The Return of Jonah

Luke 11:29-32

[29] As the crowds increased, Jesus said, "This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. [30] For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. [31] The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here. [32] The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.

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As regular blog readers will know, I find a lot of meaning in the 4-chapter Book of Jonah (in the Old Testament). A lot of it has to do with my ability to identify with a man who was blessed by God, but runs away. It has a great deal to offer anyone, I suggest you pick it up when you have a moment.

As per the quoted passage from Luke, Jesus is speaking about how the faithfulness of people who are placed closest to Him often pales next to foreigners. The passage is a dire warning to the Jews, who have grown in covenant with God and have been witness to Jesus, to believe and act in faith.

The "Queen of the South" is the Queen of Sheba, who, even though she is from what is now present-day Yemen, seeks out the wisdom of Solomon and acknowledges his God as the true God. The Ninevites (the citizens of the city that Jonah visited and prophesied to) are also foreigners, yet, they repent when confronted with God's judgment.

In our church, we are starting to receive reports from many of our missionaries (a very brave Afghan missionary spoke today). Their stories are always rich with the eagerness that new converts accept the faith in. This is similar to many mainline denominations (and, for that matter, the Roman Catholic Church), where the strongest growth comes from Africa, and other third world countries.

Against that foil, the church population in America, Canada and, even more so, in Europe is dwindling. Most Americans (on the order of 90 percent will confess to being Christian; however, they never make it to church and/or know nothing about the Bible).

Christ's warning is as relevant to those in America/Europe as it was to the Pharisees in Israel/Judea; faith is not something to be taken lightly. The Ninevites, in the Book of Jonah, knew when the time had come to face up to a new life direction. Hopefully, pseudo members of churches throughout America, Canada, and Europe will be equally wise...