O a au mea e fai i le afioga a le Atua ma le komisi o Iesu Keriso? E te tamoʻe pe e te faia le mea na faʻatonu e le Atua e te faia ma e te tautala i ana upu? Both Jonah and Jesus received a word and commission from God. Jonah ran away from God, ae e le'i faia e Iesu.
Who was Jonah?
Jonah was the son of Amittai and a servant of the Lord, o se perofeta, who lived in Gathhepher (Iona 1:1, 2 Tupu 14:25).
Jonah lived in the eighth century BC, during the reign of Amaziah (king of Judah) and Jeroboam II (king of Israel and Samaria).
God commandment Jonah to go to Nineveh, but Jonah ran away from God
Se tasi aso, the word of God came to Jonah. God commanded Jonah to arise and go to the great city of Nineveh and cry out against it.
The wickedness of the inhabitants of Nineveh (O a latou agasala) had come before God. (Faitau foi: O Le Fua o le Agasala ma Faʻaiʻuga a le Atua).
After hearing the word and commandment of God, Jonah rose, but he didn’t go in obedience to God to Nineveh, but Jonah fled.
Instead of obeying the word of God, Jonah ran away from the presence of God and fled to Tarshish.
In Joppa, Jonah found a ship to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went on board the ship from the presence of the Lord.
But who can flee from the presence of God, le Alii o ‘au? Leai se isi!
God sent a great wind into the sea that caused a mighty storm
Instead of a calm prosperous journey to Tarshish, God sent out a great wind into the sea that caused a mighty storm. The storm was so mighty that the ship was like to be broken.
While the mariners were afraid and cried every man unto his god and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighthen it, Jona didn’t do anything.
Jonah wasn’t worried to sink, because he was sunk in a deep sleep
Jonah wasn’t worried that the ship would sink because he was sunk in a deep sleep.
Ae peitai, the shipmaster didn’t leave Jonah alone. He went to him and woke Jonah the sleeper and commanded him to arise and call unto his God.
Maybe the God of Jonah would listen to him and prevent them from perishing.
We don’t know what Jonah answered and whether he obeyed his words. We only know that the others suggested casting lots to find out, who was responsible for the evil that came upon them.
Why did the lot fall on Jonah?
And so they cast lots and the lot fell upon Jonah. Jonah was to blame for the mighty storm. He was responsible for the evil that had come upon them.
The mariners inquired Jonah. Jonah told them that he was a Hebrew and feared the Lord, the God of heaven, Who has made the sea and the dry land, and fled from the presence of God.
After hearing his words, the mariners became exceedingly afraid. They asked Jonah, what they had to do to calm the sea. Jonah answered, that they should take him up and cast him forth into the sea.
Instead of obeying his words and casting Jonah into the sea, they rowed hard to bring the ship to the land. Ae peitai, they failed because the sea was wrought and tempestuous against them.
The mariners cried unto the Lord and beseeched Him to not let them perish for Jonah’s soul. They beseeched the Lord to not lay upon them innocent blood; for the Lord had done as it pleased Him. (Iona 1:14).
After their words, they took Jonah and cast Jonah into the sea. When Jonah was cast into the sea, the sea stopped raging.
When the men saw it, they feared God exceedingly and offered a sacrifice unto God and made vows.
I le taimi nei, God prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.
Jonah prayed in the belly of the fish
While Jonah was in the belly of the fish Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God.
I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and He heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and Thou heard my voice. For Thou had cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all Thy billows and Thy waves passed over me. Ona ou fai atu lea, I am cast out of Thy sight; yet I will look again toward Thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, Le Alii e, lo'u Atua. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto Thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord
Iona 2:2-9
Na lavea'iina e le Atua Iona mai le manava o le i'a
Na faafofoga ma tali mai le Atua i le tatalo a Iona. Na ia fetalai atu i le iʻa ma luaʻi ai e le iʻa Iona i luga o le eleele matutu.
Ma o lea na laveaiina ai e le Atua Iona mai le manava o le i'a.
Na oo faalua mai le afioga a le Atua ia Iona
Na oo faalua mai le afioga a le Atua ia Iona. Na toe poloai atu le Atua ia Iona e tulai ma alu i Nineva le aai tele ma talai atu i le aai ma folafola atu afioga a Ieova ma Lana faamasinoga i tagata o Nineva..
O le taimi lenei, Na usitai Iona i le afioga ma le poloaiga a le Atua ma alu atu ai i Nineva.
Ina ua mavae le tolu aso, Na taunuu Iona i Nineva ma folafola atu afioga a Ieova i tagata o Nineva.. Na tagi Iona ma faapea atu, ina ua mavae 40 aso, O le a faatoilaloina Nineva.
Na faalogo tagata i upu a Iona ma talitonu i le Atua. Sa vave ona latou folafola atu se anapogi ma ofu i le ie talatala.
When the king of Nineveh heard the word, he arose from his throne. He laid his robe from him, covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
The king commanded the inhabitants that they and their beasts would not eat and not drink water, but that they would cover themselves with sackcloth and cry mightily unto God and turn mai lo latou ala leaga and from the violence that was in their hands.
Why did God repent and turn away from His fierce anger and not bring judgment on Nineveh?
The king and inhabitants of Nineveh hoped that God would see it and turn, salamo, and turn away from his fierce anger, so that they wouldn’t perish. And what they hoped for became reality.
God saw that the king and inhabitants of Nineveh repented and turned from their evil way. Aua foi their repentance, God repented of the evil that He had said He would do unto them, and He didn’t do it.
Instead of Jonah being joyful that the inhabitants of Nineveh repented after hearing his words and they were saved and wouldn’t perish, it displeased Jonah and he was angry.
When God confronted Jonah with his behavior, Jonah said, that this was the reason why he ran away to Tarshish.
Jonah knew that the Lord is a gracious God, alofa mutimutivale, slow to anger, of great kindness, and repent of the evil. And what Jonah thought, tupu.
Ae peitai, this only happened because the king and inhabitants of Nineveh believed the words of Jonah, which the Lord had spoken to him, and repented.
Ona, God has mercy when people repent of their evil way, and remove the sins from their lives, ma ola i le usiusitai ia te Ia ma Lana Afioga, ma savali i Lona ala, Le Ala o le Amiotonu.
E lei sola ese Iesu
E feteenai ma Iona, o lē na sola ese mai luma o le Atua, E leʻi sola ese Iesu e fai le finagalo o le Tamā. Sa usiusitai Iesu i afioga ma poloaiga a Lona Tama. Ona o Iesu’ usiusitai i le Tama, Na faataunuuina e Iesu le galuega togiola mo le tagata pa'ū.
Na auina mai e le Tama Iesu ma se misiona, e folafola atu ma aumai le Malo o le Atua i tagata o le aiga o Isaraelu ma valaau atu ia i latou ia salamo ma liliuese mai o latou ala leaga., ma iu ai ina tauave le faasalaga o le agasala, which is dead upon Him and become the Substitute of fallen man.
Jesus didn’t belong to the world but to the Kingdom of God. He was born of the Seed of God and the virgin Mary.
He was the Firstling of the new creation, who walked after the Spirit in obedience to His Father.
Jonah was the old creation and disobeyed the voice of God and fled from the presence of the Lord, but Jesus didn’t run away. Jesus obeyed the voice of the Father and yielded to Him and went His way.
The way of the Father was not a way of comfort and prosperity, but temptation, sauaga, and suffering that ended at the cross.
The lot fell on Jonah because of his disobedience, and the lot fell on Jesus because of His obedience
E ala i le le usitai i le Atua, the lot fell on Jonah, whereby Jonah was cast into the sea, swallowed by a big fish, and ended up in the belly of the fish.
O le lot fell also on Jesus. However not due to His disobedience to God and the fact that He was responsible for the evil and the fall of humanity, but due to His obedience to God.
Because the lot fell on Jesus, He was crucified and was made sin by His Father, whereby Jesus ended up in the heart of the earth.
Jonah was three days in the belly of the fish, Jesus was three days in the heart of the earth
Both Jona and Jesus stayed in the belly for three days, which was and is a sign for humanity.
Ina ua mavae le tolu aso, the fish vomited Jonah and Jesus rose from the dead as Victor.
Both occasions had an enormous influence on the deliverance and salvation of humanity.
Jonah went to preach God’s judgment on the city of Nineveh
Jonah went in obedience to God and proclaimed judgment to the inhabitants of Nineveh. The inhabitants believed the words of Jonah and repented from their sins and iniquity based on his word and turned to God.
Through the preaching of Jonah and the repentance of the inhabitants of Nineveh, God’s judgment didn’t come over the city, and about 120.000 people were saved from destruction.
Jesus went and taught His disciples and commissioned them to be His witnesses and preach the gospel, salamo, ma le faamagaloina o agasala
Jesus went to His disciples and taught them for 40 days before Na afio a'e Iesu i le lagi and took place on the right hand of the Father.
He commissioned His disciples to be His witnesses on earth and preach the gospel of the crucified and risen Christ, salamo, ma le faamagaloina o agasala.
To fulfill their commission, Jesus promised them another Comforter, O Le Agaga Paia, O i latou o le a auina mai e le Tama i Lona Suafa ma o le a mau i totonu ia i latou.
O le a aoaoina i latou e le Agaga Paia ma tuuina atu ia i latou le mana e avea ai ma Ana molimau ma faatalitonuina le lalolagi i le agasala, o le amiotonu, ma le faamasinoga.
Le au soo o IESU, o ē na tu‘uina atu o latou lava ola ma ‘ua oti ma ‘ua toetū mai ‘iā Keriso, e leʻi sola ese e pei o Iona ma e pei ona sa latou faia muamua ina ua ave faatagataotauaina Iesu, ae sa latou usiusitai i upu a Iesu, le Alii o latou olaga, ma faia le mea na poloaiina ai i latou e Iesu.
E fua i la latou molimau, e faitau afe tagata na salamo ma sa laveaiina ma faaolaina ona o lo latou faatuatua i upu a molimau a Iesu Keriso.
O loo malosi pea lenei molimau ma o loo aumaia pea le laveaiga ma le faaolataga mo le tagata pa'u.
I luga o le molimau lava lea e tasi a tagata talitonu, who are witnesses of Jesus Christ and belong to the Father, and don’t flee, but do what God commanded them to do, people still repent.
The testimony of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ didn’t lose its power
The testimony of Jesus Christ and the preaching of His words have not lost their power, but are still as powerful as the Aso Penetekoso. The same applies to the Holy Spirit.
But it’s the people, O ai e valaau ia Iesu lo latou Alii, but don’t do what He says.
Tagata, who are afraid to speak the truth of the Word to others.
Tagata, who live from their feelings, and their emotions, and change the gospel of Jesus Christ and the words of God, to make it more pleasant for the carnal toeaina, and approve of sin and take pleasure in those who walk in sin, instead of testifying of sin, le amiotonu ma le faamasinoga.
They only do this, because they want to be loved, talia, and received by people instead of being rejected and persecuted.
What if Jonah hadn’t gone to Nineveh to preach the word of the Lord?
Taimi muamua, Jonah ran away from God. But after Jonah was personally confronted with the greatness and might of God, Jonah didn’t run away anymore. Nai lo lena, Jonah yielded to God and did what He had commanded him to do.
If Jonah had not preached the words of God and God’s judgment on the city of Nineveh, over 120.000 would have been lost.
What would have happened if Jesus and the disciples hadn’t done what God commanded them?
If Jesus didn’t preach and do what God had commanded Him to do but ran away, then many people wouldn’t be healed, or delivered, and would not have returned to God. O le a leai se laveaʻiga ma le faʻaolataga mo tagata, ma o le a leai se feʻau lelei e talaʻi atu ae o se vavalo mataʻutia mo tagata uma.
Afai na taofi e le au soo o latou gutu ma sosola ma latou le faia le mea na poloaiina ai i latou e Iesu., ona fano ai lea o le faitau afe o tagata.
O le a lau mea e fai i le talalelei a Iesu Keriso ma le upumoni a le Atua e uiga i le agasala, amiotonu, ma le faamasinoga? E te faia ea le mea na poloaiina ai oe e Iesu e fai ma folafola atu Ana afioga ma avea ma Ana molimau i le lalolagi pe e te sola ese?
‘Ia fai ma masima o le lalolagi’
