Heaven’s Champion.
Jonah could have been heaven’s champion, but he failed in his mission. Brian explains how Jesus is heaven’s champion.
Go To Nineveh!
I would like to read from the Bible in Jonah, chapter one.
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.’ But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
Jonah 1:1-3
Heaven’s Champion
“Heaven’s Champion”: That is what Jonah should have been. A champion goes out on behalf of a group and battles against the adversary’s champion.
David was the Israelites’ champion against Goliath. In Jonah’s case he didn’t have to fight the enemies’ champion; he just had to take God’s four-second message to the Assyrians.
Forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
Jonah 3:4
Jesus is Heaven’s Champion
Heaven’s true Champion is the Lord Jesus Christ. But he did not battle against a single champion opponent. He battled numerous enemies on every hand. He marched against disease and disability, curing lepers, the lame, the blind, the deaf. He went against death, raising Lazarus, a young man and a little girl and would defeat the last enemy, death itself. He put demons to flight. They asked him,
Have you come to destroy us?”
Mark 1:24
Jesus campaigned to bring judgment on the prince of demons, the devil himself:
Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said signifying what death he should die.
John 12:31-33
The Final Battle
Let us go to the final battle. Stand on the crest of that hill and take in the scene: Not from the outside, looking in, not from the present, looking back, but right there, from Jesus’ point of view looking outward on his attackers.
A host of enemies ascend the hill, assembled for battle against the champion, fierce in their appearance: On the left flank is Lucifer, the accuser, (Revelation12:10) – the adversary, (I Peter 5:8) – the deceiver of the whole world, (Revelation 12:9) – the prince of the powers of the air. (Ephesians 2:2) On the right flank are the human enemies of the day: the band of Roman soldiers, the chief priests, scribes and elders, the jeering mob, even the thieves pinned to nearby crosses. The rear is brought up by the last enemy, Death itself,
..that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.
Hebrews 2:14
Then we see those in the front: The whole attack is led by Sin and the Law against sin. Both the Law and Sin have faces we recognize, but we are shocked to see these faces here on Calvary, directed against the Son of God. The Law has the face of God Himself — A hymn sings it better than my words can describe this shocking attacker:
Jehovah bade his sword awake; O Christ, it woke against thee! Thy blood the flaming blade must slake. Thy heart its sheath must be.
Ira D. Sankey
Sin also has a face — it is my face; it is your face. Again, the hymn explains this shameful shock.
Oh Lord what tormented you, was my sin’s heavy load. I had the debt (increased), which you did pay in blood.
Jesus did this all alone, a single champion. The solemn song continues:
Alone, alone, he bore it all alone; he gave himself to save his own; He suffered, bled and died alone, alone.
Attempted Sabotage
Jonah tried to sabotage God’s mission for him; Heaven’s true Champion, Jesus, could say, “I have finished the work which you gave me to do.” Are you trusting in the finished work of the Lord for the forgiveness of your sin?
Where did Jonah go wrong? We would love to hear your opinion. Contact us at HopeStreamRadio, or comment below.
Brian Stapley
Brian Stapley is the husband of Margaret and “Christian-proud” father of Tabitha, Ben, Jeremy and Joel. He has been director of the Boys JIM Club of America since 1981 and a “JIM Clubber” since 1958, the year he became a Christian. The mission statement of the JIM Club is, “Discipling boys to love Jesus deeply and express him vividly.”
He has been an educator since 1970, primarily as a high school English Teacher. (Don’t dangle your participles.) He has been in fellowship at Scottlea Gospel Chapel, St. Catharines, since 1976 and travels to preach about three dozen times a year, in Ontario and New York State. He is a ventriloquist, in company with Casey, Theodore, Dodo, Grumpa, and a menagerie of others. Also, a bit of a magician.
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