Vineyard Church | Weekly Update March 12th, 2025

How far would Jesus go to seek and save the lost? This is the question we draw from Luke 19:10, that the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost. So far in the Gospel of Luke, we’ve seen Jesus become one of us, face the trials and temptations like we do, actively seek out individuals to love, and begin to teach us how to be like Him. Some of those teachings are basic, acceptable, even comfortable. Others are paradigm-shaking realities that lead to either great transformation or deep rejection–of both the teaching and the teacher. 

When I first grappled with a teaching that follows the parable of the Good Samaritan, I rejected it because I hadn’t yet discovered my worth to Jesus. This misunderstanding created a rift between Him and me, and I ended up looking a lot like an unfortunate historical figure… Jonah. No bueno.

Jonah was quite a dude, and not the type of dude I want to emulate. If you’re unfamiliar with his story, check him out in the book of Jonah in the Old Testament. It’s a quick read and offers needed context for what Jesus is about to lay down.

“Through me, not to me” … This is something we often say in sermons, and it has been a tough truth for me to accept. It’s at the heart of Luke 11:29-32 (NLT):

29 As the crowd pressed in on Jesus, he said, “This evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign. But the only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah. 30 What happened to him was a sign to the people of Nineveh that God had sent him. What happens to the Son of Man will be a sign to these people that he was sent by God. 

31 “The queen of Sheba will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen. 32 The people of Nineveh will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent.

What is the sign of Jonah, how is it related to the sign of the Son of Man, and why do I struggle with this? My struggle centered on the battle to let my salvation say more about the Savior than it does about me. Jonah struggled with God’s mercy being extended to people he judged as unworthy. This stance caused him to miss the point: the Son of Man comes to seek and save the lost, and Jonah was given the opportunity to be a part of this.

Jonah’s will conflicted with the will of God. He asked for a sign for himself, but the signs God gave were for the people of Nineveh—to show the lost the glory of the Father, not for the already found to see. Jonah couldn’t give up his will, his worldview, or his right to be right. For all we know, he died on that hill with his arms crossed, a pouty, petulant look frozen on his face.

“Through me, not to me”… The fact that God’s love flowed through me should inform my identity—that I was sought and found. Because I was found, I now have the opportunity to be transformed by this reality or reject it. Transformation means dying to my will so that His will becomes mine. Signs for the people of Nineveh are now acceptable to me because I know who I am to Him, which means I no longer need Him to prove it.  This is key as we consider the sign of the Son of Man.

He came to seek and to save, and the sign of the Son of Man testifies to this. What more could we need to believe than to have a Savior become one of us, face the trials and temptations we do, seek out individuals as worthy of his love, and begin teaching us how to be like Him? Is this sign enough to transform the love for me into the love through me? I pray that it is! 

Adam Greenwell
Pastor
Billings Vineyard Chruch www.billingsvineyard.org