Apologetics

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Commentary on Jonah Chapter 1:1-6

Jonah Flees God’s Presence

John Bevere is famous for always saying God is a gentleman and would never force you to do anything. I wonder what Jonah, in Jonah chapter 1, would think of that!

Jonah Flees God’s Presence

            “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. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish” (Jonah 1:1-6).

            This text starts off in a peculiar manner, almost as if it is a continuation of a larger story. But isn’t that what every book contained in the canon of scripture is? The Bible is comprised of 66 books, from around 40 different authors, over the course of thousands of years. It is God’s story to humanity about Himself and the work of Christ on the Cross for the redemption of us, His covenant people set aside for Himself in an age of mass rebellion. Yet, in the midst of all that, it is also a story that often reminds us of the rebellion that is frequently inside our own ranks as God’s covenant people. I think this is one of the themes of this Book of Jonah. I think the Holy Spirit caused the writer to start this work with the word “now” to make it clear that this story is a continuation of major themes found in the books of scripture before it. Throughout them, God wrestles with a rebellious people! In this case, one of these rebellious people would be our dear friend, the prophet Jonah. We see in the text that the “word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai.” This is no small thing. When “the word of the Lord” comes to a prophet, it’s because God has something He wants to say! He tells his oracle, Jonah, “Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” God is essentially telling Jonah to call Nineveh to repentance! Calling out against Nineveh’s great sins. But what does Jonah do? He flees from the presence of God in rebellion against Him.

            This is such a serious moment. Jonah does several things that are unbecoming of a prophet of God. A prophet is one who should make his home in the presence of God. Here, Jonah exiles himself from God’s presence. In fact, He leaves Israel, the covenant promised land of God to live in utter disobedience. Why would a prophet of God willfully leave the presence of God and all the good things that come from it? Well, the simple answer would be because Jonah had a rebellious attitude. Warren Weirsbe points out, “Jonah’s wrong attitude toward God’s will stemmed from a feeling that the Lord was asking him to do an impossible thing” (Weirsbe, Be Amazed, pg. 92). How often do we, in our Christian walks, see that God has called us to do something seemingly impossible, and we turn from Him in disobedience? I’m not talking about supernatural things. I’m talking about things that, to us, seem like an outrageous request. This was the case for Jonah, whom Timothy Keller refers to as the “prodigal prophet.” But what exactly is the problem here? Well, as St. Jerome points out, “The prophet knows, the Holy Spirit teaching him, that the repentance of the Gentiles is the ruin of the Jews. A lover, then, of his country, he does not so much envy the deliverance of Nineveh as will that his own country should not perish” (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, XIV, pg. 130). What is our forefather saying about Jonah? That he is politically motivated! Jonah has heard all of the prophecies about the doom and exile coming to Israel. He is also the prophet who prophesied the restoration of the boundaries of the Northern Kingdom (2 Kings 14:25). When this happened, it cemented his name in scripture forever and likely the hearts of the Israelite people.  

            Imagine what thoughts may have entered into his heart as he mulled this over. Think about his hatred for the Assyrians, who were violent, evil people. Think about his patriotism and desire to see Israel continue in her time of prosperity in light of the Assyrians, who had committed great atrocities against Israel. Think of the envious thoughts he may have had toward other prophets. Our father in the faith, St. Jerome, puts it this way, “Seeing that his fellow prophets are sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel to excite the people to repentance, and that Balaam the soothsayer too prophesied the salvation of Israel, he grieves that he is chosen to be sent to Assyria, the enemies of Israel, and that the greatest city of the enemies where there was idolatry and ignorance of God” (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, XIV, pg. 130). Think about it. All the other prophets before him get to preach repentance to Israel, the apple of God’s eye. He has to preach to the wicked Ninevites. Even Balaam the wicked false prophet was used to preach salvation to Israel; but Jonah? Jonah was stuck with the Ninevites. Oh the things that can muddy up the hearts of God’s people, causing their actions to be impure!

And what did Jonah do? He fled from the presence of God. He fled so intentionally that he “went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord” (Jonah 1:3, ESV) Jonah has committed a serious, willful sin here. Not only did he disobey God, but he did it deliberately. He packed up his bags intentionally, and intentionally followed the map to get down to Joppa to arrive at the port. That was very intentional! But what’s worse? While he was in Joppa he could have repented. He could have repented and turned 550 miles northeast to Nineveh, but instead he paid what was likely a large sum of money to sail 2,500 miles toward Tarshish. The writer of the Book of Jonah adds something very interesting to the end of this verse. He adds at the end, “…away from the presence of the Lord.” Not only was Jonah intent on being disobedient, but he was willing to leave God’s presence to get away. One may be asking, what is s important about Tarshish? Why would he flee towards there? Tarshish, which is part of modern Spain, was the very edge of the known world that Jonah lived in. For all intents and purposes, it was as far from Nineveh as possible. In other words, Jonah was willing to go to the end of the world to get away from his calling.

One thing that we will see as we go through this book is the type and shadow that Jonah really is. One of the types he resembles is God’s intention for humanity. A way to look at it, which we will visit in a later chapter as well, is found in the gospels of Matthew and Mark. In them, Jesus tells the combatant pharisees that they will not receive a sign except the sign of Jonah: “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40). Jonah was a foreshadowing type of Jesus and His resurrection. Now, you may be wondering why I am bringing the resurrection up in light of Tarshish. Allow me to bring you to Paul’s epistle to the Romans where he says to the saints in Rome, “I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while” (Romans 15:23, ESV). Remember when I said that Tarshish is modern Spain? The borders of Spain have not changed much since then. Paul’s mission was to go to Tarshish!

Again, I know I need to bring this home for you to really know where I am going with it. Paul was headed to Spain to preach the message of the risen savior to the gentiles there. In fact, Paul is intending to fulfill the prophecy given by Isaiah, which says, “…I will set a sign among them, I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations” (Isaiah 66:19, ESV). Paul sees himself as a survivor sent to the nations, to proclaim the gospel to the gentiles so that God’s glory will be declared to all the nations. Now, these are not modern nations. These are the nations listed in Genesis 10, called the “table of nations.” Paul is trying to make it to all nations, and Tarshish is the last stop. Now, the type and shadow comes here: Just as Jonah was the rebellious prophet to the gentiles, Paul, filled with the Spirit of Christ, is the obedient apostle to the gentiles. Just as Jonah was rebellious and fled, Paul was obedient and was sent. Just as Jonah fled to Tarshish so the gentiles would not be saved, Paul advances obediently to Tarshish so that all that gentiles may be saved. Just as Jonah only preached to one gentile city, calling it to repent, Paul preached to many gentile cities and called them to repentance. Paul’s actions are a reversal of Jonah’s actions. Why? So that the one who is greater than Jonah, (Jesus), could redeem the lost that lived there. This is why I bring up Jesus’ words so soon. The salvation to be brought through Him is the completion of Jonah’s time in salvation history.

Now that this is brought full circle, it’s important to note that Jonah did not have bad theology about God’s heart and intention toward the lost. As Warren Weirsbe aptly put it, “The Assyrians were a cruel people who had often abused Israel, and Jonah’s narrow patriotism took precedence over his theology. Jonah forgot that the will of God is the expression of the love of God (Ps. 33:11) and that God called him to Nineveh because He loved both Jonah and the Ninevites” (Weirsbe, Be Amazed, pg. 92). The problem wasn’t Jonah’s theology, it was his heart. He had an awful attitude towards God for telling him to go to this horrible enemy to preach repentance. Jonah even admits that he knows God loves the Ninevites at the beginning of chapter 4, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster” (Jonah 4:2). Jonah hated the Assyrians. In fact, Weirsbe insinuates that there is a special reason for this. Jonah’s home land, Gath-Hepher, was on the border of Zebulun, one of the northernmost tribes; which was extremely vulnerable to invaders like Assyria. Perhaps Jonah had seen some of the evils Assyria was capable of (Weirsbe, Be Amazed, pg. 214). Needless to say, Jonah was not willing to obey God because of his prejudice towards the Assyrians for the evil they resembled. He was so hardened toward the Assyrians that he was unwilling to submit to the heart of God for the gentiles, which we see fulfilled in the culmination of the work of the apostles in the New Testament. But how often do we ignore the call to preach today? Jonah in some sense has justifiable reasons to abstain from preaching repentance to the Assyrians. For most Christians today the problem is merely that we are uncomfortable, and so we ignore the great commission. Lack of comfort won’t excuse us on judgement day, though! Because of the work of Christ through His apostles, there will be no excuse today for disobedience to the call to preach the gospel to the lost. No matter how evil the lost are or how uncomfortable we are!

The Lord God’s response to this is incredible; and it really reveals an important aspect of His nature. Yes, you read that correctly. The text reads, “But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up” (Jonah 1:4). At first glance this seems to be the act of an angry God, bent on forcing His way, and in some ways that assessment may prove correct. As we read the book of Jonah, it appears obvious that God does indeed “make” Jonah do His will. But with that said, pay attention to the patience of God. God could have easily decided to destroy Jonah and use somebody else. But God elects to show Jonah the same kind of longsuffering that He is extending toward the Assyrians. This further proves Jonah’s assessment of the love of God, that God is, “steadfast in love, and relenting from disaster.” Jonah is slowly beginning to realize that when the heart of God is set upon you, His steadfast love remains a lighthouse of hope for the soul that is far from Him. Jonah, who left the presence of the Lord, could not escape the love of the Lord. Perhaps this puts into perspective why the apostle Peter exhorts the Church by saying, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9, ESV). It is because of the love of God that God is patient towards sinners. God speaks this same sentiment to Israel through the mouth of His prophet Ezekiel saying, “Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel” Ezekiel 33:11, ESV)?

Jonah, for all intents and purposes is evil for his rebellion against almighty God. Yet God continues to show divine patience, putting up with his obstinate rebellion. Despite God’s patience, however, Jonah is not doing well. He is unable to sin peaceably. St. Jerome said of the subject, “Nothing is secure when God is against us” (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, XIV, pg. 132). Jonah may have experienced the grace of God, but God was still against him. God gave him the command to go to Nineveh, and instead, Jonah fled. And Jonah would not be allowed to flee so easily! John Chrysostom adds, “Sin is like heavy cargo” (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, XIV, pg. 132). This is why when we move to the next verse, we see that, “…the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep” (Jonah 1:5, ESV). Jonah’s sin caused a life and death situation to unfold. The mariners were likely headed to Tarshish to sell their cargo. This was how they were going to make their income. Not only this, but as Timothy Keller notes, these mariners were “…experienced sailors who took bad weather in stride, so this must have been a uniquely terrifying tempest” (The Prodigal Prophet, pg. 33). So, these sea hardened sailors were so terrified by the tempest, (which was the result of Jonah’s sinful rebellion), that they threw their only source of income overboard. How heavy is the burden of sin!

Yet in the midst of it all, Jonah was asleep. And how often are we asleep as God is speaking? When our hearts are so hardened to our own sin that we have fallen asleep as God is shouting loudly to us, “Repent! Repent!” Yet Jonah was clueless. He was fast asleep, and therefore unable to recognize the great warning of God. The unsaved pagans on the ship certainly recognized the situation before Jonah. So much so that they prayed to their own gods in hope that they might save them. The pagan mariners were unable to tell that salvation was only through Jonah’s God, yet they still more awake to the truth in areas of life that Jonah was fast asleep in. We see a similar instance of such hardening in the New Testament. Jesus has just arrived home to Nazareth and He reads the Isaiah scroll, saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19 ESV). This would have been no issue for the people had Jesus not uttered the following words after rolling up the scroll and giving it back to the attendant, saying, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21, ESV). The people, who were spiritually asleep doubted Jesus, saying, “Is not this Joseph’s son” (Luke 4:22, ESV)? They had either grown up with Jesus or watched as the incarnate Jesus became a grown man. So used to Jesus, they allowed their hearts to be so “used to him” that they became hardened toward Him when He was revealing Himself as their only hope for salvation. At the end of this passage in Luke, it says, “…passing through their midst, he went away” (Luke 4:30, ESV). Because of the hardness of their hearts, the people of Nazareth missed the coming of the Messiah, the proclaimer of their liberty. May we never be hardened so much so that the presence of the Lord goes away!

In so many ways, this is also Jonah. Yes, Jonah is foreshadowing Nazareth. A prophet of God, so acquainted with the presence of God, flees the presence of God; and when the presence of God returns to him in the form of a great tempest, Jonah remains asleep. Hardened toward God! Yet the pagan captain of the ship would have none of it. In the next verse it says, “So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish” (Jonah 1:6, ESV). There have been times where I would read this verse with great conviction because there have been moments in my life where I was as faithless as Jonah. Since being in ministry, I have been inspired by the willingness of lost young teenagers as they come to church, seeking what they do not yet know, primed for an encounter with God. It reminds me to never allow myself to be hardened towards the things of God; because there are lost people who have less than I, spiritually speaking, who are seeking a salvation that only my Jesus can give them, and I must be ready to preach the Gospel to them. Yes, in my ministry, Young people whose supplications are like the statue at the Areopagus in Athens, “to the unknown God” (Acts 17:23, ESV). Let this be a reminder to all of us that we must be like the Apostle Paul, eager to give an answer to the lost people of this world for the hope that is within us, as Peter commends in 1 Peter 3:15. Let us not be like Jonah, who needed to be begged by the pagan mariners to intercede on their behalf. No, let us already be praying for the lost and ready to spread the hope of Jesus to the lost people of this world.

Conclusion:

            If I were to give Jonah any advice, it would be straight from the writer of Hebrews who said, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.  By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.  For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:8-10, ESV). In a very real way, Jonah was sent to Nineveh to receive the people there as an inheritance. Winning those lost souls to the Lord was a very real victory, one that would add many jewels to his crown in heaven. Unfortunately, at least at this part in the story of Jonah, he has rejected those jewels. If only Jonah were able to read the book of Daniel where it says, “And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3, ESV). But unfortunately Jonah was not thinking of “forever and ever.” He was thinking of the nation of Israel, of which Assyria was a rival of. This worldly thinking caused Jonah to rebel! Needless to say, Jonah’s excessive love for country proved that he lacked faith in God. Sure, he believed in God and had faith in God in many ways, but he was holding out. For some reason, he didn’t seem to trust that God would uphold His people. Perhaps he knew Israel was in sin and therefore soon to be judged. Either way, Jonah failed to live as his father Abraham did; who was “looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” Instead, he let his love for the city of Jerusalem blind him. He was so blind that he hardened his heart and fled from God’s presence! What a conundrum for a prophet of God to have to answer for! So, if I could, I would have encouraged Jonah to take his eyes off of himself; and off of the cities of this world, and think of the lost who dwell among him, and to place his sole faith in the God who is the architect and builder of the eternal city that will last forever and ever!

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Overview of the Book of Jonah: Responding to Liberal Theologians

Some liberal theologians chalk the book of Jonah up to merely being a children’s fable that isn’t founded in reality. In the coming three paragraphs I will respond to this.

This book is named after the main protagonist of the book: Jonah, son of Amittai. Aside from the book of Jonah, another place in the Old Testament mentions him. In the book of 2 Kings, Jonah was briefly cited as the one who prophesied that Jeroboam II would restore “the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Dead Sea” (2 Kings 14:25). In this same verse quoted, it mentions that Jonah lived in a place called Gath-Hepher, which was located in the territory of the tribe of Zebulun (Joshua 19:10-13). So, Jonah was a prophet of God in the time of Jeroboam II who lived in Gath-Hepher, and he was the son of Amittai. I say this because it is important to note that Jonah was a real person. He had a real family lineage, he had a real place of residence, and he had a real vocation: that of prophet. Some have tried to say that the Book of Jonah reads like and is likely a children’s fable, citing the supernatural event of being swallowed up by a great fish as a reason for saying this. However, as Timothy Keller points out that, “A fiction writer ordinarily adds supernatural elements in order to create excitement or spectacle and to capture the reader’s attention, but this writer doesn’t capitalize on the event at all in that way” (The Prodigal Prophet, pg. 4). Dr. Keller follows this up by noticing that “The fish is mentioned only in two brief sentences and there are no descriptive details. It is reported more as a simple fact of what happened.” In other words, the writer of the book of Jonah mentions the great fish and then moves along as if he is merely pointing out real details of the historical narrative. So again I will restate my conclusion: Jonah was a real person, with a real lineage, with a real place of residence, with a real vocation, and a real story: and this book is a historical account of part of his life. In other words, this book is a real part of his story.

Perhaps another problem liberal theologians run into when chalking Jonah up to that of a children’s fable is that he is not only a real person, but Jesus talks about him in a very serious manner. In the New Testament, after the religious leaders of the day commanded that Jesus give them a sign, Jesus is recorded as saying, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here” (Matthew 12:39-41, ESV).  This is very injurious to the notion that the book of Jonah is a mere children’s fable. Not only is Jesus revealing himself as the better version of Jonah, alluding to his death, burial, and resurrection; but He says that the same generation of Ninevites that Jonah preached to will judge those of that current generation who demanded that He give them a sign. This is amazing! If anything, Jesus’ affirmation of the event of Jonah preaching to the Ninevites is a solid endorsement from the Risen Lord that the book of Jonah is an accurate account of real events. Those who say otherwise are in direct opposition to the Son of God.

There is so much more to add to the historicity of this story that we could dive into, but that would mean much more writing that I have the time for. Regardless, the truth remains the same: the Book of Jonah is a historical account of real events. 2 Kings affirms that Jonah is a real person, with a real lineage, with a real place of residence, and with a real vocation as prophet. Despite the arguments of some liberal theologians that the book of Jonah is merely a children’s fable, that argument just doesn’t add up because of the way the story is presented. To add to this, Jesus Himself refers back to Jonah as a real person. He even says the very Ninevites that Jonah preached to will rise up and judge the evil and adulterous generation that beheld His coming. Therefore I rest my case that this story is very much an accurate account of events that took place in Jonah’s life. Liberal theologians who argue otherwise find themselves at serious odds with Jesus. This leads me to remind you that, as stated in the foreword, the Word of God is “…living and active…” (Hebrews 4:12). The Book of Jonah is part of the Word of our God to His people. Therefore there are important lessons He wants us to learn from it. There is life giving power that is waiting to be exposited out of this text, and this is why we will enter into it and find out what life awaits us within passages of this text!

Ravi Zacharias sharing the gospel to an audience.
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REFLECTIONS ON THE MORAL FAILINGS OF RAVI ZACHARIAS

2/11/2021
Today, people around the world are shaken by the findings of the recent investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by the recently deceased Founder of RZIM (Ravi Zacharias International Ministries) and Christian Apologist, Ravi Zacharias. If you are reading this, it is likely that you have already heard the devastating news of his secret life during his years as a minister. Please know that before I continue, my intent in writing this article is not to add more fuel to the fire, nor is it to defend or deflect what was clearly proven in the very extensive and compelling Miller & Martin Report. But, in such a time as this, I believe that it is the responsibility of Bible believing Christians to still give an answer for the hope that is within them. Because of that, in this article, my hope is to do that very thing and nothing else.

As a young teenager, I stumbled in my faith, and it was as a teenager that I relied greatly on men like Ravi Zacharias. His messages on YouTube were, in my teen years, a catalyst for my faith. When I was struggling with doubts about the pain I was going through, I looked to Ravi and his sermons to bring clarity to my life circumstances. In these times, Ravi helped me understand what it means to be human, what good and evil is, and why there is suffering in this world. Some things that will be said about Ravi by many people today stem from shock, disappointment, and anger. Some people have brokenly expressed, “I looked up to this man…” Others have referred to Ravi as a hypocrite, or, as one deeply hurt individual stated, “This is so devastating. It’s like he died all over again…” The man we thought was there, really was not, and it is deeply devastating to many. These are people who will no doubt have to process through their own grief and disappointment at the results of the Miller & Martin Report. These feelings of disappointment are not unwarranted, nor are they unreal.

Even more real to this extremely heartbreaking news is the immense pain of the victims from behind the scenes of Ravi’s double-life. Nobody knows all the names or the exact number of victims of Ravi Zacharias’s sexual transgressions, but we do know that one, Lori Anne Thompson, is one of those individuals. She is one of the true heroes to be acknowledged in all of this. In an open statement she shared her story, and however painful it was to hear, it was very powerful; a story which previously had been held back by the non-disclosure agreement she had in place with Zacharias. She said, “I have repeatedly requested to be released from my NDA. To date, no release has come. So be it. My words belong to me, and I take them back today.” This is an incredibly powerful statement. It is so important that we acknowledge that on the other side of our hurt, disappointment, and shame at this terrible situation, there are real people, such as Lori Anne, who have suffered worse at Ravi’s hands.

Where do we go from here?

As I have mentioned, I have looked up to this man; and thousands of others have as well. Ministers, world leaders, and countless other kinds of people from different ethnicities, countries, social classes, and positions in their society have not only viewed this man in high regard, but have been genuinely and deeply impacted by his ministry, by his words, and by his outreach. How do these people respond to this, really? For me, as I write this in tears, I am deeply pained. I think of myself in my teenage years. I was someone who looked up to this man and placed him on an extremely high pedestal. I can honestly say that had this all come to light in those days, I might have completely walked away from the faith altogether. Fortunately, I am finding this out later in life, and my faith is firmly rooted and founded in Jesus Christ and his words. With this said, this is certainly not the case for those who are not firm in the faith, or worse, those who were on the edge of eternity at the ministry of Ravi. By that, I mean those who were so close to responding to the gospel… How many of them are throwing their hands up? How many will never trust a man of God again? This is a truly devastating thing to ponder.

Since the release of the report, many have taken to condemning and denouncing Ravi Zacharias. Others have called for RZIM to disband and disperse. It could be rightly argued that these callouts are fair and warranted. But that will not be the goal of this article. I hope to do something more… This, at its core for some people, is an issue of faith. I think back to my time as a teen. What questions would I have asked had this come out then? I was a deeply troubled and hurting person that relied on Ravi Zacharias and his ministry to just stay afloat. Fresh out of many years of struggling with suicidal inclinations, self-harm, and many other hurts, I had given my life to the Lord fully, and at many times felt alone in my new walk with the Lord. Then, through YouTube, Ravi came into my life. I could relate with him. His powerful testimony of being saved from “a bed of suicide” resonated with me deeply. Nights when I was ready to throw my own hands up, his words entered the room through that computer screen, and I was given the hope that I desperately needed. News of something like this would have completely derailed me. So really, what would have happened with me had this come out sooner?

As I reflect, I recognize that for much of my teen years, my faith was built on a poor foundation. As I have said, I was deeply impacted by Ravi’s ministry. I used his work to hold me over into my adult years where I began to realize that I must be rooted in Christ’s words, not the words of any eloquent speaker. In Matthew’s Gospel we hear from Jesus that, “Everyone… who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on a rock.” (Matt. 7:24 ESV) Why would Jesus use this imagery? Why would he compare his words to a rock? Well, simply because when the storms and uncertainties of life come and beat against us, we need a solid foundation to keep us standing firm in those storms. Jesus and his words resemble that solid foundation, or “rock.” As Jesus said, “…the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” (Matt. 7:25 ESV) When our faith is built on this rock, nothing shall overcome it. Not even the moral failings of Ravi Zacharias. This is something I did not understand as a youth, new in my faith. My house was not properly built on the rock-solid words of Christ at that time; something I am very thankful to have today.

The truth is, when I was a youth, I was more like a person who built their house on sand. I took Ravi Zacharias, and I placed him on a pedestal that he was never meant to be on. Jesus said, “…everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.” (Matt. 7:26 ESV) One thing I know I did, was that I idolized Ravi Zacharias. And anyone who has a basic knowledge of scripture knows that idolizing a person is idolatry, and idolatry is sin. To put it concisely, idolatry is disobedience to the commands of Christ. And such disobedience always leads to the natural consequences warned of in scripture… a great fall. How many are in a crisis of faith at the news of Ravi’s moral failure? Such people have a house (life) built on sand. Of such people, Jesus said, “…the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matt. 7:27 ESV) It is so important for us to have a proper foundation. Because without it, in times like this, we will find ourselves in crisis that Jesus never intended for us. So where do we go from here? I would say that we ought to take this time to reflect… What are we building our life on? Men who fail, or Jesus who never fails?

The questions I would ask…

I want to ponder about God for a little bit, and I want to do this in light of my former self. I know that there are people much like I was, and I know that there are answers that are needed. So, I am going to try to think of some questions I might have had about all this, and then give a good shot at answering them. The first question I might have asked is, does all this mean that Ravi Zacharias was wrong about what he said? Ravi argued powerfully for the existence of God and the truth of Christ as the one and only Savior of the world. But does his moral discrepancies disprove his arguments? In his five-minute short response to these recent revelations regarding Ravi, Dr. Michael Licona pointed out, “…Many will be turned off to Christianity as a result. People don’t necessarily have problems with Jesus. They have problems with many of his followers. Even worse, some Christians will begin to doubt whether Christianity is true, because one of it’s most prominent advocates lacked integrity.” Unfortunately, this is too true. This is devastating news and, though it shouldn’t, it will impact people in a very negative way. What do I mean by that? Well, as Dr. Licona rightly expressed, it is not Jesus people have problem with here. It is the lack of integrity that Ravi had. As Licona follows up, “…Christianity is true because of the person of Jesus…” The good character of a Christian does not prove or disprove anything about Jesus. It only provides us the evidence we need to determine if that person is truly following Christ. This is a thinking error that many believers and non-believers alike might be wrestling with. If you are one of these, just know that Ravi is not Jesus. He is merely a man, and his failings do not overshadow the overwhelming success of Christ. In other words, Christianity is true not because of those who adhere to it, but because Jesus is exactly who he claimed to be when he performed signs and wonders, fulfilled with pinpoint accuracy all the prophecies in the Old Testament regarding the Messiah, and rose from the dead.


The next question I may ask is, how could God use a man like this to do good in the world and still be good? This question is really a cry for justice. Ravi Zacharias received honors and accolades as a loved and admired man of God. Yet, behind the scenes he was a predatory violator of the moral law that he so fervently stood in the gap for. As the Miller & Martin Report indicates, Ravi spent a protracted period living in sin. He was not just messing up from time to time. He was living this out as a double life. A lifestyle of duplicity and sexual impropriety. So where is the justice? Why would God show Ravi mercy, knowing that in the end he would be found out as a fraud, causing many to stumble? These are daunting, difficult questions to answer. But there is an answer. Simply put, the answer to this question is found in a mixture of God’s mercy and His sovereignty. Sometimes we don’t really realize what God is doing behind the scenes while we are here on earth sinning and messing up. So, in these next paragraphs, please bear with me. This may take us for a ride, but the answer, however deep and theological, is refreshing indeed!

To start, the Apostle Peter puts this in good perspective: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 ESV) This is an extremely hard pill to swallow for some; but to be frank about it, God did not judge Ravi in this life simply because God is merciful. As a youth pastor, I find myself needing to answer questions about injustice and evil. Generation Z hates injustice, and rightly so. And, as a result, I have learned to effectively give the youth of this generation an answer for this. When they ask, why does God allow evil? Why does he allow injustice? I unflinchingly answer: “Well, because if God didn’t allow injustice and evil in the world, none of us would even be here. God would have already judged and punished us all by now.” God’s word is noticeably clear, “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23 ESV) Part of me wants to be offended that God allowed Ravi to last so long in his position of admiration and influence. But I know this is my flesh speaking. We ought to praise God for His mercy, not grumble about Him giving the same mercy to Ravi that we would want Him to give us. So, simply put, God did not judge Ravi in this life for the same reason he has not judge you or me. Because He is merciful!

But, how does this mercy tie in with God’s sovereignty? Well, mercy is not something that is deserved. And, mercy is only one part of God’s method for dealing with the wickedness of humankind. As it has already been established, all of us have fallen short of God’s glory. We all deserve judgement from God, yet he works with us all to fulfill his good purposes. With this, despite our evil, scripture is quite clear that God uses the evil of mankind for good. Ravi lived a double life, but God still used him to bring needed answers to struggling people. Now, at face value this seems like a very insensitive thing to say. That, Ravi Zacharias, a man who lived wickedly in God’s eyes was still used by God? Of course! In fact, God has made good out of worse in order to carry out his good purposes.

For example consider King Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, and exiled the Israelites in 586 BC. What does God’s word say of him? Through Jeremiah, God says, “Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him.” (Jeremiah 26:7 ESV) What? His servant? Why would God refer to this evil man as His servant? Simply put, God is revealing to us that even when we commit evil, He is still sovereign. We may try to break His laws and set ourselves up against Him, but God always finds a way to achieve His plan. This is not the only time that God has used wicked men to carry out his purpose. He did the same thing with the wicked King Cyrus of Persia, who like the King of Babylon, He refers to as like a servant, calling Cyrus His “shepherd” who will rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. (Isaiah 44:28 ESV) Another example more popular to Christians is in Genesis where Joseph confronts his brothers who sold him into slavery saying, “…you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…” (Gen. 50:20 ESV) This, of course, led to the saving of many people from a horrible famine in that time, particularly the saving of the entire nation of Israel.

Next comes the question, does this mean that God effectually caused the evil of Ravi, who victimized all of those women? Or did He effectually cause Nebuchadnezzar to destroy Israel as judgement? Or did He make Cyrus kill more people to conquer Israel? Or did God make Joseph’s brothers sell him out into slavery? Not necessarily. God is not the author of evil. Some Calvinists try to imply that God does do this, but I am neither a Calvinist, nor do I believe that. I could get further into that topic, but I won’t because it is not the purpose of this article. That said, Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Joseph’s brothers, and Ravi chose to do these bad things out of their own free choice. But God is sovereign over evil! And as stated before, throughout scripture it is demonstrated that though God does not cause wicked people to do wicked things, He does use wicked people to bring out His purposes for good!

look deeper at the case of Joseph: his brothers planned to sell him into slavery and ruin his life out of jealousy, but God used the circumstances of Joseph to save Israel and many others. We see a similar sentiment of this sort of phenomenon in Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, “…we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 ESV) Here, Paul is referring to the evil persecutions committed against Christians. Paul is saying that in the case of those who love the Lord, all things are worked by God for their good. So, if God can work persecution, death, and destruction for good, he can certainly use a duplicitous man like Ravi for good. And he did. As I have said, God used Ravi mightily to give me the answers I desperately needed as a hurting teen. There is no getting around this fact for me. All glory to God! But, he did use Ravi.

Now, how does this make sense? Wouldn’t God then have to make all situations of evil work out for a good outcome for all of us? First, in the grand scheme of things, God does not owe us anything. Often times we associate good with our own perceived well-being. And, though God loves his creation, (us in particular), we are not owed anything from God… Especially if we choose to break His law and stand in arrogance against Him. All of us have fallen short and have sinned, and as result we all deserve to die. It’s as scripture says, “…the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23 ESV)

This is why any redemptive act that God effects in this sinful and fallen world flows from his mercy. Why? Because our sin has deemed all of us worthy of judgement. With that said, if He does judge us it is a good thing because justice is good! Think about it… Even Joseph, the one wronged by his wicked brothers deserved to be judged because he was also a sinner. Yet, God redemptively participated in Joseph’s story to cause good. This doesn’t mean that all evil in this world is turned around for a good outcome for us in this life; it only means that evil can be used by God in his sovereign mercy to effect good in the world. Therefore, when God uses wicked people for good, we are in no place to stand in judgement of him because we are the sinners worthy of death; and it is the same in the case of Ravi. Ultimately, nobody can stand in judgement against God on the basis of His mercy towards evil men, nor on the basis of how God uses evil men for good.

With all of this in mind, one day, when all of what we now see passes away and we all stand in front of God for final judgement, God’s complete justice will be enacted upon the entire world. But right now, He sovereignly shows mercy. Ravi Zacharias has already faced this judgement, and my hope is that he stood before God having repented of his sins. But, in His sovereignty, God used a man who did great evil, for His own good purposes. That means that in my teen years, God used a man who was committing unconscionable deeds to give me answers to some of life’s most challenging questions. God used a sinner to keep me afloat. And God likely did this for many other people who are like me.

This does not put God in a position to be judged by us, and this does not nullify His goodness. It reveals the goodness of God. That God would have mercy upon Ravi Zacharias, and still used him to extend more mercy to sin-sick people, really is a testament of the patience of God, not the wrongness of God. This in no way excuses Ravi Zacharias. However, this does give an adequate answer to a really challenging question… Many are disappointed today, but knowing that God is willing to use sinful people for the good of other sinful people is a beautiful reality that neither takes away from His goodness, nor does it minimize the genuine impact Ravi Zacharias had in my life, nor in the lives of some of those who are reading this.

Now comes another question, what does God think of what Ravi Zacharias did? Simply put, God is as much against Ravi’s sin as He is anyone else’s. In fact, more! There is a higher standard for men who are in leadership. Jesus’ own brother, the Apostle James, warns: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” (James 3:1 ESV) It is no shock to anyone that what Ravi did was morally unconscionable considering the scriptures. However, Ravi still stood in a position of great influence in the world and in the church. Yet, God still allowed Ravi to have this position. This is deeply frustrating. Not only to the Christians who are now struggling with their faith as a result of Ravi’s failings, but also for unbelieving people who may have been on the verge of repentance.

Why would God continue to allow Ravi to live in sin? Why wasn’t he exposed sooner? And again, I would refer to what I have said about God’s mercy and sovereignty. It could very well be that God knew things that we do not. But one thing I do know is that had this come out sooner, I may not be writing this article. I may have walked away entirely. Another thing to consider is the mercy of God… Christian leaders need God’s mercy just as much as any sinner. What Ravi did is detestable, but there are mysteries to God’s methods that we may never understand. In the end, we must always remember that men break our trust… Not God. Ravi made these decisions out of his own free will and lived a lifestyle contrary to God’s moral law. Despite this, God showed Ravi ample amounts of mercy and unless Ravi repented before or on his death bed, he was judged before God being without any excuses at all. God will always set things right.

Another thing I might ask is, how do I move on from all of this? I believe the answer to this is something I alluded to earlier in this article. We can’t be building our foundation on shifting sand. When I was a youth, I needed answers and Ravi Zacharias gave them to me. This led to an unhealthy idolization of Ravi, who was a mere man. That said, I really should have put Christ first in everything. My faith is to be built on Him. Ravi Zacharias was full of great and wise words. He spoke eloquently, and powerfully impacted the church whilst he was alive. However, the Apostle Paul has a few things to say about eloquence and wisdom… “And I, when I came to you, brothers, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.  For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.  And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5 ESV)

The transformative spiritual power of Ravi’s message was never found in his words. Rather, it was found every time he shared the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Paul said in his Epistle to the Romans, “…I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16 ESV) This is why Paul told the Church in Thessalonica, “…our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction…” (1 Thess. 1:9 ESV) The Gospel is the source of the power in the message of Christ, not any imperfect man. Unfortunately, many people have succumbed to celebrity-ism when it comes to their foundation, basing their faith in God on their admiration of speakers like Ravi Zacharias. If our faith were always founded in Jesus and His gospel, we wouldn’t be so shaken whenever prominent Christian men fail. Therefore, I submit to you that you refocus your faith on Jesus and his words, and as Paul writes, “…Let God be true though everyone were a liar.” (Romans 3:4 ESV)

Refocusing…

Now that we have looked at some of the questions that may be floating around about this terrible situation regarding Ravi Zacharias, I think it is important for us to take time to talk about how we got here. I find myself reminded of Paul’s warning to Timothy, “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Timothy 4:16 NIV) As Christians, especially leaders, we must be incredibly careful with how we live and with what we teach. We are ambassadors for Christ to this lost world. What ever happened to holiness in the church? What ever happened to standards for pastors and teachers?

I know that from the outside looking in, many of us would have never guessed Ravi was doing these things on the side. In fact, few of us would ever imagine Ravi in the same picture as a Carl Lentz, or a Jerry Falwell Jr… But now, we certainly see such things floating around the internet today. But might I add… With all the brazen and sharp words some men and women have had for Ravi Zacharias, (and rightly so) statistically speaking, 64 percent of those angry Christian men, and 15 percent of those angry Christian women are addicted to pornography. Yes, is what Ravi did much worse? Of course! But I believe that the increase in moral failings by Christian leaders stems from a serious disregard for holiness in the church. And the problem that churchgoers have with pornography is also evident of that.

Where is the conviction of the Holy Spirit? Where is the accountability? The church in America will never see any sort of revival until we start to value holiness again. We have built a church culture that allows for people to sit comfortably in the pews of church buildings without any challenge from the pulpit to pick up their cross and die daily. With all of this in view, so many “Christian” people today are taking this profoundly disappointing situation and using it as an opportunity to signal their virtue. But that’s not what Christianity is about. It’s about signaling God’s virtue.

We signal God’s virtue by sharing the gospel to this lost and dying world, and by living out the Christ-life. We mustn’t allow ourselves to make holiness merely an image to attain publicly, but a daily denial of self out of our love for our God. Finally, Ravi’s exposure has reminded me personally that I am also merely a man, and I must also watch my life and doctrine. I have a beautiful wife who thinks the world of me. I praise God for her. What things can I do daily to attain the discipline needed to never let her down like Ravi did to his wife, Margie? I have a beautiful baby girl who lights up when she sees me. What can I do right now to make sure that when I die, she will never have to suffer the pain Naomi Zacharias is going through at this time? What can I do to ensure that I don’t cause anyone to stumble? Simply put, I must truly value holiness in every aspect of my life. I must be fully set apart for God. Our arguments for God mean only so much. We must live the life we preach.

Conclusively, in this article I have tried to be real with the reader. I must be honest; I am still fighting my own disappointment. It’s hard because for me, it’s as if he passed away all over again. The man I thought was there really wasn’t. Last May, I remember weeping and needing the comfort of my wife because of my grief over Ravi’s passing. There was so much that Ravi had given me, and I hadn’t taken time to consider a world without him. This is really a mistake on my part, and unfortunately, the American church has allowed for this satanic influence of celebrity-ism to infiltrate it.

We must never allow a minister to grow in popularity so much so that they overshadow Jesus, who is the truth behind the gospel message. This is true whether it be the Apostle Paul in his time, or Ravi Zacharias, Carl Lentz, Jerry Fallwell Jr. or whoever else. Why? Because men fail. Our gospel is not founded on mere men, it is founded on the work and power of Christ. Unfortunately, we have let it come to this in the church today. I have let it come to this. And I take responsibility for it. This is why I have taken this attempt to give answers to some hard questions that people may be facing. My hope is that in doing so, I have brought clarity to those who are in serious need of answers. If I have not been clear enough, I encourage the reader to reach out. Comment on this article or email me at adam@boldapologia.com for more dialogue. I hope this has blessed whoever needed it.

In Christ,

Adam Parker

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Does Jesus being “Tempted” Mean That He Is Not Fully God?

Are Skeptics badgering you about the sinlessness of Jesus? Are they making you question his place in the Godhead? If you are, you might come up with this often used claim against the authenticity of Jesus being God made flesh. Skeptics often claim that because Jesus was tempted, he could not be God. The passage that Skeptics use to back up this claim is found in James Chapter 1, verse 13, which says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.” -The claim comes up that because God cannot be tempted by evil, Jesus could not be God because according to Hebrews 4:15, Jesus was “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” considering the seemingly clear contradiction here, it does seem as if the skeptic is making a solid claim against the belief that Jesus was God in the flesh. However, with proper study of the scriptures we can see that this is not a contradiction at all.

Test and tempt…

To begin, we need to understand what it means to be tempted. broadly defined, temptation is the enticement to do evil (James 1:14). James 1:13 clearly states that God cannot be tempted (or enticed to do evil) nor does God entice anyone. Throughout scripture it has been clearly shown that Satan is the tempter (Mt. 4:3; 1 Th 3:5). -But there is one more word that is extremely important to the subject at hand. “test” is very important to keep in mind. See, Skeptics often like to use the translations of the Bible that they feel are less of an issue for their proof texts against certain doctrines of the Christian faith. For example, in Hebrews, other translations say “testings (NLT)” or “tested (HCSB)” rather than “tempted” …. This could be a problem for the skeptic’s objections already, because there is a clear difference between tempting and testing.

For example…

As we have already settled, temptation is the enticement to do evil. To entice is to attract by offering pleasure or advantage.. Whereas testing is a procedure intended to establish the quality, performance, or reliability of something, especially before it is taken into widespread use. This is very interesting because we do find that throughout scripture God does test his people in order that he may establish them as his own. For example often times throughout the Old Testament, God tested Israel (Deuteronomy 8:2), also, God tested Job by allowing Satan to afflict him (Book of Job), and God tested Abraham (Gen. 22:1). In all these circumstances, God was not enticing his people to sin, but rather allowed hard circumstances to happen to them so that he could establish them as his people. In these circumstances, Satan often times comes to tempt God’s people. Temptation however, is the work of the devil. Satan hates mankind, and wants us to live in the same evil filth that he is in. This is why he successfully tempted Adam and eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:4).

James 1:13; Hebrews 4:15 ..

So back to the text, if Jesus is God made flesh, why was he able to be tempted if God cannot be tempted? Well, the simple answer that Jesus was never enticed to do evil, in fact, the Greek word in Hebrews that is in place of tempt is “peirazo” which  has a dual meaning of both “tempt” and “test.” This isn’t necessarily meant to say that Jesus was not tempted, because he was.. However, the difference is that Satan tempted him in a sense that he was “trying” to entice Jesus to sin. Jesus himself however did not give into temptation and was therefore was not tempted himself. This is why the translations often appear to be different. In fact, if we were to say that Jesus in this text was indeed tempted, or in other words, gave into temptation, we can also say that in Psalm 78:41 that God was also tempted! Which says in the NASB “Again and again they tempted God, And pained the Holy One of Israel.” However, just as it is with Hebrews 4:15, This is nothing other than a dual use of the word “tempt” and “test” as other translations such as the NIV, NLT, and ESV show “test” as the word being used in the text.

As if it could be any more injurious…

Now as if it could be any more injurious to the skeptical claim, we also have to apply some logic to the equation here using some other great scripture regarding the perfection of Jesus. Something important to note in James 1 is that the verse after verse 13 it says: “But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires.” (HCSB). -Now tell me, if scripture says things about Jesus like, “committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22),  “In him is no sin” (1 John 3:5),  and “had no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21), how on earth can we say that this verse applies to Jesus? If Jesus had, as James 1:14 describes, “his own evil desires” How could it be that he was ever without sin? There was no evil in him! So it only logically concludes that Jesus is God made flesh, and that this verse is talking about those who have given into sin and fallen short of the glory of God because of the evil desire of their hearts. None of which is the criteria that Jesus fits. Jesus was the sinless and spotless Lamb of God! (1 Peter 1:19)

Conclusively…

To conclude this article I have established that Jesus was not enticed/tempted as we are, he was actually tested/tempted as we are, and he came out victorious in all circumstances because he knew no sin!  James 1:13 is talking about people who have evil desires and have fallen short of the glory of God, none of which are things that Jesus did. Jesus was tested in every way just as we are, yet he knew no sin! (Hebrews 1:13) -And proper word study and comparisons between translations as well as with the Greek will show that Jesus was tempted/tested by Satan, but could not possibly give into the temptation itself. Now we can rest and be assured that Jesus is God made flesh, and he dwelt among us, knowing no sin whatsoever, and that because of this, his death on the cross for our sins has become the atonement for us once and for all.