Good Morning Friends,
Today’s lectionary selection is designed to help us to reconcile the promises of God with the Kingdom of the God in the places and people and the tension of the church and society realizing that all this that is happening in our history now is to ultimately end in a blessing for the world linked to the death and resurrection of Jesus. Yesterday we had some challenging text that questioned the heritage of some people, even Jesus. Paul in his letter to the Galatians addresses a bit of this problem hoping that we all can choose the freedom Christ offers. Related to that in today’s Gospel text Jesus compares his own proclamation of the Kingdom of God with the story of stubborn Jonah proclaiming God’s judgment at Nineveh and contrasting the response of Israel to his own preaching with that of the Gentiles to Jonah. And then there is the metaphor of the three days too. But I think for believers with faith Jonah is more a sign of the times that points to Jesus being the sign. So, I thought I would meditate on aligning my will with God’s purpose gleaning from the life of Jonah but pointing me in a direction that Jesus is the only sign we need to believe that God loves us. But the thing is that, still like Jonah I sometimes, but not always, feel like people are beyond hope, that they are incapable of change. But then I internalize a reality that even a little faith in Jesus acted on in response to ones calling in our lives is all the sign we need if we desire a relationship with God. Maybe you feel the same way. But then sometimes I feel like God wants me to do something, but I resist that urge. Perhaps you too have felt like God wanted you to do something, but you resisted. And I imagine that sometimes you have done what God desired for you to do and felt the joy of doing the right thing. So, with that reality in mind we explore what I think Jesus was getting at, given the evil of his time, even as we ask… If We Are We Seeking A Sign From God, Is It One Of The Peace, Resurrection And Love Of Jesus?
Scripture: For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and the other by a free woman. One, the child of the slave, was born according to the flesh; the other, the child of the free woman, was born through the promise. Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One woman, in fact, is Hagar, from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery. But the other woman corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free, and she is our mother. For it is written, “Rejoice, you childless one, you who bear no children, burst into song and shout, you who endure no birthpangs; for the children of the desolate woman are more numerous than the children of the one who is married.” So then, friends, we are children, not of the slave but of the free woman. For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31—5:1 (NRSV)
When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!
Luke 11:29-32 (NRSV)
the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
Romans 1:3–4 (NRSV)
Message: Of course, Nineveh was known for its fish. And today we see stylized fish as a symbol of the Christian faith on bumper stickers that may go back to today’s text, but then, Jesus was a fisher of men so it may have to do with his preaching for people to repent. Jesus may have meant many things in referencing the sign of Jonah but the most likely is what follows. Luke and Matthew, in a similar passage, were undoubtedly thinking in retrospect having known of the resurrection Gospel message. But the context of the sign of Jonah utterance was in response to the Pharisees. They remained unconvinced of Jesus’ claims about Himself, despite His having just cured a demon-possessed man who was both blind and mute. And that was an amazing miracle. Still, shortly after the Pharisees accused Jesus of driving out demons by the power of Satan, they said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Now at the time this could have been interpreted as the character of the person Jonah and his name which means dove, a symbol of peace or it could have meant, the wrath of God which Jonah predicted for the Ninevites, or possibly the image of a fish vomiting Jonah on the beach. But Jesus elaborated his answer in a way to provide the Pharisees with more than evidence that he was indeed the Messiah but the promise of a miraculous proof that He was much more. So, the phrase sign of Jonah here was used I think as a metaphor for the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Yes, it tracks back to the three days in the belly of the fish but also the three partial days between the resurrection and the crucifixion. But you probably already knew that. The thing is that the Ninevites believed Jonah even when he performed no great miracles. So, Jesus, the Word made flesh, is paralleling the story of Jonah and making it clear to the Pharisees that they are culpable for their unbelief but that they would be given one final sign…but they would have to wait for the greatest miracle of all…the defeat of Satan and the death and resurrection of Christ.
And So, in the beginning God gave mankind dominion over the earth and blessed mankind. He continues that blessing to this day as the earth divinely created provides for our needs. God made a promise to Noah of peace and reminds us with his rainbow. And he made a promise to Abraham that he would make a great nation out of his descendants and that all the world would be blessed. You see, all of God’s promises are of a supernatural nature that can only be fulfilled by God. When we seek God’s promises with our own power and in our own flesh, we will always fail and only disappointment and despair will remain. Jesus did miracles as signs for those who already had the eyes of faith but refused to use supernatural works in order to convince unbelievers. He left that work for the Holy Spirit. The beauty is that Jesus uses the power of love that does not force. He condemned those who demanded a forceful sign in the heavens. But Jesus did do miracles expected of the Messiah that could easily be argued as evidence of an outward indication of the inner purpose of God being offered to us though Jesus for those with the eyes of faith to see. Friends, we know what is right to do in most situations, we do not need a sign, we just need to do what God has told us to do from the beginning. We do not have to blame someone else or ask for God’s wrath to destroy who we consider our rivals. We as the Ninevites need repenting and mercy and reconciliation. Friends, we are to love even the lost. Christians are to bless the world. This is the sign of Christ’s love. This is the promise that can only be fulfilled by God so stop struggling and love the gift of peace being offered.
Pray that when we are perplexed as to whether to move to action or to wait, we pray for discernment believing God loves us and that we too are to love even without a sign. Pray we realize that if we seek Christ to lead our life God will provide an answer that honors the plan of salvation. Pray therefor
that we see the signs of warning and of wisdom as expressions of God’s love. Pray we realize that just as Jonah was sent as an emissary of peace to Nineveh, so too Jesus was sent as an emissary of peace to the whole world. Pray we are obedient hearers of the Word made flesh in our hearts and that this reality is manifested in our hands. Pray we repent. Pray we believe. Pray we are a sign of peace and love so others might believe. Pray we provide hope for those who are most vulnerable of feeling hopeless. Pray we believe in the continuing possibilities of the miracle of Jesus. Pray we do not resist God. Pray we act on the faith we have related to Jesus’ calling for us in our lives. Pray we live by God’s promises. Pray we seek God for His glory not our own.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 