Matthew 22:37-40, Jonah 1:1-15, Jonah 3:4, Jonah 4:2, Psalm 138:4

Karunakar Mallamari considers the need for obedience to God's commands

Karunakar Mallamari

On March 5th the Archbishop of Canterbury gave his lecture on evangelism and below are the first two sentences of his message:

'First, the church exists to worship God in Jesus Christ. Second, the Church exists to make new disciples of Jesus Christ. Everything else is decoration. Some of it may be very necessary, useful, or wonderful decoration - but it's decoration'.

The very basic commandment for human life in the Bible instructs us to love God and love our neighbour and it's said the entire law and prophets hang on this basic commandment. It's the life mission of Jesus, the very Word of God who became flesh. (Matthew 22:37-40)

A prophet named Jonah in the Bible ignored the call from God at first, to take a message to his neighbouring Ninevites. He experienced a very strong and stormy sea - consequences for disobedience, and was disciplined in the belly of a giant fish. (Jonah 1:1-15) The message of God proclaimed by Jonah after coming out of the belly of the fish for three days and three nights was, 'Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned'. (Jonah 3:4). The Ninevites believed God's powerful words from the mouth of the prophet and they prayed in urgency to escape from the destruction ahead. Above all the king of Nineveh decreed that everyone should go on a fast wearing sackcloth and the king himself took off his royal robes.

As a Hebrew worshipper of the God who made the earth and the sea, Jonah loved God, but not his neighbour, not wanting to save them from a sinful life.

God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love and who relents from sending calamity (Jonah 4:2). God loves saving people from total destruction from sin and in giving life forever and he did this ultimately by sending Jesus into our sin stinky world, who went onto the cross to pay for the penalty for sin.

Unlike Jonah, we shouldn't be disobedient in upholding the great commission given to us to get into our world and to our neighbours with the message of love and forgiveness in Christ.

Let's believe as we experience the risen Lord's power, that we will bring healing to our cities and let's say with the Psalmist:

'May all the kings of the earth praise you, O Lord, when they hear the words of your mouth'. (Psalm 138:4).