We hear a lot about
"evangelization" these days and it seems like we might have a better
understanding of it, if we understood where the word "evangelize"
comes from. It means literally "to bring good news." The Hebrew
equivalent of "evangelize" is
used in the Old Testament to bring the good news of a newborn child to a
father:
"... the man who
brought the news (evangelized)
To my father, saying,
'A baby boy has been born
to you!'
And made him very
happy."
Jeremiah
20:15
However, it was most often
used in a military context to proclaim the news of victory:
"It came about on the
next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and
his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. They cut off his head and stripped off
his weapons, and sent them throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the
good news (to evangelize) to the house of their idols and to the people."
1
Samuel 31:8-10
There is an interesting
story in 2 Samuel 18 where King David's army puts down an uprising against his
kingdom. Here a young man asks to be the messenger of the good news (the
evangelizer) of victory to the king. The passage indicates that this was a
special privilege and that the deliverer could expect a reward. When the young
man's request is denied, he begs that he at least be able to run after the
official messenger. In verse 31, the messenger arrives;
"Behold, the Cushite
arrived, and the Cushite said, 'Let my lord the king receive good news, (be
evangelized) for the Lord has freed you this day from the hand of all those who
rose up against you'"
2
Samuel 18:31
The New Testament writers
were very aware that evangelization meant proclaiming the good news of a
military victory. The disappointment that the good news was not the expected
victory over the Roman Empire was replaced by a greater joy as they realized
that this triumphant news proclaimed victory over sin and death, mankind's
ultimate enemies! That is why St. Paul proclaims boldly:
"Death is swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ!"
1 Corinthians 15:54-57
The enemies that mankind had no hope of
defeating, sin and death, have been vanquished
by the death and resurrection of Jesus. No wonder the apostles were
fervently commissioned to bring this good news to all people! We have been
freed from the slavery to sin and the tyranny of death by uniting ourselves to Christ in baptism!
Another interesting story
involving the "proclaiming of good news" in the Old Testament, is
found in 2 Kings 7. Here we find Jerusalem under siege, in a desperate
situation. During the night the God causes Israel's enemies to hear the sound
of a large army of men and chariots arriving. Fearing they are now outnumbered
they flee their camp under the cover of darkness, leaving everything behind.
Several lepers happen upon the camp,
discover that it is totally abandoned and help themselves to the food
and loot.
"Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, but we are
keeping silent; if we wait until morning light, punishment will overtake us.
Now therefore come, let us go and tell the king’s household.”
2 Kings 7:9
Here it seems that if you
have good news of victory, you have an obligation to proclaim it! I wonder if
this is the image of the Church in our day, enjoying the fruits of Christ's
glorious victory but not bringing the good news of that victory to others? As
Pope Francis exhorted the bishops on his recent trip to Brazil, "We cannot
keep ourselves shut up in parishes, in our communities, when so many people are
waiting for the Gospel." Even as the Israelites waited for the news that
their enemies were defeated, so our friends, families and coworkers wait to
hear the Good News that Jesus has set them free. Let us be the ones to bring
the News, let us be evangelizers!
