom Christ died.
As Christians, we do look to the example of Jesus Christ, that He laid down His life for those He loved, and so did His disciples, and so should we. This is what true evangelism is: going to the place where you are not loved to share the greatest love they’ve ever known. Again, I’m not saying beat them over the head. I’m not saying be a total jerk and tell them everything you think they’re doing wrong. Live near them. Help them. Love them. Love those around you. Serve those who are with you. Give up everything you have and love for the sake of another. And as you do, share the reason for the hope that you have within you, that they may come to the same faith that has been given to you.
That which we have from the Lord is so great, that we should want to share it with the world. And, yes, again, if you don’t feel that desire to share it, then we need to take a look at your motivations. But you have the Christ who has died for you. The one who has indwelled you. The one who promises that you will be raised from the dead. The one who gives you all things. Our Lord Jesus Christ died to redeem you, to forgive your sins, to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. And you are. You are all of these things. You, who were once far off, you, who have had the Christ manifested to you, you who were once an enemy of God, are now called to the greatness of His light, called to the fame of Christ, called to the tenderness of His mercy. So He has called the world and you. And there you shall remain as His disciple forever. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment