JONAH 1:12
PLEADING PASSENGER/PURCHASED PARDON
I. PERSONAL PLEA:
A. Perceptive.
B. Pathetic.
C. Plausible.
II. PETULANT PLEA:
A. Paradoxical.
B. Perfidious.
C. Polarizing.
III. PROTOTYPICAL PLEA:
A. Pliable.
B. Purchased.
C. Progressive.
In answer to the sailors’ question as to what they should do with Jonah, his classic answer is, “Throw me overboard.” At first glance, this might seem like a logical answer to the question but on further study, this is not the real intent of Jonah, but a pretext for an admission of what he did to all concern on board this ship. If he really felt that way, he could just have easily jumped overboard and saved the rest of the situation. Instead of being willing to go first, I feel that he couched his response in pleas that maybe were not really what he wanted.
His pleas for them to toss him overboard were a mixture of part wanting to end everything and part of a plea for their consideration. Previously he stated his firm belief in the God of the universe and then when the sailors asked him some pointed questions, he was willing to put his beliefs aside and continue with his waywardness. He could have repented on board that ship then and spared everybody’s trouble if he really believed in what he was now saying. However, he did not fully repent then but continued to go his stubborn way. Yet the pleas that he uttered are interesting to say the least and while he said his pleas to them then, regardless of the true intent of his heart, his words, his plea of “Take me up…’” are to be viewed with his situation. A similar plea was uttered by a Messiah who said centuries later, “Father, into Thy hands I commit my spirit,” vis-à-vis, “Take me up.”
As I study this verse of Jonah, I see three things about these pleas. The first two pleas relate directly to Jonah; however, the third plea relates to Christ and His plea not only upon the cross for Himself, but for sinners like Jonah and like me.
The first plea relates to Jonah’s PERSONAL PLEA. This sets the stage for the second cry: his PETULANT PLEA. Christ made the last plea centuries later and I term this plea as the perfect, PROTOTYPICAL PLEA.
Taken together, these pleas form a better picture of the heart of Jonah and reveal the true heart of Christ as He gave His plea for Himself and for us on the cruel cross.
I. PERSONAL PLEA: Jonah’s plea, “Take me up…” was first a personal request. This plea sounds as if it is sincere yet, I have to wonder just how much of this was meant from a genuine request or how much of it was a mere pretense in his hope to buy time so the sailors would not do as he requested. No one may ever completely know the truth. Yet, in this petition, I see three things that make me wonder about his true heart’s cry.
The first part of his entreaty I think was earnest. He was very Perceptive to the situation at hand and I think he finally realized just what his rebellion had done to innocent people. Why is it that often the innocent people have to pay for someone’s rebellion? I am speaking about those people who have heard the gospel story and have refused to follow it. I think of the many children who have to suffer because dad or mom refuses to follow God. I think of the many spouses that have to suffer because their mates refuse to follow the dictates of Christ. I also wonder about the ones who may have been reached by obedient people following Christ, but some have rebelled and walked away from the truth found in Christ and as a result, they have made others suffer from not hearing about Christ, due to their escaping their responsibility.
As Jonah stood there that day and told the sailors to “Take him up…,” I honestly think that he finally understood the real consequences to his actions. However, the old saying is still true, “Too little/too late.”
Besides Jonah coming to grips with his rebellion, I think his supplication to the sailors was a very Pathetic plea. Now that he realized the true gravity of the situation he had brought to innocent people, his solution was, “Hey, I am out of here and good luck to you people as you try to cope with the situation.” Sure, it meant instant death if he were to be cast overboard, or so he thought, but death would be better than to stay around and watch others trying to rectify the terrible situation he created.
Again, I have to go back to the fact that so many people who have heard the gospel story and have rebelled, offer up a very feeble solution to the problem they have generated by simply running away. How many innocent children and spouses have to stay and pick up the pieces of someone in the family who simply say, “Hey, I am out of here-take care of the mess I made?” The story of Jonah is an old story, and often repeated through out history. People who could have done so much for Christ and their families and have rebelled have done so much damage to innocent people and the only solution they have to solve the mess they created is simply to run. It really does not matter to where they may run or to the consequences of their running, the only help they can offer is to give a Pathetic note of, “Take me up, get me out of here, let me go; I cannot bear to stay and try to help anyone else resolve the mess I made. I am just too self-centered for this task.” This was Jonah’s solution to the situation he brought to innocent people.
While Jonah’s plea was indeed a PERSONAL one that contained his true view of the situation and his overly simple solution to what he had caused, his request was also a Plausible one. It was well within the rights of the sailors to simply pick him up and toss him overboard. However, they did not do this at that time. They heard his solution to the precarious situation at hand, but they were kind enough not to grant his wish at that time because they must have viewed it as something that would not still the storm. It was not until later, after they tried to row to shore and failed, they realized that the only solution was granting Jonah’s request. Once the answer dawned upon the sailors that Jonah’s overture to them to still the storm was to cast him overboard, they complied and found that Jonah was right.
The solution to the situation at hand was not an easy one for the sailors to have reached, but Jonah’s plea was granted and to their surprise-it worked and the storm ceased.
II. PETULANT PLEA: Jonah not only gave a personal petition but I feel that his plea was a self-centered type of request, boarding on the idea of a spoiled child being caught and now had to pay for his actions.
The first part of this ill-tempered proposition has to do with it being a Paradoxical type of an entreaty.
When God called him to go to be a witness to the people in Nineveh, Jonah said no to God and he refused to allow God to “take him up…” and carry him to Nineveh in one way or another. However, now, he was begging the sailors who were as of yet non-believers to take him up and to cast him over board. From asking the God of the universe to make him pliable and be willing to do as He said, Jonah is now asking pagans to do what he should have asked of God. To ignore this irony is not acceptable.
Besides Jonah’s petition being one of contradiction, his plea was a Perfidious request. Did he really want the sailors to pick him up and cast him overboard? All he knew was that there was death in the waves below the ship and I do not think that he really wanted to be cast overboard to die, regardless of his altruistic intonations. Yes, he did ask to get out of the mess he made, but he was not in the market for the sailors to comply with his request for his instant demise. His self-centered plea was a deceitful one to say the least.
Besides his PETULANT PLEA being a Paradoxical and a Perfidious one, his request put the sailors in a hard straight. This self-centered request was one that Polarized the crew as to how exactly they were to proceed. There might have been some who wanted to comply with his request while there may have been others who wanted to avoid making such a hard decision. The same is true for every righteous person who is confronted with evil, “What do we do with sin in the lives of others?” Do we confront them or do we take them to our Lord in prayer and let Him deal with them. The ungodly have a way of making Christians choose a difficult path to follow. Some of the sailors wanted to comply with this request while others held off. Jonah not only made the lives of everyone on board to suffer, he now added to their concern with such a self-centered request. The list of Jonah’s missteps only seems to multiply at an increasing rate.
III. PROTOTYPICAL PLEA: While Jonah’s pleas can be viewed as being personal and petulant in nature, I also view his petition as a type of a request, which was uttered in Jerusalem centuries later by Jesus. The words of both of the pleas uttered are different; however, the meaning is the same. Jonah pleaded that the sailors would, “Take him up…” and cast him overboard. Jesus prayed his prayer by asking the Heavenly Father to take Him up when He stated, “Into thy hands I commit my spirit.” Both of these prayers are marked by submission or recognition of the inevitable outcome in the circumstances these two individuals were when they offered up their requests. I have discussed Jonah’s aspect of his prayer and now I wish to turn to the prayer of Christ on the cross and by looking at both of these petitions, one is able to see a marked contrast between the two men and the two prayers spoken.
The petition which Jesus offered on the cross years ago was one of submission to His Father. In stark contrast to Jonah, Jesus’ plea was marked by His submission to the Father, which showed that He was Pliable to do what His heavenly Father asked of Him. Jonah’s prayer of surrending himself to his captors for his demise stands in stark contrast to the role that Jesus fulfilled when He was willing to be submissive-not because He was guilty of anything-but that He was perfectly willing to do as was asked of Him for all of humanity. Jonah’s plea was to get rid of the onerous load he was carrying due to his running from his call. Jesus’ prayer was in direct response to the onerous load He was carrying due to His submissive compliance to His father.
I also notice the prayer of Jesus when He offered Himself up to His father as being a sign of His completed work: He had Purchased our redemption with His death. Jonah did not purchase anything with his selfish request. His plea for the sailors to take him up and to cast him overboard was a sure sign that he did not want to continue with his call to go to Nineveh and preach to the people there. He had completely disregarded the call given to him by God and now he was content either to end his life or to try to forget that special call from God to go and offer himself to Nineveh. However, this was not the prayer of Jesus when He offered Himself to His Father. His giving of Himself at the last to the Heavenly Father meant that He had accomplished the very task given to Him by God-He had fully purchased man’s redemption. The prayers of these two men are in direct contrast as to the state of their heart with God and what each one was willing to do to obey the Heavenly Father.
Jesus’ plea was the perfect plea. His call from the cross was far better than the one Jonah offered when he told the sailors to take him up and throw him overboard. Jesus was amendable to do His Father’s wishes and when at the final moment of life, He was able to say, “I commend my spirit into your hands signaling that He had completed the task set for Him by His Father. That plea was so different than the one Jonah either offered when he felt his life was over or at the least partially postponed. Not only did Jesus remain Pliable in the hands of His Father, but also by so doing, He was able to Purchase humanity’s redemption.
One final item that I want to explain in this prayer of Jesus is that it is a Progressive prayer, which never has an ending. Jonah offered up a prayer that would to some degree be repeated later, but the difference between Jesus’ prayer and Jonah is as different as night is from day. Jonah offered up his petition only once, but the plea of Jesus is ever ongoing. There is no terminal ending to this prayer of the Master. Jonah offered his plea only once to be taken up, but the prayer of Jesus committing His spirit to His Heavenly Father is never ending. That never-ending, always ongoing plea of Jesus giving up His spirit to His Father is that means for our salvation. Jonah prayed it once-Jesus prays it always.
