Soul Purpose
Luke 11:29-32 (Gospel on 12-Mar-2014)
"29 The crowds got even bigger and he
addressed them, 'This is an evil generation;
it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be
given is the sign of Jonah.
30 For just as Jonah became a sign
to the people of Nineveh, so will the
Son of man be
a sign to this generation.
31 On Judgement Day the Queen of the
South will stand
up against the people of this generation and
be their condemnation, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
and, look, there is something greater than Solomon here.
32 On Judgement Day the men of
Nineveh will appear
against this generation and
be its condemnation, because when Jonah preached they
repented; and, look, there is something greater than Jonah here."
In today’s gospel, Jesus declares that the only sign it (the evil generation) will be
given; is the sign of Jonah (Luke 11:29). However, we need to call to mind and understand how Jonah let himself be of use to God, to be His sign.
God sent Jonah to Nineveh and warn its people that He was going to destroy it.
But on the contrary Jonah tried to escape from this singular responsibility,
for which he called upon himself the anger of God in the form of a severe storm
which threw his boat overboard and he was swallowed by a great fish; where he
remained for three days. After which; The Lord caused the fish to vomit Jonah
out onto dry land. These 3 days & nights were Jesus’ comparison to His ingress
into the world of the dead and glorious resurrection from there on the 3rd
day. The sign of Jonah was a sign for his generation, but the sign of Jesus’ resurrection
after three days is a sign for the past, present and every generation to come;
until the end of the world as we know it.
The
messiah was among them but their eyes of faith were blind. Their savior ate and
stayed with them, but they were ignorant. Even the Pharisees, who were soaked
in the knowledge of The Torah, could not identify with scriptures being
fulfilled before their very own eyes. Also, because since the Israelites of
those days were so consumed with the oppression of their conquerors (the Romans
being the worst from the lot), were expecting The King of Jews (who was to come
from the lineage of The Great King David) to be a fierce and strong warrior
King. A man who would lead the siege over the enemies of Israel just as how King
David led the slaughter of hundreds of hundreds and thousands of thousands – in
obedience to God’s command against those enemies of his chosen people Israel
and the house of David.
Jesus
proclaimed the Word of God, in the very person of The Word. He was the living
Word that was born of a Virgin. He healed the sick, raised the dead to life, and
restored what was lost, all by His Word, just as He with His Father and the
Spirit created everything from the beginning of everything, just by The Word.
Yet, His people did not believe in Him. The people walked away from the fount
of all wisdom – Jesus; true God and true Man. As an analogy scripture presents The
Queen of Sheba’s quest for King Solomon after she learnt of his undisputed
prowess of wisdom. She traveled miles and miles through the scorching desert, to find
this bearer of wisdom; upon who rested the favor of Yahweh. It was not for the
40,000 stalls of horses King Solomon had for his chariots, or 4,000 stalls for
his horses and chariots, nor was it for his 700 wives of royal birth or 300
concubines. It was for his wisdom that the Queen of Sheba let herself drawn to
King Solomon, then eventually fall madly in love with him and be his queen wife.
My
friends, the evil generation later repented at the preaching of Jonah and the descendant from the house of David; Jesus is incomparably superior to Solomon – who was
known as the wisest man who ever lived. Scripture beckons that “now
something greater than Jonah is here. Are we listening? Do we actually believe?
Will our body and soul traverse any distance to seek Wisdom; who is Jesus Himself? Will we
pay head to the signs of God in the person of man – Jesus? I pray we do. Amen.
God bless,
John Roger Anthony
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