Jonah 1
Respond to God’s Love!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, September 12.
The prophetic book of Jonah puts the scandal of grace on stage in a fantastic way. For some, the story is too far-fetched, but if Jesus took it seriously, so should we. Jonah is a historical account about a prophet who sailed the opposite direction of the Assyrian capital city of Nineveh, the place where God was calling him to preach repentance for sin, because he did not want to love his enemies and extend to them the same grace that God had given Israel (Jonah 1:1-3). Can you blame Jonah after all you have learned about the evil Assyrians? Truly, this is not an us vs. them story. Instead, it’s a call to repentance for all people. Jesus referenced Jonah in Matthew 12:28-31 to emphasize His mission:
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”
What is “the sign of Jonah the prophet,” and how can a good understanding of the story of Jonah help you respond to God’s call upon your life? God didn’t give up on Jonah, and He won’t give up on you! Isn’t that the message of the cross and the empty tomb?
Seize the moment and respond to God’s love, giving to others that which God first gave you (1 John 4:19).
God bless you!
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