Jude #2 ユダの手紙 第２回

Last week we started looking at the book of Jude, this 25-verse letter to believers Jude felt was in danger of falling from the Faith. He told them to struggle well in the Faith and to persevere until the end—as in a race.  We ended our time last week with an illustration of early Greek Olympic Games; The Greeks had a race in their Olympic games that was unique.  The winner was not the runner who finished first.  It was the runner who finished WITH his torch still lit.  J. Stowell, Fan The Flame, Moody, 1986, p. 32.

The goal of each Believer of Jesus should be to desire to run all the way until the end with the flame of our torch still aflame for Him.    イエスを信ずる者それぞれの目標は、最後まですべての道を走り遂げようと望むべきです。

Would that be grand?

Truth is that so many do fall away.  So many don’t finish well.  Truth is that many gave up on the race because they got tired of running well. And Jude sees it happening right in front of him and he cries out to the Believers: Be Careful!

Be careful of faults teachers of the Faith.  And this passage shows whom they are and how to spot them.  They don’t wear a red outfit and carry a pitched fork.  They sneak in among us. In fact, when you read the passage—as we will do in a few seconds—in the eight verses that deal with those people, you will see words like THEY, THEM and THEIR all over.  Ten times with THEY, seven times with THEM, and six times with THEIR.  Let’s read starting from verse 1-16.

People like Michael, Moses and Enoch are spoken of here.  Little-if anything-is said about the Archangel: found four times in books like Daniel, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Jude 1:9 and Revelation 12:7 but only twice is he known as archangel. 

Let’s look at the use of the pronouns.  Them, they, their …彼らを…彼らは...彼らの

Their dreams, Their own bodies, These people, They do understand, Destroy them, Woe to them! These people, They are clouds, They are wild, Their shame, These people, They follow, They boast, (they) Flatter others, Their own advantage …  And then you come to this triad:

THEY HAVE TAKEN THE WAY OF CAIN-彼らは、カインの道をたどっていた。

THEY HAVE RUSHED FOR PROFIT INTO BALAAM’S ERROR-彼らはバラムの利益のために殺到した

THEY HAVE BEEN DESTROYED IN KORAH’S REBELLION-彼らはコラの時代に打ちのめされている反乱

Let’s quickly look at these men and what they did to deserve such recognition in Jude’s letter.

First, with Cain: Genesis 4:1 notes the birth of Cain.  Eve said of him: “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.”

    Cain worked the soil. He brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. V5 but on Cain and his offering He did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. V6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? By V8, Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Still later in Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did.

   The Way of Cain is the way of evil.  As found in 1 John 3:12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.

A. THEY HAVE TAKEN THE WAY OF CAIN-

     Their misplaced devotion in sacrifice of the Lord- duty, anger

    Taken-actively rejected the teachings of the Lord

    The WAY of Cain-killing his brother and trying to hid that sin

    Now, those who rushed for profit into Balaam’s ERROR. 

    We need to go to Numbers 24-31 to find this man’s story.  It seemed that he was some sort of a prophet, a man who practiced foretelling, or divination. We really learn more of this strange man from Deuteronomy 23, Joshua 13 and 24 and from Nehemiah, Micah, Peter and John’s Book of Revelation.  In short, he looked to the wages of his trade more than the integrity of God’s plan.  He loved the wages of wickedness and taught HOW to entice God’s people to commit sexual immorality.  These are people who leave the straight way and wander off to follow this way of destruction. 

B. THEY HAVE RUSHED FOR PROFIT INTO BALAAM’S ERROR-

    turning a deaf ear to the teachings of the Lord

    Rushed headlong into the error.  Letting all good judgment fail

    Balaam’s error-wandering off the right path.

    Which leaves us with those people who have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.  Korah was a leader in Israel.  He was one of the chief worshippers at the Tent of God.  He, in short, grew too big for himself and lost the focus of what he was supposed to be doing.  I can well imagine that this way is slowly taken.  May not be done with malice of thought or in a hurtful way but over time, it becomes self at the center. 

C. THEY HAVE BEEN DESTROYED IN KORAH’S REBELLION-

    reject God’s authority

    loose life

    rebellion against the Lord only brings complete separation from God

    A very interesting triad of self-centered concerns.  Tending to concentrate selfishly on your own needs and affairs and to show little or no interest in those of others.  Another word is narcissistic: self-admiration—self absorbed, vain. 

    From Cain, Balaam and Korah, we can see that each wanted to be lifted up and set aside for self-glory.  That is not what the Christian Faith supports!  The Gospel is to see people free from the burdens of sin.  There is Power in the Blood.  What is the Gospel?  AB Simpson:

Here is the Gospel: ここで福音書は、次のとおりです。A.B. Simpson is reported to have said that the  Gospel: "Tells rebellious men

o          that God is reconciled (no conflict), 神と和解すること

o          that justice is satisfied, 正義は全うされる

o          that sin has been atoned for, (compensated for) 罪は贖われた（補償

o          that the judgment of the guilty may be revoked, (withdrew) 有罪の判決が取り消される可能性がある（取り下げ）

o          the condemnation (sentence)of the sinner cancelled, (voided) 罪人の有罪（判決）の取り消し（無効

o          the curse of the Law blotted out, 法の呪いは消滅

o          the gates of hell closed, shut forever 地獄の門は永遠に閉じた

o          the portals of heaven opened wide, forever天国の門は、広く永遠に開かれた

o          the power of sin subdued, (pacified) 罪の力は沈黙し（平定）

o          the guilty conscience healed, 罪悪感は癒され

o          the broken heart comforted, 壊れた心は慰められ

o          the sorrow and misery of the Fall undone! 落ち込んだ悲しみと不幸は回復する！　

THAT is what the Gospel has done! M. Cocoris, Evangelism, A Biblical Approach, Moody, 1984, p. 29.

In closing: the last two phrases: 17-23 “But, dear friends… and But you, dear friends.”  

¹⁷ But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. ¹⁸ They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” ¹⁹ These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

²⁰ But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

²² Be merciful to those who doubt; ²³ save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

 We will deal with these next week as well as other verses.

²⁴ To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy— ²⁵ to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. 

Jude: Pressing On To Endurance. ユダの手紙

We are living in some very uncertain times.  Reports are that Israel might attack the Iran’s nuclear plants before the US election in November. A lot of countries are disturbed by that.  The leader of Iran has stated that he is preparing for the end of the world as he looks forward to a military strike against Israel.  We are talking about Armageddon. 

We are really living in a different world than the one Jude wrote to.  We are not under a One World system: POX ROMA, or Roman law does not drive our economy or our way of life.  However, while slavery has been outlawed since the mid 1800’s, it still affects the lives of many 1,000s.  At that time, the world used one language; now, knowing Chinese is looked upon as a good language to know for the years to come.

There are some things that are the same.  Jude was concerned with what he found in the growing faith of this young church—or rather, what was lacking in their growing faith. 

~ Taken from Olive Tree Commentary. This epistle is addressed to all believers in the Gospel.  Its design appears to be to guard believers against the false teachers who had begun to creep into the Christian church, and to scatter dangerous (doctrines), by attempting to lower all Christianity into a merely nominal belief and outward profession of the Gospel.  Having thus denied the obligations of personal holiness, they taught their disciples to live in sinful (ways), at the same time flattering them with the hope of eternal life.  The vile character of these seducers is shown, and their sentence is denounced, and the epistle concludes with warnings, admonitions, and counsels to believers.

この手紙は、福音のあるすべての信者に宛てたものです。その目的は、キリスト教信仰を単なる名目上の信仰あるいは福音を外面上の職業に落とし込もうと試み、かつキリスト教の教会に忍び込み危険な教義を始めていた、偽教師から信者を守るためにあります。個人の聖別に関する義務を拒否していながら、彼らは永遠の命について希望をうそぶき、罪深い道に生きることを、彼らの弟子たちに教えていました。これら誘惑する者の下劣な文字が示され、その文は非難されており、その上で警告、訓戒、そして信者たちへの忠告をもって終了します。 〜 オリーブの木注釈書から引用

Jude first intended to write about the Salvation that was common between them.  Instead, he was concerned for the life style of the believers.  From the teachings of Jesus, we are to live in the world but not be part of the world system.  We are encouraged to live above the world—looking to the higher calling of the Lord.  From a life of sin and of uncleanness to a life that reflects His holiness.  From a life that is self-centered to realize that God is at work in each of us—even those who behave like Jonah and run the opposite direction.

Jude saw a danger in the Church and it bothered him enough to write this letter to the early church—a church that was at that time, mostly of Jewish believers who now follow Jesus as the Messiah.  He goes back into Jewish history to prove some points and reminds them of where they had come from. 

Life on this planet is kind ‘a difficult.  In a study done in 1988 from the University of Louisville, scientists reported that 13% of all coins and 42% of paper money carry infectious organisms.  There is danger all over the place: A man was visiting Africa’s Victoria’ Falls.  He notices that the closer to the falls he got, the heavy cloud of mist impaired his vision.  While he was walking along the path that skirts the gorge on the Zambezi River, he noticed a sign on the rim but could not make it out.  Not wanting to miss something important, he slithered and slid through the mud to read the sign, which said: “Danger! Crumbling Edge!”  How close to the edge do you want to be?  Jude says: Be careful!

Let’s get right to it, shall we.

Jude is identified as a  Servant of Jesus and as the brother of James.  Servant しもべ because he is under Jesus’ rule and that he belongs to Jesus.  All that he is about is centered on his relationship with this Man, Jesus.  He gave up His own life for him.  Jesus had gone to the Cross for Jude.  Jesus had died for him.   He also rose from the Grave for him.  Sound familiar?  If this is what happened to you, than you too are servants of Jesus. We need to live that way!

His second claim is that he is the brother 兄弟 of James.  Most likely, this James was the head of the early church based in Jerusalem.  That James was the writer of the Book of James and also had a close relationship with Jesus Himself—might even be His brother.  Looks like Jude was in possession of James’ letter and takes James’ last verses of his letter to heart, when he wrote 5:19 “My brothers, if one of you should wander from the Truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”  That seems to be in Jude’s heart as well. (Might be a good role for us to take also…when we know of someone who has wandered away from the Faith…to call them on that and offer the Joy only Jesus can give in having them return to the Faith once again.)

Jude writes to the “Called ones”.  The Selected Ones.  The Special Followers of Jesus.  These who are part of the Called of God who follow the teachings and life-style of the Lord Jesus.  This is not someone who was born into the family of believers or lived among Believers but one who has placed a personal trust in the Finished Work of Christ on the Cross.  They are not the people who just LIKE things about Jesus but do not FOLLOW Him.

These ‘called ones’ were special in two ways: They were the ones who were LOVED by God AND who were KEPT BY Jesus. John 14:21. Whoever has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

How does being loved and being kept by God feel or look like? They enjoy the heart knowledge of sins being forgiven.  They have a heart of thankfulness—of gratefulness.  There is a concern for a lifestyle that reflects the attitudes of the Lord.  Life is holy.  Holiness is sought after—hungered for—desired.  When that love becomes cold, it is replaced with indifference and ends in spiritual death.  Jude does not want that to happen to the Church.  Neither do we.

We can see from these verses that this is based on a relationship: a relationship with the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit.  And the fruit of that relationship is Mercy 慈悲, Peace 平和 and Love 愛.

At this point in his letter, we learn his full purpose for this letter. この手紙の主な目的 He writes: ³ Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. ⁴ For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

In other words, Jude exhorts the believers to be steadfast in the Faith. ゆるぎない信仰の薦め This really bothers Jude, as it should us as well.  When we see friends fall away, fade away in their zeal, start to deny their own Faith, start to make excuses for not worshipping with the Body, we too, should be concerned. We might say: “Who am I to say anything?”  “I’m not living such a good Christian life either!” STOP right there!  If that is your attitude toward your Brothers and Sisters than you too need a kick in the pants.  We are community.

If in your neighborhood, you start seeing a man stockpiling guns and bombs, shouldn’t that concern you?  If you see your neighbor’s daughter start to hang around drug users and gangsters, should you not be concerned?  No? Not your business?  When will it be your business?  When they start shooting at you? We can pray—certainly—and we can act.  Remember James’ exhortation.  You could save that person from Hell fire.

Jude is strongly exhorting his readers and US to be steadfast in the faith. Perseverance 忍耐力. Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. To be lax in this walk of Faith is not a license for immorality 不道徳のためにある許しではない .  At this point of the letter, Jude begins to point to times in their history—and times in our own history—where all sorts of evil takes place.

Some struggles are good for us.  When I hear some say that they hope their children don’t have to experience the hardships they went through—I really don’t agree.  Those hardships and struggles made us who we are today.  A person can be disadvantaged in many ways, and one way may be NOT having had to struggle. 

Jude looks to the History of God’s People 歴史：彼の人々.  Israel had been chosen as God’s Special People.  No other nation on earth had that calling.  And yet, along the way of Faith, God’s love and commands were continually tested and avoided.  The mighty works and miracles during their time in Egypt—were forgotten. 

Angels, who were to hold positions of honor in the Heavenly realms, left their positions of authority 天使：御座の左の位置 to follow the Prince of Demons, Satan himself.  Those angels were sent to the place reserved for Satan in the end times. We now know from Scriptures, that place will also be where Man would be sent—separated from God for all of eternity. It is not a small thing to grow spiritually dull.  Even Angels—who, for eternity, knew God, even they turned away from His blessings.  Jude says: BE CAREFUL!  Be aware!

The third illustration is that of Sodom and Gomorrah ソドムとゴモラ：腐った人々のグループ.  The Bible tells us of the evil lives there but the real reason for their downfall was not JUST their outward sexual misconduct but that they were cold in heart to people in need.  They gave themselves over to sexual immorality and perversion BECAUSE they lost their moral compass.  They put self-interest before anything else.  What will make me feel good?  How do I please myself? Forget about others, how can I succeed?  It doesn’t matter what I do, or what I believe, as long as I don’t hurt anyone.  A false belief that will bring disaster as in Sodom & Gomorrah.

Be sharp! Don’t be deceived. Self-deception has almost become an art form today.  I heard of a schoolteacher who lost her life savings in a business scheme that had been elaborately explained by a swindler. When her investment disappeared and her dream was shattered, she went to the Better Business Bureau. "Why on earth didn't you come to us first?" the official asked. "Didn't you know about the Better Business Bureau?" "Oh, yes," said the lady sadly. "I've always known about you. But I didn't come because I was afraid you'd tell me not to do it." The folly of human nature is that even though we know where the answers lie--God's Word—The Authority, we don't turn there for fear of what it will say.  (~Jerry Lambert).

We will need to end the study here.  Next week: the Way, the Truth and the Life来週： 道であり、真理であり、生命である.  In closing: The Greeks had a race in their Olympic games that was unique.  The winner was not the runner who finished first.  It was the runner who finished WITH his torch still lit.  I want to run all the way with the flame of my torch still lit for Him.  You, too?

J. Stowell, Fan The Flame, Moody, 1986, p. 32. 

Doxology    

To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!  Amen.

What Am I Going To Do With You? 私はあなたと何を関わっていくのでしょうか？

Jonah 4:5-11ヨナ4:5-11

V5   SEEK A QUIET PLACE TO SEE THE WORKS OF GOD 神の業（わざ）を思い見る静かな場所を求める

   This has been done before.  Abraham sat and watched Sodom & Gomorrah burn---from a distance.  Not the same feeling or attitude as he had been concerned for his nephew Lot’s life and for those who still might be righteous.  Here, Jonah sets up camp on the east side of the city—to watch something that will not happen.  He looks for comfort in the destruction of a city and of her people.  He sets up a shelter .

   Others do the same, as in similar situations, those with anxious uneasy consciences have diligently constructed something that appears to be more uncomfortable than the situation itself.  They do this so that they still can complain and still have much to complain about.  Complain: Express dissatisfaction or annoyance about a state of affairs or an event.  IN fact, there are today, web sites for those who want to complain  (不平を言う) (подавать жалобу) (klage) (불평하다).  HowtoComplain.com is a one-stop source of consumer information, providing the capability for you to complain online to any organization, including consumers, companies and  governments…and it is free!  Not fair?  Go to the site and find ways to sue them or find satisfaction. So... don't complain and talk about all your problems--80 percent of people don't care; the other 20 percent will think you deserve them.    Mark Twain. 

   Out West, a cowboy was driving down a dirt road, his dog riding in back of the pickup truck, his faithful horse in the trailer behind. He failed to negotiate a curve and had a terrible accident.    Sometime later, a highway patrol officer came on the scene. An animal lover, he saw the horse first. Realizing the serious nature of its injuries, he drew his service revolver and put the animal out of his misery. He walked around the accident and found the dog, also hurt critically. He couldn't bear to hear it whine in pain, so he ended the dog's suffering as well.    Finally he located the cowboy --who suffered multiple fractures--off in the weeds. "Hey, are you okay?" the cop asked. The cowboy took one look at the smoking revolver in the officer's hand and quickly replied, "Never felt better!"

V6 GOD PROVIDED … A SMALL THING THAT JONAH WAS GLAD FOR BUT NOT THANKFUL TO GOD FOR.   神は与えた...小さな事を

   How many things we find in our day-to-day lives that are really blessings from God, yet we do not thank Him for those things?  Here was a small, very hungry BUG and God was in it! There may be small things in our lives that eat away at what the Lord has provided.  Things like ungratefulness, slander, bitterness, and pride.  It is not seen on the outside but very active from within.  (A small worm destroys a large gourd.)  That which was alive in us begins to die…ever so slowly.  In this case, Jonah was very grateful for the gourd. He put his hope in the wrong item…in the wrong thing.

   God provides so much: Missionary statesman Hudson Taylor  ハドソン·テイラーhad complete trust in God's faithfulness. In his journal he wrote:  Our heavenly Father is a very experienced One. He knows very well that His children wake up with a good appetite every morning... He sustained 3 million Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years. We do not expect He will send 3 million missionaries to China; but if He did, He would have ample means to sustain them all... Depend on it, God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply.

   With all the things God has to deal with, He is still looking after His Prophet.  He sees him sitting in the hot sun.  He knows that he will get sunstroke (日射病).  He will burn. He will grow faint.  God provided a vine to shade him…but sees no change in his behavior.  No heart filled thankfulness in light of what Jonah knew about the character of God, his own heart was unmoved.

   But mankind has had a problem with being thankful.  We might sit down for a meal and start right in eating without thanking the Lord for the food.  Small thing?  I don’t think so.

   所沢からの友人  A number of years ago, a very good friend from Tokorozawa, before he became a Believer found himself on a bike ride with a fellow missionary.  The missionary had been talking to him about Jesus and the Japanese man must have known that during this long bike ride, the missionary would share the Gospel with him.  That sharing came in a very different manner. They had stopped for lunch and they took out their obentos and as small as it was, the missionary said: “Let’s thank God for this!” His prayer was in Japanese and it was in very simple Japanese.  My friend said something like: “Ten no otosama, kono obento o, arigato gozaimasu, amen. 天のおとさま、このおべんとお、ありがとございます、アメん！”  My Japanese friend was taken back by that prayer of thanks.  He said, “You are thankful to your God for such a small thing.  Yet I do not have anyone to thank.” A short time later, he opened his heart to Jesus BECAUSE he could thank Him!

  Ephesians 5:20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. エペソ人への手紙5:20

  1 Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1テサロニケ5:18

   But here we have a “Man of God” who lost out on a real blessing because he would not be thankful NOR wanted to be thankful.  He remained bitter (苦い).  He wished the very worst to happen to those people.  He was not in any mood to bless them.  He was so ready to curse them.  No tenderness of heart was apparent.  He was lost in his feeling of hurt and anger and he could not see his way clear of it.  He was ‘thankful’ for the possibilities of seeing calamity.  That is not the conduct of a Believer!

   Even today, those people who are ready to curse people and to cut them down is not walking in the Spirit.  When a person finds delight—yes, delight—in bringing people down, there is something wrong in that person’s spirit.  He is bitter.  He is unfair and he is out of step with the kindness of God.  Jonah was such a person.  We cannot be that way. 

V 7 GOD EVEN PROVIDED … FOOD FOR THE WORM! 神は与えた... 虫にさえ食べ物を I love this next section. God sees no change in the heart or attitude in Jonah so what does this loving, caring God do, He shows His concern for the welfare of a worm.  He gives him a feast. “Eat the whole plant!”  “My man, Jonah, does not seem to be thankful, I will provide for the worm.” This does not please Jonah once again.  He becomes angry. (Note that he is generally an angry person. Know anyone like that—ready to bite your head off for the slightest provocation (挑発)? 

V 8  GOD PROVIDED … A STRONG EAST WIND)  神は起こした...強い東風を

Scottish minister Alexander Whyte was known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit. He always found something for which to be grateful. One Sunday morning the weather was so gloomy that one church member thought to himself, "Certainly the preacher won't think of anything for which to thank the Lord on a wretched day like this." Much to his surprise, however, Whyte the Pastor began by praying, "We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this."  Give thanks in ALL things!

   Do we notice a trend here with what God keeps doing?  God is the One who provides.  He provided Jonah a place to work out his issues—the belly of the fish.  He provided the sailors an opportunity to give Him praise.  He provided the people of Nineveh with the message of salvation.  He provided a place for Jonah to sit: He provided shade.  He provided a meal for the worm and we also see that He provided Jonah clean air to see the Glory of God’s Mercy: He provided a strong east wind to clear the skies away. Jonah’s only unoriginal response is ANGER(怒り) … once again. He again wants to die!  Lost his center. Lost his moral compass (道徳的なコンパス). This is anything that serves to guide a person’s decisions based on morals or virtues.

   Once that area of the heart is broken, it is ever so hard to reclaim it once again—certainly not with any human effort.  It takes the Work of God in that heart of stone and we know that it can be done: look where we have been from and now, on this side of the Cross, we have that moral compass.  Jonah needs a compass change—and fast.

   Jonah’s reason to live before was the possibility of seeing God destroy Nineveh.  Once that was gone, his only delight was the vine that gave him shade.  But he cared nothing for the lives of people who lived below him in that once threatened city.  My shade was gone, I wish I would die!

Ben Franklin once said: Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one. 怒りは理由がないわけではないが、めったに良い理由によることではない

   And here is NOT a good reason to be angry. He cared more for the vine than for lives of so many people—even if it were ten righteous people, Jonah did not care.  He was spiritually bankrupted.  God saw it missing in him. V ¹⁰ But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight.”  

CONCERN FOR THE SMALL THINGS and MISS THE BIG THINGS 小さな事へこだわると大きなことを見逃すThe FACT was that there were people down in that city that needed to know God.  And all Jonah was concerned with at this point was to die because of his petty need of shade.  Don’t you feel sorry for him?  He had an experience of a lifetime—in fact—an experience that almost took his life and now he is faced with sunstroke and he wants to die! But, I feel akin to him.  And maybe you, too.

  NO COMPASSION あわれまないWe are SO concerned for the little things in life and we tend let the big things go. We get concerned for the comfort we can have here and we forget there are people—not even that far away from this Chapel, who do not have the bare necessities of life. We might be concerned for a short time, but time moves us and we move on.  We forget that there are people in need out there and that we can help them.  Friends, what is our duty?  What are we required to do?  Why are we here? Micah 6:8 states three reasons: He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.  ミカ6：8

   Jonah failed on all three counts!  Don’t let that happen to you.  Supreme Court Justice Horace Gray once informed a man who had appeared before him in a lower court and had escaped conviction on a technicality, "I know that you are guilty and you know it, and I wish you to remember that one day you will stand before a better and wiser Judge, and that there you will be dealt with according to justice and not according to law." Later in that man’s life of crime, he was surprised while burgling a house in Antwerp, Belgium.  The thief fled out the back door, clambered over a nine-foot wall, dropped down the other side, and found himself in the city prison. Oops: The Book of Blunders, 1980.  That is true justice!
   How can we act justly?  正しく行動する In our homes, be fair—look for ways to be just.  This means just being fair, guided by truth, reason, justice, and fairness.  In the society—support the rights of children.  Be sensitive to the plight of those who are less fortunate than us.  Be fair with our fellow workers.  Treat them with respect that is their due.  Don’t expect justice back.  It would be nice to be treated fairly, but—Jonah was not being fair with is attitude toward the city dwellers.  He wanted them just dead.

  How can we love mercy?  What does mercy look like? 愛の慈悲Years after the death of US President Calvin Coolidge, this story came to light. In the early days of his presidency, Coolidge awoke one morning in his hotel room to find a cat burglar going through his pockets. Coolidge spoke up, asking the burglar not to take his watch chain because it contained an engraved charm he wanted to keep. Coolidge then engaged the thief in quiet conversation and discovered he was a college student who had no money to pay his hotel bill or buy a ticket back to campus. Coolidge counted $32 out of his wallet -- which he had also persuaded the dazed young man to give back! -- declared it to be a loan, and advised the young man to leave the way he had come so as to avoid the Secret Service! (Yes, the loan was paid back.)  Today in the Word, October 8, 1992.  True mercy…not what he justly needed but mercy—something beyond. Because of the resent events in the US,  Billy Graham writes: "My heart aches for America and its deceived people. The wonderful news is that our Lord is a God of mercy, and He responds to repentance."

   To Walk humbly with your God!  あなたの神とともに謙虚に歩く
 There was a minister who said he had a wonderful sermon on humility but was waiting for a large crowd before preaching it. If our own heart does not humble us, some one or something will humble you.  The old saying: Be humble or you'll stumble.  George Washington Carver, the scientist who developed hundreds of useful products from the peanut: "When I was young, I said to God, 'God, tell me the mystery of the universe.' But God answered, 'That knowledge is reserved for Me alone.' So I said, 'God, tell me the mystery of the peanut.' Then God said, 'Well, George, that's more nearly your size.' And He told me."  Adapted from Rackham Holt, George Washington Carver.

  It was Socrates who said the unexamined life is not worth living.  Many of us might be so wrapped up on our PC and MACs or iPhones and enjoying the surface areas of life that we might not have time or energy left to engage with God on any level deeper than merely surface.  We are not thinking critically about our own lives and therefore we are unable to think critically or Biblically about our world or our response to it.  We favor knee jerk reactions, but God wants us to respond in agreement with His purposes, not against His purposes.

  God’s message to Jonah is a message for us today.  Who will care for those who cannot speak? V 11 (120,000 INFANTS WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE OF WHICH HAND WAS THEIR RIGHT HAND—NO CARE FOR THEM-NO COMPASSION AT ALL!)  Who will stand up for them? Will you ask the Lord for that kind of compassion?  

   And we come to The END OF STORY—物語の終わりNOT RESPONSE FROM JONAH.  It interests me that we do not hear from Jonah again. Will he run away? Will you? The last few times God spoke to him, he moved away.  Once in disobedience and the next in silent obedience.  His heart seemed unmoved.  His words are cold.

   If there were a fifth Chapter, what would it say?  The romantic in me would suggest that a fellow from the city walked up to him and asked him to teach him about his God.  It seems that Jonah knew ABOUT God very well, (his problem would be living that out!) This man would ask him many questions about what he should do and how he should act.  Jonah would tell him of the need to see that God works everything for His Glory.  That man would verbalize better than Jonah of what that would look like and once again, Jonah would be set back to learn the same things again.  The man would be ever so thankful and shares this new information with his family, with his neighbors, with his block leader, with his mayor and the chapter ends with him talking to the king, whose life would change and be an example of a Godly life.

Or, Jonah would not even talk to the Ninevites.  He would pretend he can’t speak his language and walk away, looking for a shady place and the man would understand that Jonah would not help him.  He turns to another man who happens by.  He is a Hebrew man too but he is willing to teach the man the right way.

Or, Jonah is seen sitting—all by himself—on the side of the cliff and once fallen asleep, rolls off the edge and falls to his death.

   But the truth is, there is no chapter five yet there is more to the story. The repentance of that city last for one generation and they fell back into sin once again.  After years of being at the top of the pile of men spoilers, another government comes in and destroys them and they are no more.  Cycle of life.  Want to break out of that cycle?  God is asking us the same question God proposed to Jonah: What am I going to do with you?