“Questions The World Asks Of Christians” - 2/14/25
As the storm raged, the sailors found Jonah asleep in the boat (Jonah 1:5-6). They couldn’t believe he was asleep, asking, “What meanest thou, O sleeper?” (KJV). In other words, “What are you doing sleeping?” (BBE, NET) Or, “How can you sleep?” (BSB). Danger was all around, and yet Jonah was sleeping through it! The mariners were stunned and asked how he could ignore what was happening. They asked more than this, though. In Jonah 1:8, he was pelted with questions. “Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? And whence comest thou? What is thy country? And of what people art thou?”
These questions are significant for several reasons. Not only did they demand an answer when the storm raged around them in the Mediterranean, but aren’t these questions the world asks of Christians today? Isn’t this also upside-down from how it ought to be?
“What are you doing sleeping?” - Isn't it striking that the child of God sleeps while the worldly person is awake? This was the case in Jonah’s days, and it's a warning Paul issued to Christians in Romans 13:11-14. He urged, “It is high time to wake out of sleep”! This call to wake up is not a casual suggestion but an urgent plea. Paul repeated this in Ephesians 5:14, I Corinthians 15:34, and I Thessalonians 5:5-8. This means he has written the same message to four different congregations of Christians! The need to be awake is pressing. Let us heed Paul's call and awaken to the spiritual warfare around us before the worldly people cry out to us and ask why we are asleep! Let us consider the other questions Jonah was asked and apply them to Christians today.
“Why is this happening?” - Many do not realize that the reason we suffer what we do is often the consequence of the sin we commit. Galatians 6:7 reveals, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” How often have we become blind to the fact that we reap what we sow? The world needs to understand this. We cannot avoid or delay the day of reaping. We know that we can be forgiven of sin (Mk. 16:16; Acts 22:16), but there are times when we still suffer the physical consequences of sin. Thus, the answer for why this is happening is “sin”! In the case of Jonah 1, they suffered because of Jonah’s sin. Today, we suffer because of our sins and the sins of people around us. This is a sobering truth that we must not ignore.
“What is your work?” - Asking this question reminded me of a sign for a furniture company in Owensboro, KY. The sign on their building reads: “Our job is to preach the gospel. We sell furniture to make money.” Wow! Friend, what do we say when someone asks us what our work is? Jonah’s work was to preach God’s word (Jonah 1:2). At this point, he was failing miserably! How do we answer the question, “What is your work?” Think about it! Each Christian has work to do while we are on earth. Are we doing it?
“Where did you come from?” - To Jonah, he would have told them his place of origin. For Christians, can we answer where we came from? My Bible tells me I have been “born again” (Jn. 3:3, 5; I Pet. 1:23)! I came from my Father who loved me and made a way by which I can be saved through His Son Jesus Christ (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3-6)! What do you answer people today when they ask where you came from? Are you thinking in earthly terms or Heavenly, and why?
“What is your country?” - If someone asked you what country you’re from, could you answer like the apostle Paul and say my “citizenship is in heaven …” (Phil. 3:20)? Christians have a dual-citizenship, for though we live on earth in whatever country, we also have been “born again” into the kingdom of Christ, wherein we enjoy the blessings of being a citizen there as well! I am a citizen of a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered by any (Dan. 2:44). It will stand forever! When I am asked about my country, this is what the Christian can say and invite others to become citizens as well (Mk. 16:15; II Tim. 2:2)!
“Who are your people?” - When Jesus faced a similar issue, He responded by saying His people are, “Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven …” (Matt. 12:50). Who are my people? The answer is that fellow Christians are “my people.” Regardless of race, nationality, etc., we belong in the same kingdom if we are Christians (Jn. 3:5; Acts 2:38). John wrote, “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (I Jn. 1:7). Who are your people, dear reader?
If you are a Christian, can you answer these questions? When those in the world come to you amid storms, asking, “Why”? What are you going to say?
– Jarrod M. Jacobs