# 12 - THE MAN
Jonah 1:9 - So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
Since Jonah had been both
awoken from sleep, and had been identified as the man who was behind the tempest
they were facing, and since he was asked questions pertaining to his identity,
it was time to respond to these very important questions.
Just as Jonah had sought
to flee from God’s presence (and the call of God to be His messenger), we The Church
have, to a large extent deliberately and consistently done the same. But there’s
only so long we can run away from God; only so long one can blend in with the
crowd, to hide our true identity as the people of God on a global mission. The
Lord knows what it takes to get us talking, and the first message we will be
called to give the world, is not so much about what we are about but rather,
who we are and that’s what Jonah was made to do too. He was put in a corner as
it were, and made to reveal his true identity.
He was not an everyday
passenger that the mariners encountered – there was something unique about him,
and as hard as he tried to hide himself and his identity, it was the moment of
truth for him. I wonder whether this global pandemic will be that moment of
truth for The Church as well. Will the Lord use this to reveal the true
identity of the church to the world around?
“…I
am a Hebrew…”
The first thing that Jonah
reveals about himself is not his name, his father’s name, his place of birth or
any other detail that we would find ourselves sharing about when introducing
ourselves to a stranger. The first thing he reveals about himself concerns his
faith and nationality, which were closely tied to one another. He refers to
himself as a Hebrew, which was a term that Israelites used to describe
themselves to foreigners. To an outsider, the word, ‘Hebrew,’ would immediately
get a picture of a person who was of a nation that believed in one God.
When we, The Church are
questioned concerning our identity, I’m sure most of us wouldn’t go around revealing
ourselves as citizens of heaven (though in actual fact that’s what we really
are). We don’t really belong to the earth, we are merely sojourners here – we
belong to heaven – forever. We’ve really forgotten who we are and we’ve begun
to perceive ourselves just as the people of the world perceive themselves, as
citizens of earthly countries, and nothing more. Little wonder we find
ourselves holding to, and living by values that the world holds and lives by.
“…And
I fear the Lord…”
Not only does Jonah
reveal himself as a Hebrew, thereby revealing his nationality and faith, but he
goes on to say something about his attitude towards God. The word, ‘and,’ gives the picture that not only
does he belong to, but he also believes in. Not only does he belong to
the Hebrew people who worship the Lord, but he also fears the Lord.
The word, ‘fear,’ refers to awe, reverence, adoration, honour,
worship, confidence, thankfulness, love, and, yes, fear as well. So when Jonah
said that he feared the Lord, he was saying in effect that God was everything
to him. He was saying that his life revolves around God. Going by the story so
far, it’s far from evident though that Jonah is being consistent with his
profession of faith in God. It doesn’t look like his life is really revolving
around God at the moment. It certainly looks like his world revolves around
himself.
How so like The Church of today, where we so openly and readily proclaim
our faith in the Lord Jesus in words, but more often than not, our life speaks
a rather contradictory message. We all know that when our words and our actions
don’t match, it’s only our actions that play a role in really communicating to
people around who we really are. That’s why Jesus said, “By their fruits you will know them.” Someone said, “What you do speaks so loud, I can’t hear
what you’re saying.” I think, like Jonah, very often we truly want to be
known as people who love and serve God with all our hearts, but very often, the
way we live our lives send mixed signals to the world around about who we are
and what we’re about.
“The God of heaven”
Jonah then goes on to explain who ‘The Lord’ is. Perhaps the mariners
would have understood the words, ‘the
Lord,’ to mean just about any so-called god of the day, so he goes on to
begin introducing God next. Jonah seemed to know what all of us need to never
forget – that our true identity is found in God. It’s only in knowing God that
we begin to know both ourselves and our purpose in life. So even without
mentioning his own name to the mariners, Jonah goes on to tell them about God –
the one behind his life. He refers to ‘The
Lord,’ as ‘The God of heaven.’ On
first hearing of these words, ‘the God of
heaven,’ it gives the listener or reader a picture of a God who is distant,
unreachable and unknowable – a picture that many people in the world possess of
God. It’s only those of us who’ve come to know Him personally through His Son
Jesus, that know that he is close, reachable and personally and intimately
knowable. These words ‘the God of
heaven,’ also paint a picture of a powerful God, who not only inhabits
heaven but also possesses heaven.
Jonah goes on to introduce God a little more
than just the God of heaven. He now introduces Him as the Creator of the earth
– the sea and the dry land. Not only does God inhabit and own heaven, but since
God created the sea and the dry land as well, He owns these as well. Interestingly,
they’re on the sea when he mentions that God created the sea, adding a little
detail in the picture of God to the mariners that God is behind the tempest
they are experiencing. I’m sure at that point, there’s one thing they’re all
cherishing like they never cherished before – it’s dry land and going by the
looks of things, it doesn’t seem like they’ll be there ever again. But one
thing is clearly revealed by Jonah to the mariners, - that God is powerful,
He’s the owner, and He’s the ruler of heaven, the sea and the dry land. That’s
a beautiful picture of God to paint – even though it seemed like it would be
the last picture he’d ever paint. Even though Jonah was not talking about God to
the people he was supposed to, he was making the effort to paint a picture of
God to the sailors, on a journey that seemed, would be his last journey ever.
What’s the picture of God we’re painting to
the world? Are we painting a picture of a loving, holy, just, awesome,
powerful, wise, all-knowing, gracious, merciful (and more) God, who is close,
reachable and personally and intimately knowable, and who can transform lives
both here and forever? Or are we painting a picture of a God who’s small,
distant, unreachable, unknowable, unholy, unloving, unjust ungracious,
unmerciful (and more) powerless and irrelevant to people’s lives? Let’s know
God for who He really is and let’s paint that same picture of Him to the world
around. That’s why we were saved and that’s why we were left back on earth
after we were saved.
Have a wonderful day.
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