The Sign of Jonah

2006-11-18

When Jesus walked the earth, as He was teaching and healing people, no one had any idea of what He was going to do. The Jewish people thought that He would throw off the Roman rule and bring in the times of refreshing. The religious and political leaders of the day despised Him because He was drawing many people after Himself. But nobody knew that He was going to suffer and die for all of humanity (Isaiah 53:8; Daniel 9:26). The people only wanted to believe selected portions of the Scriptures, as we often do today.

The Jewish people of the day were looking for a sign that He was indeed Messiah. Jesus had repeatedly given them signs: He was superior in every way to Moses, the prophet in whom the Jews placed their hope. Jesus fed the five thousand, with a few fish and a bit of bread, which exceeded the miraculous sign of the manna in the wilderness. He raised Lazarus from the dead. He healed the centurion’s servant from afar. He miraculously placed the coin in the fish’s mouth. How much He did to show Himself to be not only Messiah, but also God Himself! But when confronted in Luke 11:29, Jesus did not point to His obvious accomplishments. He said He would give them the sign of Jonah.

Jesus was going to be crucified and be in the belly of the earth for three days, and then would rise from the dead. In Ezekiel 36:26, among many other portions of the Old Testament, the handling of the problem of sin by God must precede the coming of the times of refreshing. Being sinners, the Jews (like all of humanity) could not please God and follow the Law of Moses. God had to send His Son Jesus to die in their place and suffer the penalty of sin in their place. The Messiah would not come to rule until His enemies were under His feet (Psalm 110:1). Part of this includes His irrupting into Satan’s kingdom with the glorious news that Jesus has conquered sin and death. Trust in Him and His salvation is secure in you!

But for the Jews, another element of this sign of Jonah is the salvation going to the Gentiles (like me). Jonah became very depressed at the repentance of the heathens of Nineveh, who “cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand” (Jonah 4:11). God shows kindness to the Gentiles: there is one God for the Jew and the heathen, and He loves them all. The Jews failed to see this and had the same problem as Jonah: in Acts 22, when Paul spoke to His Jewish audience, they quietly listened until he said he was sent by God to reach the Gentiles (cf. Acts 22:21-22).

This glorious message is for all people everywhere. Jesus died and rose from the dead. He paid the penalty for sin for the entire world. We do not need to concern ourselves with how we can please God. God is pleased alone with Jesus’ sacrifice; we are declared perfect before God because of what He has done. Nothing we can do can add to or subtract from that. We cannot be ignorant and say that this message has gone out to the ends of the earth when so many are left who have not heard of Jesus. We are the ones responsible to tell those people who have not heard about Jesus. Unlike first century Judea, we need to be conscious of the needs of the people outside our little comfort zones and cultural enclaves. Unlike Jonah, we need to see God’s heart for the world.