The Sign of Jonah

I've been reading through the book of Luke again recently and have again been shocked at the amazing content within this book.  I can't seem to put the book down, I keep coming back to it and back to it.

  While I was reading recently, I was struck by something Jesus said in Luke 11:29-32.  Here's the full account:

 "When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, "This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.  The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.  The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here".(Luke 11:29-32 ESV)

   Take into account the story of Jonah for a moment.  The Ninevites were despised by the Jews for their violent ways and human eating habits.  They were in the Jewish mind: the scum of the earth.  Jonah, a Jew hated these people so much that he fled from sharing the Good News of God with them because Jonah knew they would turn to God and repent once they heard the message.

  Jonah thought they were undeserving of Salvation, that's how jacked up the people of Nineveh were.

  Here, Jesus makes a GIANT statement to the people listening: something greater than Jonah is here and you are missing it!  Jonah was a mere SHADOW compared to me and the people of Nineveh got it.  I am here in the flesh, dwelling amongst you and you have your religious blinders on!  You are missing what is in front of you!

Jesus goes a bit deeper and stabs a knife in by saying that the people of Nineveh will condemn those who fail to respond to Jesus because Nineveh was better than those who fail to repent at the words of Jesus because they repented with much a lesser prophet than Jesus: Jonah.

  Jesus is constantly attacking the sin in the lives of all people, but in particular the religious "elite".  They assume they have it all together.  They feel that their seat in heaven is pretty much a guarantee because of their "righteous living" but here God says that even the "foulest of human" by the standard of the Jew will stand in judgment against them!

  This, like many more statements to come in Luke from Jesus; is a personal assault against the religious leaders who reject Christ and ignore his call to repentance.  They feel so secure in their salvation through their works that they ignore God Himself when he shows up.


  These religious leaders failed to see the sin in their own lives and in doing so arrogantly rejected God in the flesh. 

  Sometimes, we reject the Holy Spirit's whispering of our own sins in the same way.  We all have stuff rooted deep within us that the Holy Spirit desires to bring to the surface, expose and destroy. 

We, like the religious leaders of Jesus' day can tend to reject the need for our own repentance or we simply don't hear nor feel the nudge of the Holy Spirit revealing the truth about our sins.

  What makes this story a bit odd is that this speech from Jesus was all sparked by the crowds desire for a sign.  They wanted to see Jesus prove himself and desired God to use Jesus to show them a sign.  Have they not been paying attention at ALL up to this point?  Jesus has done miracles, exorcism and many more "signs" yet these people MISSED IT ALL.  They were still demanding a sign from Him so He could prove himself.

  Jesus then says: "You want a sign? I'll give you a sign!  How about the sign of Jonah!"  I can see Jesus wanting to relate to Jonah at this point, just so sick of these people, not really wanting to be among them any more because of their foolish hearts...yet Jesus stayed and remained with a good attitude (unlike Jonah).  Even so, the people largely still missed God in the flesh.

  They were out-classed by violent, man-eating sinners.  Heaven it seems is for the messed up, broken, defeated person and not the put together, "sinless" saint.  This fact encourages me because I know I am a messed up broken person and I need Jesus. 

  I know I need to repent, I know I have messed up thoughts, attitudes and motives but the Holy Spirit within me can change that...nothing else can but Him.

  Let us confess our sins, listen to the words of Jesus and not be out-classed by the People of Nineveh!

Revealing Oneself

We live a a world with a ton of revelation.  People inside have a deep, deep sense of wanting to be known.  I know more about my friends now then I ever had before thanks to Twitter and Facebook!

  I am aware that these new cultural networks (fads?) aren't true community but for some reason, people choose to reveal parts of themselves on Facebook and Twitter that they never would in the real world.

  I know many church guys who wouldn't blast people with the information that they went clubbing and drinking last weekend, but on their Facebook I can instantly see pictures of them drinking a Miller Lite with a young adult girl on their laps laughing like they just heard the funniest joke.  That scene is a new revelation to me about that person.

  Also, with the ever present "status update" people can reveal what they're doing, when and where (thanks to the GPS locator they turned on their Twitter) they're doing it within split seconds.

  I am one to say that these people (pre-Facebook) had a desire to let people know who they were, but didn't know how to reveal it, due to fear of rejection, fear of consequences, or just plain embarassment.  Now people can reveal who they are, what they like and what they prefer in life. 

  People want to be known.  Do things like Facebook replace the face-to-face authentic relationship?  NO!  However it strikes me as extremely interesting that they choose to reveal stuff there as opposed to "real life."

  My premise remains though, people want to be known.  There is a deep longing to be an open person, where people will love you no matter what.  There is a deep longing for ultimate community where everyone shares everything and still loves each other.  This I contend is where we as a church should desire to go.  We should be a safe haven for people longing to be known. 

  When they're known and loved no matter what, people will ask why in fact we love them no matter what.  They will wonder what's different about this community than all others they've experienced.  We then share the truth about Christ.  This is not about tricking anyone, because if they never ask (which when we live like Christ rarely happens) there is no need to shove Jesus down their throats.  When they come to church they will hear about Jesus in the sermons and experience Him in community by haning with us.

  The truth about revealing oneself is that even in safe places, you can only truly reveal your true, whole and authentic self to few people.  There will be times when you need the company and counsel of a few and that is OK and very Scriptural.  The need to reveal yourself is deep rooted and I challenege any and everyone to choose people they can and will reveal themselves to. Heck, Jesus needed to reveal his whole self!

  In Luke 9:28-36 we see Jesus reveal Himself to Peter, James and John:

 "Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah"— not knowing what he said. As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!" And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen."

Jesus revealed His full self (well as much as he could without killing them) to these guys.  Jesus wanted to be fully known by these three.  He bared the truth about who he was to them and I have no doubt it solidified their friendships.  If Jesus is about revealing oneself, why the heck has the church missed out on this?

 I know there are several reasons, too much to get into here but we must move to a place where the church is safe for people to be open and authentic...no more faking it...because if we keep faking it, this younger generation will walk away from the church and God.

Laughing at Jesus

I'm sure you remember what it's like to be laughed at, I know I do. It's the moment you say something or do something and someone thinks it would be a great time to laugh at you for your words, or your actions. Have you ever thought that God was laughed at? When someone laughed at you, what was your response? What do you think God's response would be?



These and many more questions piled into my brain as I was reading through Luke's Gospel. Here, we see Jesus getting laughed at and ridiculed...before the cross! Here's the story from Luke 8:49-56

"While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler’s house came and said, "Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher anymore." But Jesus on hearing this answered him, "Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well." And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, "Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But taking her by the hand he called, saying, "Child, arise." And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.

This struck me because I never thought anyone ever laughed at Jesus. I remember when Sarah laughed at God when He told her she was going to bare a son in her old age, but I never thought someone laughed at Jesus.

They laughed because Jesus said: "...she is not dead but sleeping". To them, they clearly saw that the girl was dead and not merely sleeping. Yet Jesus saw a girl who simply needed wakened. They laughed because they doubted anything could be done at this point. If you remember, the people from the house came out when she had died that Jesus was no longer needed because she was dead. Don't have him even bother now, this situation is hopeless.



When I first read that they had "laughed" at Jesus I was pretty angry with them. How could you laugh at Jesus? I was thinking they must have real balls to make fun of God.



Then I asked myself: "Has God ever said something to me and I laughed at Him?"



When God tells me something I think is impossible, or just plain stupid (in my mind) do I not also laugh at God? Do I not also ridicule His thoughts and words to me, thinking that what He has just said to me is absurd?


I must confess, I have indeed laughed at God. I have heard His words to me and I laughed at how silly it sounded, or how impossible it seemed. That's why Sarah laughed. She was WELL passed birthing years, yet God said you will give birth. She was WAY passed breast feeding days, yet God said she would wean her child. The only outward expressions she could show was her doubt, which came about by her laughter.

When I think of crazy things God said in the Bible that I would've laughed at, I always come to the books of Joshua and Ezekiel. God told Joshua and Ezekiel to do some crazy, weird and wacky things. Ezekiel had to lay siege to his clay model of Jerusalem. Joshua had to march around a city seven times, and then tell the people to shout loudly (all in an effort to destroy a whole city). Ezekiel also was asked to cook a meal in front of people using his own poop! I would've laughed really hard at that (probably because I work with Middle Schoolers and "poop" is one of the funniest words in their vocabulary)!



God may call us to crazy things that seem absolutely impossible to us. Those things may make us laugh, but God can accomplish them without flinching!


Look at Jesus reaction to the laughter. "But taking her by the hand he called, saying, "Child, arise." And her spirit returned, and she got up at once."
Jesus reaction was to ignore the laughter and do what he said was able to be done. He brought her back to life, or in Jesus own words: woke her up. He didn't scorn the people for laughing, nor did he defend himself; Jesus simply did His miraculous work.
God did the very same thing with Sarah in Genesis. She laughed at God, but God didn't reprimand her insolence, nor did he defend Himself...he simply did what He said would be done.
My take away from this obscure passage is that even when God calls me to something that is laughable to me...He will do as He says. His word is true and His word will come about in my life!

Where is your Faith?

"One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side of the lake." So they set out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?" (Luke 8:22-25 ESV, emphasis mine)

For my devotional time, I've been running through the book of Luke and I have never been more challenged, refreshed, convicted and convinced in my whole life! Walking through the life of Jesus through the eyes of eye-wtinesses and recounted through the pen of Luke has been great for me. I could continue down the path of what God has done in a sense of generality, but I desire to be specific.

The passage above hit me between the eyes. As I read it, I pictured myself as one of the disciples. Here we are in a HUGE storm, swells coming up over the boat, we're taking on water and everything I know about sailing is worthless because the wind is so strong I can do nothing to save the ship. And then there's Jesus, sleeping as sound as a kitten huddled in the warm belly of its mother!

We've been making loud suggestions towards Jesus saying things like: "Oh boy, the wind is horrible, if only we had another hand on deck, we might beat the storm", and still he doesn't wake.

I see myself getting ticked off at Jesus thinking arrogant things like: "Of course he can sleep, he's just a prophet, he knows nothing about sailing! He's sleeping because he's not water-wise enough to know we can die!"

I see myself getting more and more scared. I keep looking Jesus' way wondering if he could do something, anything to save us! I begin to freak out, running my death and the deaths of my buddies through my mind and I finally get tired of waiting for Jesus to wake up. If he's really in touch with God I reason, he should do something, anything to help us out of this situation.

I see me being the one to shoot the elephant on the boat and I would say something like: "Guys, I'm waking the sleeping prophet, I can't take him sleeping. We're going to die and he should be awake to at least give us some comforting parting words!"

In storms, I am just like the disciples. I freak out, I look at the swells, use my "sailing knowledge" of my life and say: "Jesus why are you sleeping! Wake up and freaking help me!"

Jesus, then looks at me as he did the disciples and says: "Where's your faith?"


Where's my faith when the storms of life come? Usually it's in my own "sailing knowledge"; I think things like: "I can weather this storm, just patch this, raise that, move the rudder just so...". Then, when the storm takes over and all my knowledge is obvious muck...then and only then do I seek Jesus to throw me a hail mary.


Where's my faith?


That question still seeks deeply into my heart. Do I really trust God? Have I really given over everything? Why do I rely so much on myself when I know I am nothing?


Where's my faith?


I desire to answer that question: "Jesus, my faith is in YOU Jesus!"


Deep in the inner portion of my heart, I desire to give over every ounce, every fragment of my being over to Christ. Why do I put my faith in different things during storms, why do I freak out and not trust Him (even if he seems to be sleeping?).


I love when I'm captured by Scripture, when the words leap off the pages and smack me in the gut and whack me upside my head. When His Words pierce my heart, make me think and force me to allow His Spirit to transform me.


Lord, may it ever be the way.


Storms are going to come, they will! Where's your faith? Where's my faith? How will we handle them? Can we learn from the response of the disciples?


When the storms come and the question is asked, I hope I can say: "You Jesus, my faith is in you!"

The Gospel of Luke

I've been going through the Gospel of Luke as my devotional time. I've been reading through and finding myself shocked at how relevant it is to my life.



So much so, that I wished I would have started reading this close to a year ago. I found myself not really loving those who were opposing me. I found myself beating others up with my mouth instead of heaping love upon them by word and deed.



Seeing how Jesus calls us to live is both convicting as well as eye-opening. We say we are Christians, but sometimes we forget how Radical Jesus was and we don't always live out the radical life He called us to.



When looking at Jesus this closely and re-reading His teachings, I am blown away at the life Jesus lived and called us to live as well. This life is about so much more than ourselves...yet I know at least for myself I tend to forget that little fact.



I live my life for myself, seeking what I want, not seeking what others want, or if I'm honest, not always what God wants either.



Here's an example from Luke 6:30-36 that hit me:



Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
"If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

"If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them." Was what hit me pretty hard as well as some good Biblical commentary from Darrell L. Bock. Here is some of Bock's commentary:

"It is love for loves sake, which is why it is so commendable and distinctive" He then quotes Second Clement...this is the stuff that should make us sit up and listen. This is the quote:
"For when they [un-saved] hear from us [the saved] that God says. 'It is no credit to you if you love them that love you, but it is a credit to you if you love your enemies and those who hate you,'when they hear this, they wonder at this extraordinary goodness; but when they see that we not only do not love those who hate us, but do not even love those who love us, they laugh us to scorn, and the name is blasphemed". (Luke 1:1-9:50 pg. 599)

I know for a FACT that I have failed in the act of loving my brothers, I've slandered Christian brothers and sisters with my tongue. In light of this small verse that seems so self-explanatory... I have blasphemed God and His word by not only measuring up to the higher standard but falling short of the lowest standard!

How can we love radically the world who hates us if we can't even love radically those who love us?

God is calling me deeper and deeper into my junk and calling it out of my life.

"Please God, I pray that I can love with a radial love that is not of my own making but only the stuff of your Spirit within me! Give me the grace and mercy I need in order to love out loud, forgive much and live a life of love for those you love!"