Real Lasting Life
About this blog
Ray Jones is the Coordinator for Evangelism for the Presbyterian Church (USA). He has served the church as a pastor for twenty-five years. He has a heart for helping people grow in the love of God in Jesus Christ. This growth always includes our words and deeds. He is married and has two grown daughters. He has experienced training and education at Furman University, Columbia Theological Seminary, the church, and through living in the world.
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- The Engine of the Church
- My Witnesses
- Witnessing Communities
- The Ministry of Making Disciples
- A New Creation
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Helping Others See God
I've just started my new work as Coordinator for Evangelism. It's hard to know where to start with this word "evangelism." For some the word conjures negative feelings and images. Others believe they know exactly what evangelism means. We even have this tendency to tie evangelism to particular church traditions and belief systems. But what if it's so much more than all these things and the rest of our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs?
The story of Zacchaeus reveals this bigger picture of God's grace. What we know of Zacchaeus is that he was working with the Roman occupying power. The empire collected taxes to support this ever-expanding regime. Because of this system of taxation, many people in the region were losing their homes and land. And being the head tax collector, Zacchaeus not only collected from the people what the empire demanded, but he also could skim a little extra for himself. Zacchaeus was a pariah in his community. He was rich, but he was on the margins.
I've grown up with this story, and for many years missed the meaning of Zacchaeus being an outcast. I've heard the story read and, as a child, sang the story, but I never fully grasped the message behind his having to climb a tree to see Jesus. What does it mean that he could not see over the crowd? Yes, he was a small man, but that is not the point. The point is that he did not have a friend. He did not have relationships with people in town. He was not connected at all to another person.
If he had friends, they would have invited him to see this man of light and life who was coming into town. If he had been connected, he'd heard something like, Zacchaeus, we don't want you to miss seeing this amazing person; come get in front of us, so you can see!" The whole town was lined along the street to see Jesus, the one who could heal and make you whole, and no one invited Zacchaeus to stand in front of him or her, so that he could see.
We know that Jesus saw him. Jesus saw him with a love that changed his life. The change was real and clear: he gave away half of his money to the poor and repaid four times those he'd cheated. And Jesus said that the reason he came was to seek and to save the lost.
That's the good news! Jesus always sees us. He sees us with God's love that changes our lives. That love changes the whole world. Who are we called to help see God? Who are the marginalized in our communities? Who needs help seeing God? Where are the friends who help us see God? In what ways are we helping others see God?
What if this is evangelism: helping others see the love that has changed our lives?