His military credentials left much to be desired. Ignoring all the negative evaluations by his superiors, Jonathan formulated his own. Each was more glowing than the last.
Jonathan claimed to have twelve years in Army Special Forces. Not true! One of his commanding officers wrote about Jonathan, “Without a doubt (this soldier) is one of the most unmotivated, unprofessional, and immature enlisted men I’ve ever known.”
Another superior wrote, “He consistently displayed an adverse disregard for authority, and gross immaturity, characterized by irrational and violent behavior.”
Jonathan’s after-army life consisted of various crimes, including assault on a police officer, fraud, and escalating criminal behavior. He was convicted and imprisoned.
His glowing personal claims continued as he impersonated army and law enforcement personnel. He then established a counter-terrorist organization. Jonathan was a big phony!
Jonathan claimed to be conducting humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, when in reality he used this guise to capture, imprison, and torture suspected terrorists. His misdeeds were found out.
Many people claim to be something they are not. Someone might lie about having university accolades on their employment application. A couple of movies highlight the escapades of men pretending to be someone they are not. One impostor even performed surgery on a naval ship in the 1960 Tony Curtis film, The Great Imposter.
Jesus warned the church about imposters. He said the imposter doesn’t “get into the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way; he is a robber or a bandit…I am the Gate for the sheep…If anyone will go in through me, he will be saved” ( John 10:1, 7-9).
Jesus is the only way to enter God’s kingdom. The illegitimate shepherd comes “to kill, steal and destroy. I came, so that they might have life—to the fullest!” ( John 10:10). Anyone else who make these claims is a phony!
Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. A man desperately needed help. He’d been beaten, stripped, and robbed – left for dead! He “was going down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho.”
A couple of Jewish religious leaders walked past the man. Then a Samaritan, despised by the Jews, went out of his way to help. The Samaritan genuinely cared about his fellow man.
Are you trying to enter God’s kingdom by attempting to do just enough, climbing over a fence? Don’t be a phony! God knows! Put your life in the hands of Jesus, and follow Him into the kingdom!