Jesus’ Surprising Approach to Evangelism

After feeding the 5,000, Jesus dismissed the crowd and sent His disciples across the sea by boat. That night, during a storm, He came to them walking on the water.

After He got aboard, “immediately the boat was at the land where they were going” (John 6:21).

Jesus rebukes the crowds seeking Him

The next morning, after not finding Jesus on the side of the sea where He fed the 5,000, a group came to Capernaum and were shocked to see Jesus. Unaware of the miracles responsible for His presence, they asked, “Rabbi, when did You come here?” (verse 25).

Instead of answering, Jesus addressed their motivation for seeking Him: “You seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (verse 26).

Through His ability to perceive thoughts and motives, Jesus discerned that these people were looking for another free meal, rather than genuinely seeking to learn. Their motive was physical—and He called them out on it.

He then delivered some direct and challenging teachings that made many of His listeners uncomfortable (verses 29-66).

• He said those following Him should sincerely believe Him, not just follow for a free meal or to witness a spectacle (verse 29).
• He plainly revealed that He wasn’t just a great human being, but came down “from heaven”—a declaration of His divinity (verses 32-35).
• He explained that truly following Him meant symbolically eating His flesh and blood—a reference to the Passover symbols He would introduce later on (verses 51-58).

Many who had considered themselves His disciples became offended, and as a result, “many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” (verse 66).

This didn’t surprise Jesus. He knew some of these followers didn’t fully believe or had followed Him for the wrong reasons.

Modern evangelism vs. Christ’s approach

Jesus’ approach to evangelism may be surprising to modern churchgoers.

Many who claim to represent Jesus today focus on filling churches and “saving souls,” striving to lead as many people as possible to profess faith in Him and avoid what they teach would be an eternity suffering in hellfire. This mindset has led many modern churches to drastically reshape their approach in an effort to attract larger crowds.

Megachurches—and even many traditional denominations—have relaxed dress standards and adopted ultracasual worship formats that often resemble high-energy rock concerts or motivational seminars, all designed to make attendees feel comfortable. The underlying idea is that if people feel comfortable, they’ll keep coming back.

Yet these methods stand in sharp contrast to Jesus’ approach.

Jesus did not seek to attract followers at any cost. He didn’t carefully tailor His message to be the most palatable and nonthreatening to the widest audience. As noted earlier, He often deliberately questioned His followers’ motives and taught challenging truths, knowing some would turn away as a result.

In another instance, He told His disciples that He intentionally concealed the meaning of His teachings from the masses by expressing them in parables (Matthew 13:13; Luke 8:10).

Boldly correcting false ideas and veiling His meaning—this is hardly a strategy to grow a following and win souls.

This highlights how Jesus’ approach to evangelism differed significantly from what is seen in much of modern Christianity.

Let’s take a closer look at how He shared His message—and how His example shapes how the gospel should be preached today.

3 facts about Jesus’ approach to evangelism

1. Jesus wasn’t seeking numbers, but committed disciples.

In the era of the megachurch, it may sound surprising, but Jesus wasn’t trying to attract as many followers as possible. This is clearly shown in John 6, where He turned away those who followed Him for purely physical reasons. He sought disciples who followed for the right spiritual reasons—those who truly believed.

Jesus was not looking for numbers, but for those willing to fully commit their lives to Him. After many turned away from following Him, Jesus was left with a smaller but more deeply convinced and committed group of disciples (verses 66-69).

We see another example of Jesus doing this later in His ministry. 

When “great multitudes” began following Him in Perea, He didn’t try to maintain the large following at all costs. Instead, He once again spoke uncomfortable truths that caused many to turn away. He emphasized that being His disciple required far more than merely listening to Him; it required a total lifelong commitment, regardless of the cost (Luke 14:26-33).

Jesus was not looking for numbers, but for those willing to fully commit their lives to Him. In other words, He was looking for quality, not quantity.

2. Jesus didn’t try to save everyone then.

The driving force behind many modern evangelical efforts is the desire to convert as many people as possible to save them from hell. Churches often describe this mission as “winning souls for Jesus.”

But Jesus didn’t take this approach. If He had been in a mad drive to save as many as possible, He would have done all He could to maintain the large crowds He attracted—not drive them away.

The reason He didn’t take this approach is revealed in the words He spoke to those following Him for a free meal: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44). He later said one could be a true disciple only if it was “granted to him by My Father” (verse 65).

According to Jesus, the Father grants spiritual enlightenment to a relatively small number. If that is true—and it surely is—then the idea that God would condemn everyone He has not called would make Him cruel and unjust.

Very much to the contrary, the Bible reveals Him as a loving and merciful God “who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

Though beyond the scope of this article, the Bible reveals God has a systematic plan to make His calling available to all people—a plan that neither leaves anyone out nor compromises His eternal standards.

You can learn more about that plan in the following articles: “What Happens to Those Who Died Without Hope?” and “What Is the Great White Throne Judgment?”

Jesus’ approach can be understood only within the framework of this plan.

He wasn’t trying to convert everyone then, but focused on finding and developing the relatively small group that the Father was calling. The majority of His teaching and personal time was devoted to this small, dedicated group of disciples.

3. Jesus’ message remained consistent and uncompromised.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of Jesus’ approach to evangelism was His speaking style. He spoke “as one having authority” (Matthew 7:29). His message wasn’t a carefully crafted “feel good” appeal, nor was it a “hellfire and brimstone” message designed to terrify people into belief.

The message He preached with authority was consistent and centered on the good news of the coming Kingdom of God and called for a genuine response of belief, repentance and change (Mark 1:14-15).

It was a positive message—proclaiming that a better world is coming—but it also carried a sober warning: people must change and align their lives with God’s ways. It was a message that inspired a transcendent vision and moved people to action.

Although His purpose wasn’t just to shock or offend, He didn’t hesitate to “cry aloud, spare not” (Isaiah 58:1)—boldly speaking truths that made people uncomfortable and challenged their preconceived ideas.

The evidence of who God was calling could be seen in the relatively small group that responded—those who believed, repented and committed their lives to Him. Jesus then gave this group deeper teaching, guidance and personal care.

Finding the message today

We live in a world filled with religious noise and confusion. The most successful preachers and churches are considered to be those that carefully craft messages designed to fill pews—focusing on comfort and appealing to people’s emotions, as well as their desire for entertainment and community.

Yet these modern approaches stand in stark contrast to Jesus’ approach. He wasn’t focused on filling seats, entertaining or just making people comfortable, but on pointing people toward a vision of the future that required sacrifice and change in the present.

He didn’t promise comfort, limitless blessings or wealth to those who responded, but a spiritually abundant life that would also include trials, struggles and sacrifice.

His message continues to be proclaimed by His Church today, following the principles He established, while also using modern media to reach a broader world. Through this magazine—and many other efforts—the Church of God seeks to help people understand Christ’s words and . . .

Walk as He walked.