The Pharisees and Sadducees came to
Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, “When
evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today
it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret
the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous
generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the
sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away. (Matthew
16:1-4 NIV)
The weather lore rooted in the above
passage goes: “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky at morning, sailor’s
take warning.” Even without the Weather
Channel or pop-up notifications on a smart phone, with a bit of observation we
can assess what is going on with the weather.
Dark clouds, grab the umbrella; cloudless skies, grab the sunglasses.
There is no excuse for our being oblivious to the obvious. This is true regarding more than the weather.
When the Jewish political and
religious leaders came to Jesus wanting “a sign from heaven.” He basically told them, “You are “wise”
enough to discern what the weather will be like today, but when it comes to
things of heaven you are oblivious to the obvious.” If they really needed a
sign, Jesus said He would oblige. The sign would be “the sign of Jonah.”
This “sign” – semeion – is a distinguishing message, event or occurrence that
sets someone or something apart. With
Jonah, we immediately think about the whale that miraculously swallowed and
later threw him back up. That event definitely sets Jonah apart, but it is just
a part of the message that defined Jonah’s life and story. We need a wider view to discern this specific
and obvious sign of the presence and working of heaven/God Himself.
Jonah’s story began before the call
to go to Nineveh and warn them about impending judgment because of their
wickedness. In 2 Kings 14:23-27, God
used Jonah to announce that God was going to restore of a large portion of
Israel through Jeroboam. Jonah’s ministry began a year before Jeroboam came
into power. He knew that Jeroboam was an evil king that led the people deeper
into sin. Jonah’s prophecy was all about grace. The Israelites didn’t deserve
restoration any more than the people of Nineveh deserved salvation.
The Ninevehites definitely didn’t
deserve a heads up on the destruction about to rain down upon them nor an
opportunity to turn from their wicked ways. Nineveh was the Assyrian capital about
500 miles northeast of Israel. It was the epitome of wickedness, a violent and
heathen culture, feared and hated by more than just the Israelites. Throughout
the Middle East welcomed news would have been their annihilation. It is the
contrast between Nineveh’s wickedness and the extent of God’s grace that makes
grace obvious. Sending Jonah to warn them was all about grace.
The sign or message of grace became
very personal when Jonah decided to flee to Tarshish, 2000 plus miles the other
direction, to avoid at any costs what God wanted him to do and where God wanted
him to go. Jonah 1:3 says he “paid the
fare.” While on board, the ship encountered a unique and powerful storm that
was tearing the ship apart. This storm was so supernatural in character that
the seamen wanted to “cast lots, so we may learn on whose account this calamity
has struck us.” “The lot fell on Jonah.”
(v. 7) He was the cause. He was the solution. Jonah knew it. “Pick me up and throw me into
the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of
me this great storm has come upon you.” (v.
12) The men desperately tried to avoid
throwing him overboard, but the storm just got worse. Eventually it was their only hope. “So they
picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.” (v. 15) He deserved it. What he didn’t deserve was “the Lord
appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah.” (v.17) A fish named
GRACE! “Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry
land.” (2:10) Jonah was given the grace of a second chance
to trust and obey God. He still didn’t
want to go; he still didn’t want the Ninevehites warned, but this time he
“arose and went.” (3:3) Though Jonah did not preach a message of grace (v 4), the Ninevehites sought and
found it. (vs 9,10)
“The sign of Jonah” is all about GRACE:
- Grace towards the Israelites who didn’t deserve restoration;
- Grace towards Jonah who didn’t deserve to be saved from drowning or given a second chance to trust and obey;
- Grace towards Nineveh who didn’t deserve to be warned let alone have God “relent concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them” (Jonah 3:10);
- Grace towards us “that we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
If we miss grace, we miss the sign
of heaven, of God Himself bringing heaven to earth. We miss His presence and
working in our lives and in our world.
The sign of Jonah is also a warning.
Jonah personally experienced the
grace of God, but he still didn’t get it.
He was oblivious to the obvious. He sat sulking on a hillside. God’s
grace actually “displeased Jonah and he became angry.” (Jonah 4:1) “I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God,
slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning
calamity.” (v.2)
He didn’t want to do what God wanted him to do because it enabled God to do
what He wanted to do which wasn’t what Jonah wanted done, and now God had done
it! Jonah missed grace because it didn’t look like he wanted it to look. That is
one thing we need to know about grace: it may not look like we want, but it
will always be what the Lord knows is best.
The Pharisees and Sadducees had a
front row seat on the grace of God speaking truth and touching lives with
healing and forgiveness. “Grace and truth are realized through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:16) They
didn’t get it. They were oblivious to the obvious. Another truth about grace is we have to want
to get it to get it. They didn’t. The people
of Nineveh did, and they got it.
Do we? The Book of Jonah ends with a
question. So does this devotion. We can discern the weather, but can we discern
the sign from heaven, the sign of Jonah all around us? Do we see God’s fingerprints of grace on
everything? Can we trace His gracious footprints as He moves and works in our
lives and world? Or are we oblivious to the obvious?
