Two Sundays ago I finished a four-week sermon series on the book of Jonah. This has been quite a journey for me as I have studied and absorbed the little we get in the Bible about Jonah. It is a remarkable book that can give us so many ideas to think about. I chose at the beginning for this series to take on a focus about God's mission. There is no doubt that God has a mission for Jonah to go to Ninevah. There is also no doubt that Jonah cares nothing for the terrorists of Ninevah. And yet through a mighty storm, a big fish, a vomitous experience, a prophetic call, a prophetic proclamation, a repentant gentile land, and a vine that is there one day and gone the next, we see more than just Jonah...we see God. We ultimately see the heart that God has for his people, including Jonah. God never gives up on Jonah and never relents his grace for Ninevah. Does God care more about Jonah? Obviously Jonah cares more about himself than Ninevah. Was this just a playtime for God to take Jonah on a personal journey? Jonah definitely went on an extreme journey. However, it seems that Jonah ends up in the very same place he began and God cares just as much for Jonah as he does for Ninevah. The key verse of the entire book lies in Jonah 4:11, "And should i not have concern for the great city of Ninevah, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left--and also many animals?" God has deep compassion on Jews and gentiles. We tend to spend most of our time in the New Testament and if we aren't careful, we think the gentile movement begins with Paul. Nope. It begins with God and a reluctant, yet successful prophet, Jonah.
One cannot miss the ideas of repentance, salvation, and compassion. God has great compassion for all people. And while we have once regarded repentance as a bad word, we realize in Jonah, that repentance is reconciliation with God and through this reconciliation, Jonah is able to reconcile an entire city to God.
If nothing else I realize through this story that I must embrace my story of repentance and realize that repentance not only turns me from sin, but turns me to God and thus gives me a message for others who are seeking something deeper in this life than the world can offer. They are seeking repentance, reconciliation with God. If I can share how God has done this for me, then they can see that God can do this for them as well. This is good news and our salvation continues. I am Jonah. I am Ninevah. I am God's story of repentance. And YOU are too!
One cannot miss the ideas of repentance, salvation, and compassion. God has great compassion for all people. And while we have once regarded repentance as a bad word, we realize in Jonah, that repentance is reconciliation with God and through this reconciliation, Jonah is able to reconcile an entire city to God.
If nothing else I realize through this story that I must embrace my story of repentance and realize that repentance not only turns me from sin, but turns me to God and thus gives me a message for others who are seeking something deeper in this life than the world can offer. They are seeking repentance, reconciliation with God. If I can share how God has done this for me, then they can see that God can do this for them as well. This is good news and our salvation continues. I am Jonah. I am Ninevah. I am God's story of repentance. And YOU are too!
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