The Sign
Of Jonah
By Steve Huston
When Jesus spoke of the
“Sign of Jonah,” we should be grateful that our Lord
was referring to the amount of time He would spend in the tomb
(Matt. 12:40) instead of the pervasive nature of Jonah –
Prophet of Justice Demanded.
When God told Jonah to
go to Nineveh and warn the people of the impending doom from His
Divine Hand, the prophet had no desire to go in obedience; he
simply wanted justice. After Jonah was spit out of the great fish
onto dry land, he went obediently, although begrudgingly. We read
Jonah’s response to God’s mercy after all of Nineveh
repented:
“And God saw their
works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented
of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and
he did it not. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was
very angry.” (Jonah 3:10 – 4:1)
The Jonah in the verses
above seems unsympathetic, cold, and even harsh, but let's recognize
that he is the same Jonah of chapter 1:12, which called for justice
in the midst of a “mighty tempest,” even though he
would be the recipient of that judgment: “And he said unto
them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the
sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest
is upon you.”
It’s with great
interest that we read how these heathen sailors desired to show
mercy to this runaway prophet, for fear of God. And then, God
showed mercy to His undeserving and disobedient prophet by sending
a great fish, the same that would become a symbol of prophecy:
pointing to the death of Christ Who procured our salvation through
His atoning death upon the cross; those three days and nights
He would spend in the “belly” of the earth, and, finally,
His expulsion from the tomb. The resurrection of God’s only
begotten Son, Jesus Christ, celebrated by Christians all over
the world this month, shows God’s acceptance of Christ’s
sacrifice on our behalf. He died in our place for our sins, that
we might be justified IN HIM Who was delivered for our offences,
and was raised again for our justification. Romans 4:24-25 assures
us: “But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we
believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who
was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”
Justice and mercy met
in Christ on that wooden cross on Golgotha’s hill. Hallelujah!
Our sin is pardoned, we
are made right with God, and, by God’s continuing grace
we are free from the power of sin. Joseph Benson well-explains:
“By the covenant of grace, in which mercy and truth shine
so bright, even the mercy and truth of God, which meet together,
and kiss each other, in Jesus Christ the Mediator; by mercy in
promising, and truth in performing, is the guilt of sin taken
away from us, when we are truly penitent, and cast our sinful
souls by faith on that mercy and truth. Hereby also a principle
of mercy and truth is implanted in us, by which the power of sin
is broken, and our corrupt inclinations are mortified and destroyed.
In this way…is iniquity purged, and the sinner both pardoned
and renewed. And by the fear of the Lord — By a filial reverence
toward God, and by a holy fear of offending him; men depart from
evil — They are kept from abusing pardoning mercy, and from
returning to folly or wickedness. So he shows that forgiveness
and holiness, or justification, and at least a measure of sanctification,
are constant and inseparable companions.”
Dear Reader, the same
God who showed mercy to Jonah showed mercy to the Ninevites, and
He is the same God who showed mercy to us. We deserved death,
He could have demanded justice, BUT GOD, in His mercy, offers
us life.
What of us? After partaking
in God’s grace and mercy, do we approach sinners in an uncharitable
manner or do we present this great offer of the Gospel? Do we
take to heart that twofold warning found in James 2:13? “For
he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy;
and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”
In at least some sense,
to withhold the Gospel from someone is to take on the demeanor
of Jonah – “Give them justice.” But wait, justice
must be tempered with mercy. God mercifully moved upon the hearts
of the adult Ninevites, accepted their repentance, and thereby
spared multitudes of children and even cattle. What of the unseen
innocents? No one is too far from God’s hand of grace and
mercy; our loving Heavenly Father often reaches out to those innocents
through our sharing the Gospel to those whom we sometimes think
are unreachable.
Mercy is not simply ignoring
evil. Had the Ninevites refused to repent, there would be no mercy.
Had Jonah not warned, there would be no opportunity. Might we
be moved by the mercy of the resurrection to share such mercy
with others.
“How then shall
they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall
they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall
they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach, except
they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of
them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of
good things!” (Rom. 10:14-15)
Contact us @
sghuston@yahoo.com
(231) 245-0002
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