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"If You Believe the Whale Swallowed Jonah, then
Jonah Can Also Swallow the Whale"
By Rev (Dr) Timothy Tow
(Preached at Life Church 10.30 am Service, Dec 16, 2001)
Text: Matthew 12:38-42
The above statement of ridiculing unbelief was
reported to me as uttered by an American bishop who taught me
English when I was in the Senior Cambridge class. Before we deal
with this ridicule let us consider generally the subject of miracles
in the Churches today.
This week I received an e-mail from a member of
the Faith Community Baptist Church. He says, "Sir I would like to
ask you a question. Why is it that your church does not believe in
divine healing? Don’t you know that God is a supernatural God and a
supernatural God can do miracles and perform signs and wonder in
healing the sick and casting out demon? Do you know something? A
church that does not believe in miracles, signs and wonder is not a
real Christian Church? Paul told us to shun away from such people
who deny the power of God. Didn’t you hear stories about God
supernaturally healing the sick around the world as well as in
Singapore? Didn’t you hear about Pastor Rony Tan, Bro Francis Khoo,
and Pastor Joseph Prince who all have miracle healing taking place
in their ministry? What your church only has is words but totally
denying its power. This is not the real Christians that Jesus wants.
Jesus wants Christians to believe in healing, miracles and signs and
wonder. I am from Faith Community Baptist Church. And my church
totally believes in healing and miracles. Then why don’t your church
believe also? Are you tired of seeing no growth in your church at
all? Then it is time to believe in miracles, healing and signs and
wonder. In not 10 years down the road your church will remain in the
same stage. Totally without power and lifeless."
Our answer, "Our Church certainly believes in
miracles and signs and wonders. But not in the so-called miracles
practised by charismatic churches. Jesus in Matt 24:24 warns us, For
there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew
great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they
shall deceive the very elect."
In this connection let me refer to Reinhard
Bonkhe who came to Singapore to hold a big miracle rally many years
ago and he is coming again. He was highly advertised in the Anglican
Church paper as one who would open the eyes of the blind and cause
the lame to walk. With all that high power publicity machine in
operation, no report of healing of the blind and the lame was heard.
Only one young lady said the operation on one of
her eyes improved, but she also said she was going to have the other
eye operated on after the healing campaign. If the faith healer
could improve on the affected eye why didn’t he heal both eyes
together?
Signs and wonders were given only to the
Apostles (Acts 5:12), and not to pastors today, and for the
confirmation of the Word (Mk 16:20). No more signs and wonders
continued after the age of the apostles. This was observed by St
Augustine a most prominent Church father of the 4th century. A
believing church now is better than a seeing church.
One miracle worker we must not forget is our
Lord Jesus Christ. The miracles performed by the Apostles were
limited in comparison with His, and they were done in Jesus’ Name.
Jesus, who is God of very God, cast out demons, cleansed the lepers,
raised the dead all by His own power.
Why did Jesus perform so many miracles? He did
the miracles to convince the Jews He was from God. He is God’s only
begotten Son, the Father is in Him and He is in the Father (Jn
10:37,38). When four men brought a paralytic to see Jesus by opening
the rooftop Jesus said to the sick man, "Thy sins be forgiven thee,"
the Jews questioned in their hearts, "Who can forgive sins but God?"
Jesus replied by saying to the paralytic, "Arise, and take up thy
bed, and walk." Though Jesus has proven He is God, did the Jews
believe in Him? No.
And yet the scribes and Pharisees demanded a
sign (miracle) from him, apparently, a super miracle. Jesus readily
gave them one – the miracle of Jonah who was swallowed by the whale
and after three days and three nights came out of the whale’s belly
alive, who should have been digested into the whale’s system. So
Jesus, though He was dead and buried for the duration of three days,
did not decompose, but arose, and lives forever to die no more.
Why did my American teacher of English make such
a scathing remark? "If you believe the whale swallowed Jonah, then
Jonah can swallow the whale." This is a blasphemy against the Bible
record which Jesus, the Son of God, stated to be true. When my
American teacher ridiculed the Jonah story, he automatically denied
the resurrection of our Lord.
Today, there are countless Church leaders and
theologians who ridicule the Jonah story and simultaneously Jesus’
resurrection. Record shows that Westcott and Hort, who attacked the
King James Bible, repudiated miracles and the resurrection. Reinhold
Niebur, a modern theologian, said he expected the finding of Jesus’
bones on some Judean hillside someday. A Ph.D. student was conferred
the degree by writing a thesis, "There is no Resurrection." A
theological professor Van Dusen of an American Seminary committed
suicide with his wife in their old age, which showed they had no
resurrection hope beyond the grave.
But what is the evidence of history? It is
unanimously agreed by all true Bible scholars that the resurrection
of our Lord is the most attested fact of history. We have the
records that Jesus appeared to the disciples ten times and ate with
them. Then he appeared to Saul on the Damascus Road by which Saul
became Paul and he gave his life to preach the Gospel to the ends of
the Roman Empire. Last of all He appeared to the Apostle John on the
Isle of Patmos from whom we get the Book of Revelation.
There is no sign to be given to the whole world
to attest Jesus’ rising from the dead, except the sign of Jonah.
Jonah typified our Risen Saviour.
Whether you believe in the resurrection or not
is of utmost importance. St Paul declares, "That if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Rom 10:9,10).
"And if Christ be not raised, your faith is
vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen
asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in
Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (I Cor 15:17-19).
"But now Christ is risen from the dead."
Hallelujah, with Him we who believe are also risen to live with Him
from everlasting to everlasting. This is our Blessed Hope. This is
our joyous celebration at Easter. Amen.
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