The Hope for Something Greater

~~~ Romans 1:1-7 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ Luke 11:29-32 ~~~

 

This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.

 

We are so filled with doubt that we too want visible proof.

'Seeing is believing' may just be our crutch.

Too often we are lacking in faith, trust and hope.

In life there seems to always be something better

whether it is in our imagination or actual.

We seem to never be satisfied.

 

Jesus is telling the crowd...

I am not going to give you another sign.

You have Jonah.

Jonah emerged after three days.

 His preaching saved the entire city of Nineveh.

The people heeded his words, took the appropriate action

and God spared them from destruction.

 

Jesus goes on...what Jonah did was great and wonderful.

but there is something far better, much greater.

 

 ...there is something greater than Jonah...

 

 

The people all knew the story of Jonah.

How could anything be greater?

An entire city was spared the wrath of God.

 

Jesus was giving them a preview of what was to come.

He was speaking about himself as the one

who would bring about something greater

 than the saving of one city.

 

Jesus was sent by the Father to secure salvation for all peoples.

Jesus was not only the greater he was the greatest.

Through his death all generations would be able to be granted salvation.

 

Our salvation is a gift from God.

The people of Nineveh showed their willingness to repent

 in a very visible way...

sackcloth....ashes...fasting.

What are we doing so many years later?

Are we willing to show visible signs of our repentance?

Is Ash Wednesday sufficient?

 

Jesus called the people he was speaking to

an evil generation.

I wonder what he would say to us today?

If you tune into the evening news regularly

you may begin to think that we are the evil generation.

We are inundated with images of our culture of death, yet we have

the greatest gift of eternal life.

 

Blessings come in believing something greater

is a reality in our world today.

The Lord has made known his salvation.