A Biblical Model for Evangelism
What Jesus shows us about evangelism
Jesus is heading toward Jerusalem. Toward the cross. Toward the final week of His earthly ministry — the arrest, the trial, the crucifixion, the resurrection. He knows what's coming. He knows what it will cost. And on the way, in a city called Jericho, He stops.
He looks up into a tree. He calls a man by name.
That man is Zacchaeus — the most despised person in town. A tax collector who got rich by cheating his own neighbors. The kind of person people cross the street to avoid. And Jesus says, "I'm coming to your house today."
That's who Jesus is. He sees one person in the middle of the crowd. He moves toward one person in the middle of the noise. He makes time for one more.
Scripture: "When Jesus reached the spot, He looked up and said to him, 'Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.'" — Luke 19:5
So the question for us is the same question this story has always been asking: who is your one?
Four things Jesus shows us
People are still searching.
Zacchaeus climbed a tree just to see Jesus. He wasn't asked to. Nobody helped him up. He found a way because something in him was hungry. The people around you are doing the same thing — from behind a busy schedule, a bottle, a relationship that isn't working, a joke that covers up the pain. They are searching. Are we paying attention?
Jesus moves toward people and doesn't wait.
He didn't post a flyer. He didn't wait for Zacchaeus to clean himself up or figure out the right questions to ask. He just moved toward him. Following Jesus means we can't spend our whole lives waiting for people to come to us. Sometimes love takes the first step.
Some people will not understand and do it anyway.
The crowd grumbled. "He has gone to be the guest of a sinner." People who have forgotten what grace looks like will not always celebrate what you're doing. That's okay. Jesus didn't stop for Zacchaeus because the crowd approved. Do it anyway.
We don't change people; Jesus does.
After dinner with Jesus, Zacchaeus gave away half his wealth and paid back everyone he'd cheated — four times over. Nobody told him to. No program, no checklist, no pressure. An encounter with Jesus changed him from the inside. Our job isn't to fix people. It's to get them close enough to Jesus that He can do what only He can do.
The Key Take-a-way
Evangelism isn't a program you join. It's a posture you carry. Eyes open. Heart available. Willing to stop — even when you're busy, even when it's inconvenient, even when the crowd doesn't get it.
Jesus was on His way to save the world. And He still stopped for one man.
Reflection Questions
- Think of someone in your world who seems to be searching — even if they'd never say that out loud. What do you notice about them?
- What would it look like for you to move toward that person this week instead of waiting?
- Have you ever been surprised by how God worked in someone you least expected? What happened?