Day 80: Who Will Rise In Judgment Against You?

Luke 11:29-32

New International Version (NIV)

The Sign of Jonah

 ²⁹ As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. ³⁰ For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. ³¹ The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here. ³² The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.

The book of Jonah, for me, is one of the most beautiful passages of Scripture. Here's a city, supremely wicked, and so much so that Jonah runs in the opposite direction. He'd heard the rumors. He probably feared for his life. But when the people heard the message, they repented... an awesome display of the power of God.

Here, Jesus points out that we have something greater than the preaching of Jonah. And yet the people refused to listen and repent. This is one of those brilliant points where Scripture weaves perfectly together. The mental image of the men of Ninevah rising against Jesus' generation on judgment day makes the hair stand up on my arms. In the same way, the Queen of the South, a minor and often overlooked figure in the Old Testament, will rise in judgment because she sought wisdom (the implication being that Jesus' generation was not seeking wisdom). 

So the question is, who will rise in judgment against us? Is it fair to say that the men of Ninevah or the Queen of the South will rise in judgment  against us? What about Naaman (II Kings 5), who dipped in the Jordan seven times even though to be healed even though that seemed like a silly thing to do... simply because the Lord had commanded it? Would he condemn our constant questioning of God's laws? 

What about Esther, who risked her life on behalf of God's people? Would she condemn our apathy?

What about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who refused to yield to societal norms (But everyone else is bowing!), even on penalty of being thrown into a fiery furnace? Would they condemn our conformity to the world?

I'll be thinking of all these things as I go to bed tonight, and thinking of ways to thin the list of those who will rise in judgment against me when the time comes.