The Sign of Jonah

            Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Matthew 12:38-39. (also Mat.16:4)

You remember Jonah, the prophet from northern Israel. In fact, he was from Gath-Hepher, 5 km north of Nazareth and 1 km from Cana, in Galilee. God assigned him, around 760 BC, to preach to Nineveh, 1100 km to the north in Assyria. He tried to run, headed south 160 km to Joppa, and took ship for Tarshish, another 3000 km west. A great storm blew up, and he had to sacrifice himself to save his fellow passengers and sailors. He was thrown into the sea and swallowed by a huge fish that took him back north and, after three days, threw him up on the beach. He then walked to Nineveh, preached repentance, and the city was saved.

Now look at the Lord’s reference to this event in Matthew 12. Some Pharisees and teachers of the law are asking for a sign about who He is and His authority. He says no sign will be given, but “the sign of the prophet Jonah”.

For a long time, I had trouble with this. How would the story of Jonah prove anything about Jesus at that time? Then I realized that a sign is something you look forward to, but when you see it, it confirms everything. For instance, in Bethlehem, the shepherds were told that they would find the Messiah as a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. They found Him and knew they had the Right Baby. Luke 2:12, 16.

John the Baptist had a promise, so he watched the dozens or hundreds he baptized, and when the Spirit came on Jesus and remained as a dove, he knew he had the Right Man. John 1:33.

So, signs can range from quite obvious, to quite obscure. What is the parallel between Jonah and Jesus? At the time Jesus gave the sign there was no visible parallel. The sign of Jonah is extensive: he sacrifices himself to save his fellows, he’s gone for three days, then he’s back in action again, and his mission results in repentance, conversion and the salvation of an entire city.

We hardly need to spell out the parallel with Jesus. In the week after the crucifixion, the sign of Jonah was obvious to anyone who looked. Jesus was talking specifically about His resurrection when He said, “the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” In a word then, “the sign of Jonah”, when applied to Jesus, is “resurrection”. Put as simply as possible, the sign says, “He’s alive!”

But we should go further. When I look at my contemporaries in church, I realize that I and they are coming up very quickly to our own “three days in the heart of the earth.” Thank God, the sign of Jonah applies to us as well, though— “By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.”                  1 Corinthians 6:14

Now There IS a Balm in Gilead!

            Refrain: There is a balm in Gilead

To make the wounded whole;

There is a balm in Gilead

To heal the sin-sick soul.

 

Sometimes I feel discouraged

And think my work’s in vain,

And then the Holy Spirit

Revives my soul again.

 

Refrain.

 

If you can’t preach like Peter,

If you can’t pray like Paul,

Go home and tell your neighbour

He died to save us all.

Refrain.

This song is an African-American spiritual, now in the public domain. Nobody knows who wrote it originally but it seems that everyone who sings it puts in a few different words, or changes a line here or there. The lyrics shown here were sung by Paul Robeson in Carnegie Hall on May 9, 1958. I especially like them because they illustrate a New Testament story of Jesus.

The background, of course, is from Jeremiah 8:22, where the prophet laments, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?” Jeremiah is voicing the anguish of God, Himself, that the Jewish nation is about to fall to the Babylonians, and there is no stopping it.

Gadara, in Gilead

Gilead was Israelite territory on the southeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, and surrounded the New Testament town of Gadara (and Gerasa too). [Oxford Bible Atlas, p.133, 150.]  Now we turn to Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20; and Luke 8:26-39, but particularly vv.38-39.

Jesus and His disciples have just beached their boat on the eastern shore of Galilee, and who should meet them but a violent and desperate demoniac. In the process, Jesus heals him, casts out a “legion” of impure spirits, and allows a herd of 2000 pigs to drown. As Jesus prepares to head back west across the lake, the man, now clothed and in his right mind, begs to go along. Jesus says, No. “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.”

And there you have it. Jesus is, literally, the Physician in Gilead, applying the healing balm of the Holy Spirit, just like the prophet hoped. In fact, He sends the man home to tell his neighbours, as the song now confirms.

And God Created SOUND!

        For many years, a favourite hobby of mine has been Bible “apologetics”. No, this doesn’t mean apologizing for the Bible! What it does mean is studying various Bible events, or stories or sciences and trying to understand them in the light of current attitudes and knowledge.

        For instance, in another article, we looked at the wonder of light—God created it and made us able to see and appreciate it. He makes it come at us in colour. He brings it to us undimmed, from the farthest star. And yet He shuts it off for a few hours each night for peace and rest.

        This spring, I’ve particularly noticed how the sunlight enhances all the colours of the leaves as they burst out—every shade of green, yellow, burgundy, and even touches of red—God is a great Artist!

        But now I want to think about sound—the murmur of a creek, the rustle of leaves in a breeze; or some bigger sounds: thunder itself, the crash of Niagara Falls, the outburst of Old Faithful. The list could go on for pages—think of the happy songs of a robin every morning or the whirr of a heat bug all summer. We’re told that even whales sing.

        All this leads us to the astounding fact that, just as God created light, He also created sound. We’re not thinking so much of the individual sounds we’ve just listed, but “sound” itself. We know that sound is vibrations of different frequencies, hitting on our eardrums. But we could have been made with no eardrums—what a different world that would be.

        And so, we come around to our starting topic of “apologetics”. I’ve found that there are theologian/philosophers who make an argument for the existence of God from what they call ‘Aesthetic Experience’. For instance, Peter Kreeft, in his Pocket Handbook of Christian Apologetics in all seriousness gives this argument in only three lines:

            “1. There is the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

              2. Therefore there must be a God.

              You either see this one or you don’t.”

        John Stott says a similar thing when he finds himself worshiping during Handel’s Messiah.

        Let me just add my own experience. I love John Newton’s hymn “Amazing Grace”—bagpipes, orchestra, or choir, it sounds wonderful. In particular, Judy Collins sang it with the Harlem Boys Choir at an outdoor concert in 1993. She sang it with enjoyment and great feeling; in the singing, she included the boys’ voices and thousands in the audience. She wasn’t even afraid to use the word “wretch” about herself. But as she finished! —the words were hardly necessary, or the instruments, or even her name as the soloist—the music—the music was heavenly. That one of God’s creatures can produce such beauty! God is a great Musician!

“Cleverly devised stories”

     I was working my way through the two letters of the Apostle Peter, when I came across his statement, “We did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16) 

     One of the ways my wife and I like to relax in the evening is just that—we watch a mystery cleverly devised by Agatha Christie, or Dorothy Sayers, or G.K.Chesterton. The story is always entertaining and we can very seldom guess who the culprit is. For instance, last evening we watched a re-write of The Lady Vanishes—one mis-direction at the start followed by 75 minutes of well-written, well-acted plot. Then it seems like the director was told that all his money was gone and he had better finish quickly. Suddenly ‘a god jumps out of a box’, turns things around, and the story is over. At this point, however, we tend to look back and say “that part was well-written” or “well-acted” or “the director did a great job.” On the other hand, sometimes we say, “that part of the story went nowhere”, or “why did the vagrant do it?”, or even “why did the butler do it?” The plot-line is critical and the ability of a writer is judged by how well his plot holds together. 

     In a similar way, life is a story, with multiple plot-lines. But life, of course, is what really happens so there is no artificiality. This is what Peter means when he tells us of his own experience—Jesus was transfigured right before his eyes and he heard the voice of God, “that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.” (2 Peter 1:18) 

     By definition, we would have to say that truth can have no plot-holes. Christians therefore base the whole field of “apologetics” on this principle. Opponents point out gaps in the Christian story and claim these are real holes in the plot. We Christians accept most of the story by faith, but we do like to see some of the gaps filled. 

     A small example of a supposed plot-hole in scripture might be the size of the tank in 1 Kings 7:23. It was 30 cubits in circumference and 10 cubits in diameter. On the face of it (but not in fact), that makes pi equal to 3.0000. 

     A really big plot-hole would be the death of Jesus on the cross, then seeing Him talking to the disciples in the closed room three days later. What a plot-hole this is! This is life from the dead—for Him and for us too! Only God can explain this plot-line. This is resurrection. Other hard things to understand are prophecy, miracles, the incarnation, the virgin birth, and the ascension. The point of these stories is that they are true. Christians have seen them, believe them, and have honestly reported them. The plot-line is true. 

He Once Was Dead!

1. Sweet is the savour of His Name 

Who suffered in His people’s stead;

His portion here, reproach and shame:

He liveth now; He once was dead.

2. He once was dead; the very same

Who sits on yonder throne above;

Who bears in heaven the greatest Name,

Whom angels serve, whom angels love.

3. He once was dead; the very same

Who made the worlds—a work of power,

Who now upholds the mighty frame,

And keeps it till the final hour.

4. He once was dead; but now He lives,

His glory fills all heaven above;

Its blessedness to heaven He gives,

The fountain He of joy and love.

5. His people shall His triumph share,

With Him shall live, and with Him reign;

In heaven their joy is full, for there

They see THE LAMB for sinners slain.

        This hymn, left as “anonymous” in our hymnbook (Believers’ Hymn Book #256), actually appears as HYMN DCXXXIX [639] in Hymns on Various Passages of Scripture, by Thomas Kelly (published in 1853), and it is he who should be credited with its authorship. 

        Kelly referenced Revelation 1:18, “I am alive for evermore,” and included two more verses between 3 and 4, above: 

He once was dead, the very same

Who soon will come with glory crowned;

His breath shall kindle then a flame

That shall consume the world around.

He once was dead, the very same

At whose command the dead shall rise,

To sorrow some, and endless shame,

And some to everlasting joys.

        Thomas Kelly was born in Dublin on July 13, 1769, the son of a judge of the same name, residing at Kellyville House, Athy. We know little of his mother or of his childhood, other than the simple statement, “his primary education was obtained at Portarlington and Kilkenny. He received his secondary education at Trinity College of Dublin University.” After graduation, he intended to study law so he transferred to the Temple bar in London. Here he encountered Hutchinson’s Moses’ Principia, with the consequent need to study Hebrew. This in turn led him to William Romaine’s works and a determination “to forsake the world and all its attractions and take up the study of theology.” The ascetic lifestyle he adopted put his very life in danger until “he found peace and comfort through faith in the grace of God through Jesus Christ.” 

      The clergy and even his own family opposed him. Kelly’s parents regarded his conversion as a calamity, and his mother exclaimed, “a change has taken place, but for the worse!” They were mortified that their only son, heir to the family estate, had stooped to unite himself with “Methodists and Swaddlers.” One biographer happily reports that, “After 

some time he gained universal recognition on account of his culture and thorough learning, but especially on account of his endearing personality, his sincere piety and humility, his charity work, and untiring zeal for the extension of the Kingdom of God.” 

      He was ordained in the Established Church in Ireland in 1792 and began to preach a clear gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. This soon upset Archbishop Fowler of Dublin, and both Kelly and his friend Rowland Hill were barred from preaching. This didn’t stop them, of course, and Kelly soon associated himself with the dissenters. Being a wealthy man, he was able to build chapels with his own money in Dublin (Blackrock), Portarlington, Athy, Wexford and Waterford. 

        In about 1800, Kelly married a Miss Tighe of Rosanna, Wicklow, who shared his spiritual views, and they had at least one child, a daughter. Then, in 1802, he published A Collection of Psalms and Hymns that included thirty-three of his own works. Over the next fifty years, he steadily added to his portfolio until, with the final edition of Hymns on Various Passages of Scripture in 1853, he filled out a volume with 765 of his own works. 

Kelly Memorial at Ballintubbert

     When a friend read “The Lord is my shepherd” as Kelly lay on his deathbed, his response was “The Lord is my everything.” He passed away on May 14, 1855 in Dublin, and was buried at Ballintubbert Church, just a few miles outside of Athy. 

        A few other notable hymns from Kelly’s pen include Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious; Meeting in the Saviour’s Name; Praise the Saviour, ye who know Him; and We’ll sing of the Shepherd that died. 

The Shroud of Turin

        “The Shroud of Turin is a length of linen cloth bearing the negative image of a man who is alleged to be Jesus of Nazareth…The cloth itself is believed by some to be the burial shroud that Jesus was wrapped in when he was buried after crucifixion.” Wikipedia article

        “It is first securely attested in 1390, when a local bishop wrote that the shroud was a forgery and that an unnamed artist had confessed.” Since then thousands of books and articles have been written, both approving and debunking its reality. 

        In a “view”, this author wants to suggest two logical reasons why it is unlikely to be the original burial cloth. Aside from all provenance and science, two Scriptural facts should be noted: 

1) There was a weight of 75 pounds of spices wrapped with the body [John 19:39] and 

2) The burial cloth did not cover the head [John 20:7]. 

       If the image was caused by radiation or some other form of brilliant exposure, there seems to be no sign of the spices, and secondly, the covering from the head was lying separately from the linen, not part of the shroud itself. Just a thought. ☺ 

        For anyone who would like to pursue this further, there is an amazingly thorough essay by Gary Habermas, available on the internet at www.garyhabermas.com. His article includes some excellent insights into the resurrection, as well as what he considers strong reasons why this might be the “true” shroud.

Apologetics: Crossing Jordan Dryshod

        After the two spies were helped by Rahab to escape from Jericho, they returned to Joshua and reported, “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands.” (Joshua 2:24) Early the next morning, the Israelites moved to the Jordan and camped there three days. On the fourth morning, Joshua had the priests carry the ark of the covenant and stand in the river. “As soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.” (Joshua 3:13) 

        The author’s comment at this point is that “the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest,” (v.15) but the water from upstream did stop flowing. “It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan.” (v.16) As soon as all Israel had hurried over, Joshua called the priests up out of the river bed and “the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.” (v.18) 

        The period of the exodus is filled with miracles; some we may explain in a scientific sense, but many not. There is a geographical explanation in the drying up of Jordan but the geology and the perfect timing are entirely God’s doing. 

        Are there other passages of Scripture that bear on this event? Consider Psalm 114:3-7—the psalmist tells us that “the Jordan turned back, the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs…tremble, O earth…” This was for real! This is a poetic description of a serious earthquake. 

        What is the geography of the Jordan at Adam near Zarethan? The site of “Adam” is considered to be about two kilometers downstream from the confluence of the Jabbok River with the Jordan, on the east side and about 27 kilometres north of Jericho. The “Adam Bridge” or “Damia Bridge” located here, is one of the few border crossings into the country of Jordan. It is here, too, that the river Jordan flows past the foot of barren hills that look just ready to crumble. In fact, “on July 11, 1927, an earthquake of magnitude 6.5 struck near Jericho, causing extensive damage in the town. Eighteen miles north of Jericho, near Adam, there was a mud slide which dammed the river, causing it to run dry for a short time. 

        Historical records tell us that larger mud slides have occurred in 1160, 1267, 1534, 1546, 1834 and 1906 and the average length of time during which the river was blocked was two days - ample time for all the Israelites to cross from one side to the other.” [info per http://www.diggingsonline.com/pages/rese/books/comment/joshua.htm]