Sermon Series on Jonah (#1)

Pentecost 10

Reformation, Media

Larry V. Smoose

 

 

Pastor Schade has just completed a wonderful sermon series on dreams, and today we begin a four week series on Jonah – you might say we are going from dreams to reality!  I am confident that virtually everyone here knows a bit about the story of Jonah and it probably centers around Jonah and ________ (the whale).  Exactly.  But while the whale might be the most dramatic part of the story, it is actually a rather minor part.  As we move through these four weeks together, you will discover that this is really a story about Jonah and The LORD.    They are the two primary characters throughout the story.  In the 44 verses of Jonah, the LORD is referred to 39 times – in the book of Ruth, for example, God or the LORD is mentioned only twice and the Gospel of Mark, which is ten times as long uses God or the Lord 55 times.  So while there are some bit parts for  sailors and the Ninevites and the whale, This story is about Jonah and The LORD.

 

Jonah was a real prophet.  He is the son of Amittai and is mentioned in the book of II Kings, chapter 14.  He lived in Gath-Hepher, just west of the Sea of Galilee about 786-746 B.C.   But while Jonah lived in the 8th century BC, the actual story was written quite a bit later – about the 5th century B.C. 

 

The other information you need, to fully understand the story, is a bit of history of Ninevah.  It was located on the Tigris River in what is now northern Iraq.  It was occupied thousands of years before Christ, but its time of great power and glory was during the 8th century BC (Jonah’s time).   When those who listened to this story of Jonah heard the word “Ninevah” – the key city of Assyria – They would remember that in 722 BC Assyria captured the Northern Kingdom and deported its citizens, still known as the lost tribes of Israel.  Ninevah had a reputation for violence and terrorism.  It was a symbol of all that opposed the Lord and the Lord’s people.  To go to Ninevah would be like asking a Jew to go to Germany after World War II to help imprisoned Nazi’s.

 

So when the Word of the Lord came to Jonah –

“Jonah!”   It’s the Lord.

I know it’s the Lord – I’m not a rookie, I’ve been a prophet now for about hmm 35 years.  What do you want me to do now.

 

I want you to go to Ninevah and cry out against it, because I have heard of their wickedness.

 

RIGHT.

 

I’m serious Jonah – before I do anything to destroy them, I have to let them know of my intentions and give them a chance to repent. 

 

You mean the Ninevah who carted off Uncle Abraham and broke up Aunt Naomi’s family?  The Ninevah that burned Boaz’ house and plowed under the crops of David and killed the sons of Jacob – that Ninevah.

 

That Ninevah. 

 

RIGHT – Oh, I’m right on it Lord.  Let me just pack up a few things here – won’t take but a minute – Okay Lord, I’m on my way. (head in opposite direction)

 

Yep,  Jonah heads in the opposite direction – doesn’t want to deal with the issue or obey God.  He isn’t the first person to try this tactic and he won’t be the last.

The Bible is full of people running away from problems, dilemmas and God’s purpose for them:

 

And Jonah joins the crowd.  He takes a fast boat toward Tarshish.  I wonder how many of you have been on that ship at one time or another.  Haven’t been able to hold down a job – start over in a new town or a new company.  Haven’t been able to make a relationship work – I’ll do a bit of cruisin’.  Don’t know what I want to do with my life – I’ll hitchhike through Europe.  I guess most of us have been on that ship at some time or another, not wanting to face an unpleasant task or an unwanted responsibility or an unwelcome expectation.

 

It’s true in life – and sometimes it’s true in church life.  We have to remember that this particular situation was not about personal issues. Oh, we can learn a lot about facing God’s purposes and expectations in those areas of life from this story too.  This is about doing God’s work – role fulfillment within the people of God.  God asked Jonah to do something that didn’t fit his inclination, didn’t fit his image of people he ought to be involved with, didn’t fit his sense of patriotism or even his religious sensibilities.  The Ninevites were his enemies.    

 

Now I’ll tell you something, you might be able to run away from some of your personal problems (though eventually you will probably have to face them.)  But you can’t run away from God’s purpose in the world.  Oh, Jonah gets on the boat all right, and goes down into the hold, snug in a bed and thinks he is okay.  But the ship had no sooner gotten out of the harbor when the storm hit with all of its fury.  Jonah thought he was running away to avoid a storm only to find himself right in the middle of the storm.  Most of the time, running away does not solve our problems.  Eventually we have to face the stormy consequences of actions contrary to God’s purposes. 

 

What’s interesting in this story, part of the genius of the writer, is how when the storm hits, he contrasts two different reactions to the storm – the sailors and Jonah.  Now the sailors represent outsiders, those who don’t go to church or have much time for religion.

These are tough men of the sea from all different countries, you can see them with their leathered skin and calloused hands, their foul mouths and smelly clothes.  They’ve faced plenty of storms and been in a lot more ports than churches.  But when this fierce storm hits and they immediately recognize that their vessel and their lives are in danger – look at what they do: 

            They may not be able to recite the catechism or tell you the color of the liturgical season, but they pray.  Each in their own way and to their god, but they pray.   And they act – shoulder to shoulder, they take in the rigging, lighten the ship.  Their diverse backgrounds and varied skills don’t matter – they do what has to be done to save lives.  They are the first ones at the bridge in Minneapolis or helping muck out New Orleans.  And, they do what they can to save Jonah’s life.  Even when Jonah says he is the cause of the storm, they try to avoid throwing him off the boat even at the risk of their own lives.  These are pious, practical, humane men.

 

Contrast these sailors with Jonah, who represents God’s people.  He is Mr. Lutheran, Mr. Roman Cath.  Mr. Presbyterian.    What’s Mr. Lutheran doing while all of this is going on?  Jonah doesn’t pray– The sailors have to ask him to pray to his God.  He doesn’t take action to help lighten the cargo.   He can talk religion, but doesn’t practice it much, and in a crisis he can’t be counted on to pray or act.  He basically has given up – angry at God, set in his ways and he won’t change his mind or ask God for help because God has asked him to do something he doesn’t want to do.  He’d rather die.  Throw me overboard!

 

Sometimes we are our own worst enemies!  In personal problems and with church issues we can get stubborn, resentful, so that even when we recognize we are the problem we don’t want to change.  Throw me overboard!     Well, that’s what the sailors finally do, and even as they do it, they ask God’s forgiveness.  And this could be the end of the story.  The moral could be – “Don’t disobey God!”  Jonah did and look what happened to him.

 

But it’s not the end.  And, if you are in a storm, or trying to run away from something, next week you’ll see that God doesn’t give up on us even when we have given up on ourselves.  Until then, God wants us each to re-evaluate our attitudes and stereo-types to those who don’t go to church and to think about how well, by our words and actions, we represent the Christian community to those who encounter us.     

 

Amen.