(d.c.107) Evaristus was born to a Greek Jewish family in Bethlehem. Not much else is known about him other than he succeeded Pope Saint Clement I as the fourth successor of Saint Peter as Bishop of Rome, making him the fifth pope. The Liber Pontificalis, an early source of biographies of popes, describes him as a martyr, but historical documentation is lacking.
It appears that Evaristus led by example, as Jesus Himself had taught and demonstrated. He gave up everything to follow the truth; he gave the ultimate sacrifice to witness to the truth. “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:12-13). Leadership in our fellowship is about serving rather than governing. How have you demonstrated leadership through service?
“A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them” (John 10:11-12).
Reflection by Brad Farmer