A letter from Anthony...
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
For the past three weeks we
have had the opportunity to fellowship together by way of Church in the Bush
and then two outdoor services. It has been a wonderful opportunity to
worship alongside each other and to catch up after the service. However,
one of the many challenges of this Covid-19 season has been trying to interpret
the weather. This year, for only the second time in its history, Church
in the Bush was postponed because of inclement weather. And while our two
outdoor services have been dry and sunny, the lack of shade as the weather
warms up is going to make them increasingly difficult as we head toward the
warmer part of the year.
In a rural community like
ours interpreting the weather is almost a cultural past time. Often the
condition of the day – or days – to come will make a massive difference to the
jobs that we are able to get done. And so, we regularly look at various
weather forecasts and weather maps on the internet, all in an attempt to
interpret the weather, so that we have a good idea of what is going to
happen.
In the above verses, the
Pharisees and the Sadducees are demanding that Jesus give them a sign from
heaven to authenticate that He is who He says He is. Jesus’ response is
simple: He says (I am paraphrasing here), ‘you look at the sky and
interpret the weather, so how is it that you do not look at the signs of the
times and understand who I am?’ God had already sent them signs. He
sent John the Baptiser to prepare the way for the Lord, and at Jesus’ birth He
had fulfilled the prophesy in Isaiah 7:14 that “the virgin will conceive and
give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel”. But nevertheless, the
Pharisees and the Sadducees still demanded a sign. And so, Jesus says,
“none will be given… except the sign of Jonah”.
When God sent Jonah to preach to the city of Nineveh in Jonah chapter 1, Jonah boarded a ship that was heading down to Joppa (the complete opposite direction). And as a violent storm threatened to sink the ship, Jonah was thrown down into the raging waters. It was in that moment – when Jonah was at his lowest – God provided a great fish to save him; and there he remained, in the great fish, for three days and three nights.
It was Jonah’s rebellion
that had placed him in the depths of the ocean for three days and three nights.
But nevertheless God used Jonah’s rebellion as a sign; a sign of the day
when God’s One and Only Son would be taken down from the cross – where He bore
our sin and shame – and was laid down in a tomb for three days and three
nights.
Jesus explained to the
Pharisees and Sadducees that He would in fact send them a sign – but not just
any sign – it would be the sign of Jonah. Jesus was explaining that God
was about to give His people the greatest sign of His love: by offering up His
One and Only Son as the ultimate sign of God’s commitment and faithfulness to
His promises.
We might look at our
weather maps, or our favourite weather forecaster, to interpret what the
weather will be like. But when it comes to God and His faithfulness, when
it comes to a sign of Jesus’ authenticity, He has already given us the ultimate
sign in the death and resurrection of His Son. As the apostle Paul says
in Romans 8:32: “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us
all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”
The sign of Jonah, created
by Jonah’s rebellion, was later paid for by Christ’s perfect obedience as He
willingly paid the penalty of our guilt and shame. The crucifixion of
God’s One and Only Son is the ultimate sign of God’s faithfulness to those who
trust in Him. It is the sign that God has given to His people to
interpret all the circumstances of our lives – whether good or bad – so that in
all things we might give Him the glory for what He has done – and is doing – in
our lives.
In Christ, Anthony
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