 |
| Three Days and Three Nights was Enough !! |
As we
continue our journey to discover who is Jesus, we are reminded that in the Old
Testament there were prophesies and also pictures showing Jesus as the Messiah.
Today we
shall take a short view of Jonah one of the rebellious prophets as he decided
to run from the commands of the Lord.
God told Jonah to go preach to Nineveh
Jonah
decided NOT to obey, because in his mind he felt the wicked city needed
punishment, so he entered a ship going in the opposite direction. (Isn't that like us at times? We know what we should do, but because of our
stubborn heart, we get ourselves in trouble and that is exactly what happened
to Jonah.
The Bible
says a great storm arose, not just a gentle rainstorm, but a gigantic fierce
hurricane with dashing explosive waves.
Then the men were exceedingly afraid and
said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he
was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
Then
they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for
us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. Jonah said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then
the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this
great tempest has come upon you.”
Nevertheless,
the men rowed hard, in an
attempt to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and
more tempestuous against them. Therefore
they called out to the Lord,
“O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not
on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord,
have done as it pleased you.”
So they
picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its
raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to
the Lord and made vows.
And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up
Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
- -
(From that dark
place of trouble, Jonah repented and made a decision - - "obedience is the
better choice.") So the Lord spoke
to the fish and it vomited Jonah onto the dry land.
We leave Jonah as he travels to Nineveh
Jesus was without sin, and He always
obeyed His Father God. One day as he was
preaching in the temple, the rebellious Religious leaders asked Jesus for a
sign that he was the Messiah.
Matthew 12:39-40 "An
evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign: and a sign shall not be given it,
but the sign of Jonah the prophet." For as Jonah was three days and three
nights in the belly of the great fish; so shall the Son of man be three days
and three nights in the heart of the earth.
And Jesus repeats: Matthew 16:4 "A wicked and adulterous generation
seeks after a sign: and a sign shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonah the
prophet."
While Jesus was
talking to the people, his mother and brothers came where he was, and his
friends said, look, your mother and brethren desire to speak with you. Jesus answered with a remark that to some
might seem harsh.
"Who is my
mother? and who are my brethren?"
And He stretched out his hand toward his disciples, and said,
"Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my
Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, my sister, and my
mother."
Jesus was declaring that
those who obey God and follow Him will be likened onto a family. When you confess your sins and come to Jesus
Christ, you become a part of the "Family of God."
If you have not already done so, today would
be a good time to tell Jesus that you want to follow Him and become one of His
family.
1 comment:
For God says, "At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you." Indeed, the "right time" is now. Today is the day of salvation. 2 Cor. 6:2
Post a Comment