The evangelism of Jesus

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

Preface 7

I. For the Devout Soul n

Preface

This little volume is intended for the use of earnest people who desire to acquaint themselves with the evangelistic teaching of our Lord. It is neither a scholarly study nor an exhaustive treatment of the subject. It may claim to be a popular presentation of the fundamental truths which form the basis of the work of making Christian disciples. It does not deal with the application of practical methods. These are left to those more familiar with them through experience in the active field of evangelism. It seeks to discuss and elucidate the evangelism of Jesus from the viewpoint of experience. It asks the questions, How did Jesus approach men ? Did he always use the same means of presenting truth? What was his goal in dealing with the souls of men? As a spiritual leader, in what respect was he different from other religious teachers? What is the distinctive fact in Christian salvation? It seeks to discover the effects of the influence of Jesus upon the souls of those with whom he had to deal. In this, it avows, is revealed the revelation of God's power to transform men and manifest himself to them in a new way, producing what is known as the Christian conception of God. In each instance of the personal evangelism of Jesus there is a manifestation not only of duty but of the spiritual capacity of the human soul, which brings a revaluation of both the divine and human spirit to every generation of men.

The evangelism of Jesus was always that of personal contact. The conversion of Saul of Tarsus seems to be an exception. However, the contrary is true. It resulted in his finding the invisible and glorified Christ, and in revealing the evangelism of the Holy Spirit who functions against opposing forces as the wind gathers strength when confined by towering walls. Many of the fundamental questions of religious experience appear for discussion in these studies. They will receive answers, it is hoped, that will not only satisfy the mind but lend enthusiasm to follow Jesus in his interest in the souls of men as they grope in the darkness,

PREFACE feeling their way toward God and the living of a righteous life. With a prayer that they may be an inspiration to many, these studies are submitted to those who love him who has bought us with his own precious blood, and taught us the way of life through the ministry of his Holy Spirit.

The prominence of the doctrine of the Trinity at any given time will depend upon the thought of the time. It is not likely to be at the front when the living controversies of the age relate to theism itself. In defending the reality of God against materialism and agnosticism few will discuss the inner mode of his existence; it is enough to maintain his personality, his character, and his relation to the universe. But this does not disprove the truth and value of the doctrine. It may even be vital in the life and thought of a period when it is not prominent in discussion. At the present day there is less defense and less proclamation of the Trinity than at many other times, but the doctrine itself is more vital than in many periods when it was more thoroughly elaborated and defended. —W. N. Clark.

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Chapter I

The Mystical Type The Spiritual Approach Differential Evangelism The Conversion of Nathanael

Scripture: John i. 43-51

The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and fmdeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.

Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile !

Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

Jesus answered and said unto him. Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these.

And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

We pray, O Lord, for guidance as we pursue this study of thy methods in dealing with the souls of men. Thou canst make real thy world of spirit and quicken our perception of it. We want to know more about thee. When we think of thy kindness and thy tender mercy toward us our hearts are strangely warmed. What can we do to please thee but to open them for thy presence? Reveal to us the secret of communion with God our heavenly Father. Teach us how to trust and exercise our spiritual powers. Save us from being sensebound, and from living under a starless sky, from the compulsion of walking in darkness when thou didst come to show us the way of light. Our hearts yearn for thee to teach us the difference thou canst make in a life of faith. When we go apart for prayer give us great quiet. Help us to shut out the world with all its restlessness. Help us as we linger to think only of thee, to release our emotions and feel only for thee. Train our spirits to hear thy voice, to attend unto thy will, and to trust thee as always loving us, regardless of our irresponsiveness, and even our sin. What more could we ask of thee, when thou hast provided for us with such bountifulnessf We feel that we must grow from more to more. Wilt thou then give us enlargement of spirit, quickness of perception, and assurance of thy protection.

We have ever sought the way of devout souls. We come to study it as those who search for hidden riches. We have found it in our anticipations filled with an endless interest that deepens with the years. We have sought to enjoy its blessing. It has brought to us prophecy of a masterful life, the exhilaration of experiences that have grown eloquent in their appreciation of thy wise provision for all who love thee. It has brought us days when doctrine supported our life, and faith directed our course, and confession lightened our burden. We pray that our path may always lead upward from the world of the profane and the godless. For there are levels of life where faith suffers and despair plays havoc with the soul. Teach us the difference Christ can make in our lives. Help us to realize his power of enrichment and to see the beauty and grace he bestows upon those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Bring us to the daily confession of him as our Lord and our God. Amen.

The evangelistic methods of our Lord were always determined by the character of the one with whom he had to deal. He had no systematized plan of approach. No religious formula or established precedent was followed by him. Every man presented a different problem and required a distinct line of treatment. His evangelism, therefore, cannot be reduced to hard-and-fast rules. No man by merely studying his teachings and following his dealings with men can deduce a list of fundamental principles to serve as a guidebook for his evangelism. In all his sayings there is but one sentence that may be received as indispensable, with universal application as an evangelistic principle : "I am the way, the truth, and the lif e : no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." These words carry an elemental truth. No matter what methods may be required to deal with any specific case, this one thing is strictly fundamental, the evangelism of Jesus begins with Christ — "No man cometh unto the Father but by me." Apart from this claim as the initiatory step, no extended uniformity can be traced in the Master's dealing with men under the evangelistic impulse. However, there are many varieties of men. No two of them, it is claimed, are alike. Upon close analysis, however, they readily classify themselves under various types. In this field we find the material for the study of the evangelism of Jesus. There are always individuals who possess characteristics peculiar to a group. They are said to be typical members of that group. Whatever may be said of them as individuals, may also be said of the group. Any method successfully used in dealing with them may be reasonably expected to apply to others of their kind.

We find in searching the teachings and life of Jesus six different incidents in which he deals with as many different types, illustrating the methods of his evangelism. The conversion of Nathanael presents the mystical type, illustrating the methods of differential evangelism by the way of a spiritual approach for the devout soul. The conversion of the woman of Samaria presents the defective type, illustrating the methods of initial evangelism by the way of a moral approach for the sinful soul. The conversion of blind Bartimseus presents the afflicted type, illustrating the methods of collective evangelism by the way of a physical approach for the importunate soul. The conversion of the thief on the cross presents a radical type, illustrating the methods of the evangelism of the cross by the way of a sympathetic approach for a distressed soul. The conversion of Saul of Tarsus presents a fanatical type, illustrating elemental evangelism by the way of a concealed approach for a violent soul.

The Mystical Type

The character of Nathanael illustrates an intense spiritual nature, known as the mystical type. It has a way of perceiving God that makes him most real. It has also more than ordinary power to open the receptive functions of the soul for spiritual impulses. This results in inward illumination and , poise, bringing marvelous and almost irresistible influence over the impulses that control the body in which the spirit of man dwells. It presents a frequent demonstration that man is a soul, that he is not a prisoner in his brain dome with no avenues outward but those of the five physical senses. The mystic is an individual in whom the intuitions are especially free and active. He early learns how to shut out the world in the hour of meditation and prayer ; how to rest the body, quiet it into a passive state, and to make his mind active. With all spiritual or mental functions operative, with the influence of the physical reduced to its lowest level, he is in that position where God may speak directly to his soul, when j it may be said of him, "Flesh and blood hath not revealed it J unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." In the mystical experience comes one supreme and all-pervading thought of God as an indwelling Power, and the consciousness of direct communion with him. Indeed, "God ceases to be an object and becomes an experience." A thirst for him is created that makes all the functions of the soul yearn for him. It brings into the realm of reality, through experience, Saint John's love-words, "We love him because he first loved us." It claims to know him without intermediary and as it were face to face, in the most natural way, with a mental approach to him through love. For the lover cannot bear anything between himself and his beloved. Furthermore, it furnishes the soul with the mystical method of self-discipline, to be used for purgative and practical ends, and to be trusted as the true and only safe approach to that holy life so ardently desired, and without which no man can see God.

It is verily true that the human personality is intended to be a clear mirror of God; in which his image and similitude can always be seen. Those acquainted with the mystical experience realize the truth of Tennyson's words, "closer is He than breathing, and nearer than hands and feet." For the soul of man is a spiritual universe in miniature, in which Christ is born to give life and shed light abroad, and to open the way to God. It was even so with Nathanael, the mystic, as we shall see. He was waiting the coming of Him whose presence would bring life and make glad his spirit with a new faith through the fulfillment of the age-long hope of a devout Israelite.

The Spiritual Approach

The spiritual approach is one of a number of ways to reach a man's soul. In the case of Nathanael it was the direct route. By prayer and meditation he kept the spiritual highways of his life open. To touch any one of them meant immediate welcome into the inner experiences of his soul. His enlightenment is an illustration of Christ's method. He knew that the same approach could not be made to all men. What would reach one would fail with another. Every man goes across the field of human experience his own way. Hence the same gospel message will not reach all men. Each man is found for Christ when a gospel truth comes home to him, that is, when some part of it for which his moral and spiritual history has prepared him falls across his life. The man living an intemperate life is not moved by the condemnation of the profane or the gambler or of the murderer. He must be approached over another route. In other words, as a fundamental proposition the evangelism of Jesus always takes into account a man's moral and spiritual history. Intuitively he discovered the direct approach in all men with whom he came to deal. He knew that every man should hear in his own tongue the wonderful works of God; that is, the tongue he could understand, the one that would appeal to him, that would seem most wonderful to him. Until that moment appears the gospel seems void and limited. When suddenly some hitherto unstruck note goes flying home to him he gives attention. His soul leaps into action, in anticipation, and ready in all eagerness. The one way to reach his soul clears, and the word of truth sheds the light of God forth, bringing confession and acknowledgment. The sensitive soul of Nathanael was hidden away in the garden of mystical communion. No new light could reach him excepting over that spiritual approach toward God, and the fulfillment of his faith.

Differential Evangelism

Differential evangelism is characterized by the fact that it introduces into the spiritual life a new dynamic which cannot be developed by the soul through the exercise of its own powers. In this form are to be found the chief distinguishing features of the work of Jesus in developing the spiritual life. It answers to that need of the human spirit for frequent releases of new impulse and energy. Christian doctrine and truth have power to maintain the soul at the zenith of its capacities, changing the emphasis, making a difference in coloring and emotion, accentuating distinctions, and producing an endless variety of truth in its appeal to the soul. For this there is a threefold demand:

First. Doctrine and truth meditated upon for any length of time lose their power to produce enthusiasm for moral initiative, and the soul settles into a mechanical life in which goodness becomes the embodiment of a ritual and the expression of a habit.

Second. Christian truths go into eclipse unless they are renewed from day to day in experience. They move into the shadow of those less worthy of consideration. They must be constantly supported by new light to keep them fresh and out in full sight above our intellectual horizon.

Third. The life of the soul has a tendency to reduce itself, to lose its abounding enthusiasm for the things of the spirit. The weight of the physical, the handicap of the passions and appetites of the flesh, the daily toil with its exhaustion, tend to restrict, discourage, and subdue the abundant expression of the spiritual life. Unless an evangelistic emphasis that seeks to make a difference with believers is introduced at intervals, the life of the spirit is reduced to the lowest level. If there is offered no change from the old forms, the old types, the old experiences, the old threadbare truths, life becomes a wilderness and a solitary place. If at times a man's religion cannot make a difference for him in hope and faith and heart, he is lost.

The Conversion of Nathanael

Nathanael is an illustration of a devout man finding new soul-impulse. As an Old Testament believer he was devoted to all the forms and ceremonies of the Hebrew religion. Indeed, he was acquainted with the history of Israel and the message of her prophets. To him the Holy Land was the dwelling place of light. Through the providence of God he was of a distinguished and peculiar people. The past may have been dark, but to him it bore the marks of God's hand. The future was altogether bright. It carried the halo of his hopes. Upon the hilltops of futurity rested his cherished hope of the coming Messiah. He enjoyed all the precious promises of the Sacred Scriptures that lent charm and enchantment to the spiritual life. He was a devout man, living a life of daily communion with God. He had realized in experience the blessings of prayer. He had his hours and his place of religious meditation, and had become a circumspect and upright man. He was an Israelite in whom there was no guile ; that is, his devotion and sincerity had so influenced him as to eliminate the family trait that marked his forefather Jacob, whose guile made him rich in cattle and flocks. But Nathanael had found in his worship of Jehovah the spiritual values that make a changed man. Among a people noted for the cleverness of their guile, he was known for the beauty of his guilelessness. He had all his religion could be expected to furnish him — the power and satisfaction of an upright life. What more could any religion do for him? He had found the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Is not that the purpose of the highest religion? If the believer has been led to the worship of the true and only God, what more can be done for him? Could anything beyond that be recognized as highly supplementary? If he had reached the altitudes, why call him to Jesus? Can Christ do more for a man than cleanse him from guile? This faithful man had climbed to heights of personal perfection known to few men. Why not permit him to remain under the fig tree? Why not permit him to meditate under his own skies? Fig-tree religion is not Christianity. For this purpose Christ came to turn meditation into action, the vintage of the vine into mercy, and the fruit of the fig tree into food for men. Indeed, Nathanael's guilelessness was without value until it gained currency among men.

A Crisis Came into Nathanael's Life when he met his friend Philip, who with enthusiasm related to him how he had "found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Being a devout man and acquainted with what Moses had written in the law, he had talked frequently with his friends of the Prophet of the Lord spoken of in Deut. 18. 15: "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken"; and that other interesting passage, Gen. 49. 10: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come ; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be"; and that other highly prophetic passage, Num. 24. 17-20.: "I shall see him, but not now : I shall behold him, but not nigh : there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth, and Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies ; and Israel shall do valiantly. Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city."

With these passages of Scripture in memory, and being familiar with a large number from the prophets, he held in mind a portrait of the promised Messiah. He had looked upon that face in adoration. It had fixed itself in all its ineffable beauty in his thought until he had power to identify the original when he should appear. For when God planned to send his Son into the world he had but one means of making him known, that of the prophet's voice. Through this medium a portrait was drawn possessing coloring and lines different from those found in the picture of the average Jew, or even in the face of a prophet. Anyone acquainted with that delineation of the messengers of God could at once, upon seeing the Messiah as he appeared among men, say, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel."

The attitude of mind of Nathanael is worthy consideration.

First He was in doubt when informed by Philip that he had "found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." He answered, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?"

FOR TH£ DEVOUT SOUL

He was a man of candor. Having his misgivings, he did not hesitate to express them. He felt that surely the Messiah would not come from a village unknown and unsung, whose name was not even mentioned by the prophets. That one fact concerning Jesus, son of Joseph, that he was of Nazareth, was sufficient to discredit him in the mind of a student of prophecy.

Second. The second attitude of mind was a slight change toward consideration. Philip did not argue. He replied, "Come and see." That was enough. Permit a man to investigate for himself is all that can be asked by doubt. Nathanael committed himself to the personal touch of Philip. He had found One who had delighted his soul. He must share that delight. He was so thoroughly convinced himself, he felt that one had but to see to agree with him. Nathanael was influenced by Philip's confidence. Having an open mind he was ready to sympathetically consider all the facts. He was preparing to observe and consider all he saw. He had inwardly prepared himself by reviewing his mental picture of the Messiah. With a steadfast resolution not to be deceived, he accompanied his friend to see the Man of Nazareth.

Scarcely had he reached the circle of the influence of Jesus than he heard the Man address him, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile !" That was a remarkable characterization. It revealed the fact that he was one who answered to the name which marked the spiritual privilege of the chosen people and connected him with that wonderful victory of faith that transformed Jacob, the wrestler and supplanter, into Israel, a prince of God. Nathanael had small time to observe. He was caught up by the amazing insight of the Man. He could only ask for information, "Whence knowest thou me?" He had gone forth to discover the Christ and to ask many questions. He met himself and looked upon his own character. It was altogether likable, but the fact was, instead of having his mind filled with the claims of Jesus of Nazareth, when he met him, it was thrust full of what his own life of devotion and meditation under his own vine and fig tree had made of him. That was more than passing strange. "Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee." This one fact was overwhelming. His own heart had been revealed to him and he had been connected with the promises of Israel. It was not that Jesus saw him afar off, when he was in the secret and quiet of his own life, but the fact that he was able instantly to uncover his entire life, and the goal of all his soul struggles. He saw himself under the touch of Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph, and cried out, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel." He witnessed the great confession without going the way of reason. He was convinced by a flash of the intuitions, and passed at once into confidence and unalterable assurance that "Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God." But the process goes one step farther. He is confirmed by these words : "Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these." Then, as with an effort to fill out the full capacity of his faith, Jesus said with unusual emphasis : "Verily, verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

Nathanael had met Jesus of Nazareth and had come into a threefold experience of reality.

First. The reality of a dynamic in man which assured the prevailing power of prayer. His supplications and meditations had not fallen to the earth unnoticed. This One, like unto the Son of God, had taken into account his devotions under the fig tree.

Second. The reality of Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God, who by the power of spirit could gather up the past, appraise it as of superior value, and discern the action of men's lives regardless of distance and time.

Third. The reality of a spiritual world connected with this material world, and between which forces and beings that express and obey the will of God pass to and fro — "Ye shall see . . . the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

In reality, he had a vision of God, different from any he had ever enjoyed. He believed in a Deity, as his fathers had, who lived in the past and wrought wonders in the days of his nation's history. Who he was and how he should think of him was a mystery. He had called him Lord, Jehovah, Elohim. Now he begins to think of him in terms of Jesus of Nazareth. God, an invisible Spirit, was real. He could express himself in a Son. He must therefore be a Father, capable of expressing himself in emotional power, and directing his energies by intellectual power, and executing his purpose by volitional power.

The Implications of Nathanael's Confession, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel," contain the profound teaching of this incident. To accept a Deity capable of expressing himself in a Son means the acknowledging by faith of a personal God. If man understands the psychology of personality, he will readily see that upon its implications is founded the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. If a man accepts faith in a personal Deity, he must interpret that faith in the terms of a Triune God.

Our first course toward the understanding of the doctrine implied in this confession is the acceptance of the fact that there is in all men a sense of God. It is a faculty for the unseen. It may be called the sixth sense. As the eye was made for light, the ear for sound, so the spiritual sense was made for God. In heathen religions that sense was permitted to run without restraint. It flew hither and yon, deifying all mystery, and wonder of hill and mountain, valley and plain, storm and summer rain. It was concentrated upon no definite, specific object for any length of time. It was in constant action and suffered no possibility of atrophy, but failed to gain by fixedness and control any great impulse for growth and development.

In the Jewish, Mohammedan, Christian, and other monotheistic religions the spiritual sense is controlled. It is not permitted to fly everywhere, but is confined and focused on one God. Concentration has its perils, for it produces senseweariness and failure to respond in appreciation, as the eye concentrated upon an object of beauty wearies or the ear fails to hear a sweet sound unless frequently released for momentary rest. In this age, when monotheism is prevailing more and more, the human sense of God, because controlled, confined, and focused upon a one and only Deity, wearies. Being commanded by the proclamation that the world has come to a place where it must accept the God of our Lord Jesus Christ or have none at all, in many instances it refuses to function and settles into a state of inactivity that is worse than paganism. It is far better to be a heathen, and exercise the spiritual sense in deifying all about you, than to live in an age of one God and refuse to recognize him, for in so doing the loss of the finest human faculty will be life's greatest regret.