Is Evangelism Optional?
Let’s face it: the Bible isn’t very direct in telling us that we need to share the gospel with other people. Sure, the Great Commission is a direct command, and Peter advises that we should always be ready to give an answer about the hope within us. Still, we might wonder whether we are personally responsible to obey the Great Commission, and Peter’s advice is for specific times (when we are asked questions). Could it be that evangelism is optional?
Admittedly, then, we don’t have many direct commands to share our faith. Still, sharing the gospel is essential to your faith. The Bible teaches as much. The concept of evangelism runs throughout the whole Bible. You can see this if you work through the whole Bible (as I show HERE). We can also see this by looking at a smaller section. The book of Matthew presents evangelism as foundational for the Christian life.
Matthew gives us a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at what is going on with Jesus. He says (in 4:15-16), “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.” This is remarkable: Jesus is light shining in the darkness; he is revealing who God is among those who are sitting in the misery of sin. It is part of the reason why Jesus comes to earth.
Only a few verses later, Jesus calls his first disciples, telling Peter and Andrew that if they follow him, he will make them “fishers of men.” Don’t fall for the trap, thinking that, ‘well, Peter and Andrew were apostles.’ That may be true, but Jesus’ call to them isn’t a specific call for apostles. Jesus is in the business of calling men and women to him. The call to Peter and Andrew isn’t a unique call. It’s the same call that we all encounter: the call to discipleship. Part of being a disciple, then, is to learn how to ‘fish for men.’
The call to Peter and Andrew isn’t a unique call. It’s the same call that we all encounter: the call to discipleship. Part of being a disciple, then, is to learn how to ‘fish for men.’
All throughout the book of Matthew, we find a huge emphasis on the Kingdom of Heaven. One of Jesus’ most encouraging words comes in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, where he tells his followers, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Every disciple is called to pursue kingdom work. But what is kingdom work?
Kingdom work, of course, benefits the kingdom. It is certainly internal (seeing the kingdom of God affect our lives as we learn to obey the laws of the kingdom and serve the King); it is also external: telling others about the kingdom.
Jesus pictures a day when individuals from across the globe (those from east and west) will experience the fullness of the kingdom along with the patriarches. This isn’t just for Israel: even a Roman Centurion will get to enjoy this experience. The disciples must have been shocked: when the disciples followed Jesus to become ‘fishers of men,’ could it be that they were also to expect gentiles among the catch? As Jesus reveals to them the extent of the kingdom, the disciples learn that this kingdom, which they are to labor for, will involve crowds of people that they don’t expect.
One day, as Jesus observed the milling crowds, he commented that the harvest was plentiful, but the laborers were few. He told his disciples to pray earnestly for the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest (9:36-38). Even today, this should challenge our understanding of the world. Rather than assuming that everyone out there is marching obstinantely to hell, offended at the mention of God, we need to believe that there are multitudes of men and women who are ripe to be plucked: men and women who might believe, if they were presented with the gospel.
Rather than assuming that everyone out there is marching obstinately to hell, offended at the mention of God, we need to believe that there are multitudes of men and women who are ripe to be plucked: men and women who might believe, if they were presented with the gospel
The problem that this harvest faces is one of manpower. Jesus is not saying, “you disciples aren’t suited for the work of harvest, but you should ask God to send others who are.” It wouldn’t make any sense for Jesus to say that, since he already called them to the work of discipleship, which involves fishing for men. Instead, the problem is that there aren’t enough laborers to bring in such a rich harvest as God could provide. We need reinforcements!
Farmers understand this: the harvest-period is not infinite. There is only so much time before bad weather ruins the crops, or they grow over-ripe and eventually rot. The spiritual harvest is the same way. There is only a small amount of time before the world ends or death destroys the multitudes. This means that gospel proclamation is an urgent task.
In the very next verses (Matthew 10), Jesus gives his disciples the ‘Small Commission.’ I call it this because it is not ‘Great’ but ‘Small.’ Rather than a call to make disciples of the whole world, Jesus limits his disciples to the people of Israel. Eventually, Jesus will provide a ‘Great Commission,’ but until Pentecost, the focus must be on the people of Israel. Eventually, the message of Jesus would bring hope even to Gentile hearts (12:21).
The disciples learned to be ‘fishers of men’ because they spent time around the master fisher. He expressed to them his deep compassion and care for people (15:32), such that it even led him to take care of their physical needs. As the disciples watched the care and compassion of Jesus for hurting humanity, they surely learned from him. Eventually, this would motivate them to spread his message. (If you don’t feel excitement for evangelism, ask yourself whether you feel compassion for suffering humans; the two are intimately linked, and they are also a gauge of your spiritual maturity).
In one story, Jesus describes God as a king who tells his servants to bring anyone they can find to a wedding feast (22:8-10). In this story, Jesus is unveiling his plan for the Kingdom. Those who were previously invited were the Jewish people, who reject God’s Kingdom; the next step is radical evangelism that invites anyone to participate in God’s Kingdom purposes. That is the commission, then, for all servants (disciples): to invite ‘as many as you find’ to receive God’s invitation.
In another story, Jesus teaches that all disciples are given resources, and one day, we must give account for how we used them. In the narrative, the wise servants make financial investments with their money, and the master rewards them. Surely, that is not the ultimate meaning today. Jesus wasn’t telling us that the mark of a wise disciple is the ability to turn $1000 into $2000. Instead, the mark of a wise disciple is the ability to steward what God gives us for the advancement of the Kingdom.
This brings us back to the question that we asked earlier: what does it mean to advance the kingdom? Again, the answer is the same: Kingdom advancement should be internal (learning to live as a citizen and serve the King), but at this point in the book of Matthew, it is also certain that Kingdom advancement is to be external as well: pointing unbelievers toward Jesus.
We already saw that Jesus gave his disciples a ‘Small Commission.’ At the end of Matthew, Jesus then gives them a ‘Great Commission’ (28:18-20). This time, it isn’t limited to ethnic Jews: the call is to make disciples of all nations. Matthew isn’t haphazard in ending his gospel at this point. Because the end of a book is often the most dramatic part, it is designed to teach you something. Matthew knew that Jesus would ascend to heaven, but he doesn’t include that part of the story, because he wants you to focus on something else. Now that you know what a disciple is and what kingdom priorities are, he wants you to be hit full-in-the-face with the significance of what disciples are called to do: make more disciples.
And if anyone wonders whether that is a call for everyone, or just a few, let me clarify. Through the book of Matthew, Jesus teaches about the church. (I could write an entire paper on the topic of ‘Church’ in the book of Matthew). He entrusts the church with privileges and responsibilities. Who is responsible for making disciples? The same ones who are responsible for ‘baptizing’ and ‘teaching.’ It’s the same people who have the promises of Jesus being with them ‘always’ – the church, which is the community of disciples. What this means is that you are part of the community that is responsible for seeing this happen.
The pioneer missionary Adoniram Judson, when preaching in an American church, described it this way:
“Do you, a professor of religion, love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity? Have you set your heart on that object which is dearest to his heart? Are you endeavoring to obey his great parting command?”
There is no direct command in the book of Matthew that says, “Christian, you must proclaim the Gospel!” Instead, there is something much more significant. Matthew recounts the way in which Jesus molded his disciples hearts, so that they cared less about fish and taxes, and more about men. He developed in them a heart for God’s Kingdom to advance. That same transformation is his intention for us today.
