God delights in small beginnings
One of my favorite passages in the Old Testament is found in the book of Zechariah. This
him what he was about to do, and then Zechariah heard these words, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin…” (Zechariah 4:10 NLT).
I’m sure the Father was delighted to see Jesus’ work begin. In just a few short years, Jesus’ ministry began small, with only a handful of followers, and exploded into an unstoppable global movement. Jesus did this by first inviting people to “come and see.”
Jesus was clear about who he was and why he came
In reading through this phase of Jesus’ life and ministry, a few things stand out to me. First, Jesus was crystal clear on who he was and what he had come to do. In just one afternoon, he was able to convince John and Andrew that he was the Messiah (John 1:41).
As he spoke to Nicodemus, he had clearly articulated that he was the one who had come from heaven to be lifted up and to offer eternal life to all who would believe in him (John 3:13-15). To the woman at the well, he had plainly declared he was the Messiah to come (John 4:26). And to the hard hearts of those in Nazareth, he fearlessly announced he was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s messianic prophecy (Luke 4:21).
Jesus knew who he was and why he had come. Sometime later, Jesus told his disciples, “…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). However, we see Jesus already following this pattern. In this first eighteen months, Jesus went to Jerusalem (John 2:13), then to Judea (John 3:22), then to Samaria (John 4:4), and later to Cana (John 4:46).
In Cana, he encountered a gentile royal official, representing the lost gentile world. Here, Jesus was already demonstrating to his disciples how the gospel would spread through them to the whole world!
Jesus focused on people, not crowds
Secondly, Jesus was highly relational. Jesus didn’t start big and go small; he started small and his ministry grew big. He never lost the ability to focus on the person in front of him and minister to their needs. While many leaders choose to insulate themselves from the hurts and hang-ups of common people, Jesus was drawn to them. He saw every person as valuable, having been created in God’s image.
Jesus approached every person uniquely
Third, Jesus didn’t have a one-size-fits-all approach to ministry. He was a master at stepping into people’s pain and questions and addressing them uniquely. He spoke differently, for instance, to Nicodemus than he did to the people of Sychar. He approached the nobleman of Capernaum differently than the people in Nazareth, his own hometown. Each person was unique, and each person mattered.
Jesus modeled compassionate and courageous disciple-making
People today still need to hear the claims of Christ and find answers to their spiritual questions. But there is something authentic and attractive about how Jesus did it. He was real, and he was both compassionate and courageous. Jesus wasn’t afraid to have honest conversations about the struggles of life and point them to hope.
This is how I believe Jesus wants his followers to engage spiritual explorers today – one person at a time, and one question at a time. Like he did, I believe he wants us to invite them to come and see.
This blog features an excerpt from one of our books, His Way Still Works.
