life Experiences of Tong, the smallest of Truckers, in the midst of the convoy.
Tong, the proud convoy trucker is now the modern-day Jonah. He sits and watches, waiting for God to slay the wicked city who devises much mischief. He does not know that no sign will be given to this generation but the sign of Jonah that was three days in the belly of the fish. He has gotten out his Bible and is reading from the good book….
Matthew 16:4 Context
1The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. 2He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. 3And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? 4A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed. 5And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. 6Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 7And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.
We seek signs and wonders and have itching ears to hear what a handful of some have to say of what they see… and pay to see it as a carnival show. We buy into the puffed up leavened bread that pleases our ears.
This was said of the disciples who were following Jesus in the flesh. Can you imagine such poor discernment? Can you see the same happening this very day? Where has the discernment gone? Was it ever there in this religious generation? Or has the Spirit of Python flattered the congregations with great swelling words of prosperity at a time when complacency abounded and was the seat of authority. Live and let live, don’t worry be happy, and do unto others as you would have them do unto you…peace, love and joy, joy, joy! Be happy and come as we pass the offering plate and remember, the more you sow the more God will send you riches!
We seek signs and wonders and have itching ears to hear what a handful of some have to say of what they see… and pay to see it as a carnival show. The same as in the days of Jesus, there are many who have leaven to speak to the crowds and we run to hear it.
In Matthew 16:8-11 it tells us that when the Lord perceived what they were discerning amongst themselves of what he had said about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, he said to them, “O you of little faith, why reason you among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?”
I can envision the Lord standing there waiting for them to think about what they were saying. I’m sure it took a while but, as the Lord stood there asking this they finally understood that the Lord was not talking of literal bread, as some say take everything literally….Jesus said to them what understanding do you not have? Discern this word I have given to you!
Then in Matthew 16:12 The disciples thought about it and discerned his words.
Matthew 16: 12 “ Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”
There we have it. We are to discern the words, the times, the signs for ourselves and not be taken in by religious words of the pious and leavening (puffed up) self importance of the religious figures who have not the substance of the truth of the word that feeds man’s hunger for truth.
So as many of us sit as Tong sits waiting to see how God destroys the wicked land, the same as Jonah sat on the hill to watch God destroy Nineveh in the fashion of Sodom…. Will he take pity and give us a tree to shade us in our waiting? Will the city repent like Nineveh or will it be complacent in lawlessness as Sodom?
In the same chapter 16 of Matthew, the Lord also tells the people this: “21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
So what can we learn from Tong and his life experiences?
As Tong sits and waits to see what the Lord shall do…he recalls his life as he once knew it. He had no real quarrels against it at all. At least none so much as he knew of, except he hated the fact that there just weren’t enough hours in the day to do all the things he planned to do.
As Tong reminisces his life, he sees many things.
He always worked hard and was never a lazy man. He was generous and even employed a lot of other people providing jobs. Tong had joined the convoy and arrested. They released him for they didn’t have laws governing sea snails. So, for now, Tong reflects and sits quietly contemplating what it is that is coming upon the world. What will he see, he wonders and reads a lot now from his Bible.
He loved the outdoors. A desk job was never for him to do. Tong would work from dawn until way into the setting of the sun and would plan his next day in detail every night as he drove home on his tractor, hauling a trailer behind him. He did this every day. He was a snail of the hard shelled type, a strong woodsnail of the land.
He was a family man and married to Mrs. Tong. Together they had many little Tongs. He provided well for all of them and they relied not on any government hand outs. They lived off the land and were self sufficient. They paid all their taxes and I guess you would call Tong a capitalist for he believed in the American Dream and had an entrepreneurial spirit. He bought local and supported other small businesses and helped them do well too. He bought what he needed when he needed and always paid back his debts. Tong believed in the constitution and bill of rights, guess that would also make him a snail of the Republic. He served in the navy and was a veteran. He loves his country and minds his own business, having no time for fools folly.
Now Tong does have a few beers now and then, but he’s more concerned with his work than hooping and hollering and keeps that sort of thing at bay. Now Tong was never a religious man, but he did see God in every tree in the forest.
So all of that being said, Tong now sits reading his Bible wondering what will come of that wicked city? Will those in it repent like Nineveh or will it grow more wicked in its’ lawlessness as Sodom?
Keep on pressing into the Kingdom of God, pray unceasing and press, press, press!
Dianne
