Irreplaceable Witness
When I was in high school, along with swimming and playing water polo, I played trombone in the band (jazz and orchestral). Casa Roble Fundamental High School (my alma mater) had a great music program, though there were three different band teachers during my four-year high school tenure. Still, we had a lot of fun. The 80s were also the height of synth pop. Synthesizers were all the rage, as was programming and all one could do with a synth that one couldn't previously afford. For example, there were samples of clarinets, flutes, horns, timpani, etc. Entire arrangements could now be made in one's home on a synth using multitracks. Everyone was using (what was then) new technology.
One of our band mates picked up on this, and for about a year designated himself the official "suggestion" person whenever a band section screwed up. The teacher would stop the orchestra. This individual would raise their hand. The teacher would roll his eyes knowing what was coming. Everyone started to giggle. The teacher then called on the student who said very loudly and with great feigned insincerity, "You know. We could just replace that whole section with a synthesizer." And we would all guffaw.
Could a synth play the notes? Sure. But it's not the same as the real thing. Can a piano roll play music with perfect note-for-note accuracy? Sure, but it's not the same as a live piano player, who brings a personal touch and interpretation to the music. Studio musicians will say there's a difference between accuracy and artistry. And they're right.
There have always been ways to distract ourselves from sharing our faith personally. Because we like accuracy, we point to books, internet posts, social media posts, or avatars in the metaverse. But there's a difference between someone typing and someone sharing; between perfection and person; accuracy and artistry. Jesus could have simply written down the Good News of Himself and told the disciples, "Make sure everyone gets this." Then they could get to work on scroll reproductions or stone tablets. But Jesus didn't write anything down. We know Jesus is the logos and we know He values the written word, so...why didn't he become an author? Why have several someone else's write down the Gospel message (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter) to share with others instead? The answer is that there is power contextually and relationally in the personal.
The Gospel message was made known to me through the Church, my dad, and the Bible. But it came alive to me through my mom. Why? Because when she said, "Derek, I'd rather be sick and know Jesus than be healthy (like you) and not know Him," I knew the gravity of the statement because I'd seen how it impacted her personally. Her personal witness was contextual to my experience.
Your testimony is not replaceable. You are an irreplaceable witness. And that may explain why the Great Commission is a plural imperative (all (not some) who "know" must go). Nothing replaces conversation wherein a new reality in Jesus is conveyed personally unique to you. Is the message universally the same? Yes. But witness to that message is only the same in that all can say, "Once I was lost, but now I am found." Jesus mets us each where we are. You can't replace that with a synth. The future will not change the need for a personal witness. It will only enhance it's necessity.
