Sermon: Jonah - God’s Compassion Is On Full Display
Scripture Text: Jonah 1:1-17, “Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him. Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee. So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows. Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
Introduction: The book of Jonah stands as the most unique among the prophets of God. Most of the Prophetic books center on the message of the prophets given by God. The book of Jonah centers on the prophet, his disposition and reluctance to obey God. The story is so exciting that one can be distracted from the message of the book. There is nothing more exciting than a violent storm at sea with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. There is nothing more exciting than to see harden sailors reduce to fear and prayer. Then to have a prophet of God awaken from his sleep and thrown overboard. What about God preparing a great fish to swallow him up and keep him alive until he repents and finds redirection. To me, the unbelievable part of the story is what happens next. A preacher preaches an eight-word message that cause an entire city to repent and change directions.
Jonah was reluctant to go to Nineveh because he did not want the people to repent, as they were enemies of Israel. He knew that God was merciful and slow to anger, and he was afraid that God's compassion would lead him to forgive the Ninevites, which would be an outcome Jonah, who desired their punishment, did not want.
Today, disappointment over what seem like few results from our efforts in evangelism are commonplace. No matter what particular method of evangelism we choose to employ it seems that the disbelieving world persists in being unresponsive to all our efforts. The number of unchurched people in the United States has doubled in the past ten years while most mainline denominations continue to experience an erosion of church attendance and membership rolls. George Barna, author of more than two dozen books about ministry, the culture, and church dynamics, tells us that not a single county in the U.S. shows an increase in the Christian population. The only bright spot seems to be an up tick in Bible sales and an increase in Gen Z attendance. Jonah sparked a real revival.
Imagine, then, the success of one's evangelistic preaching being so incredible that every man, woman, and child repents of the evil they have done and earnestly seeks God's forgiveness and cleansing. Wouldn't you consider that hard to believe, even for our great God and Savior? Without face book, X, social media and television, without seminary training, sound systems and platforms, Jonah did it with 8 words. Yet that is exactly what is reported in the book of the prophet Jonah. Jonah is known mostly for having been swallowed by a great fish, but that is not the point of the book of Jonah. In fact, if you think it's not possible for a man to be swallowed by a great fish and be vomited back out again relatively unharmed, what do you make of the repentance of the whole city of Nineveh (which still exists in present day Iraq)?
In this short Bible story, we have a most remarkable sermon for all to read. And if you think that earlier in Israel's history it was difficult for them to see beyond their own geographical and religious borders, then check out this story. God tells Jonah... "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me" (Jonah 1:2).
Known for its wickedness and its large size, Nineveh was not exactly what Jonah had in mind for a "call." So his immediate response is to book passage on a ship headed in exactly the opposite direction. The text reads, “But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish...to flee from the Lord.”
God’s Compassion Is On Full Display In His Willingness to Use Flawed People to accomplish His Will. Knowing who God was and what He could do did not stop Jonah from trying to run away from the Lord. The lesson from this book becomes clearer when we realize that the universal mercy of God in on full display. What extraordinary patience God shows toward Jonah. Think of the mercy demonstrated towards the sailors on the ship, towards Jonah in the belly of the fish, and towards the wicked people of Nineveh who Jonah thought was beyond saving. Maybe Jonah reminds us of ourselves, when we have tried the same thing. Who is this short story about, anyway: Jonah or us? The Bible is the one book we read that will read us. That's what makes me so uncomfortable when I read this story. How often have I tried to run away from God, repented, then gotten mad at God because he didn't run the world the way I thought he should?
God sends the perfect storm Jonah’s way and soon everyone's throwing cargo overboard in hopes the ship can be saved. And Jonah was sleep below deck. Next, the captain shows up, wakes Jonah, and tells him it's time to pray. The sailors are trying to figure out what is causing the calamity, and in the process of casting lots, the "lot" fell on Jonah. The curiosity of the sailors was getting the best of them as the storm raged, so they asked what he did for a living, where he was from, and after Jonah gave them his answer, they were even more terrified.
"What have you done?" They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so (1:10). Next, they pose a question: "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us? (1:11). Jonah then confesses that it's all his fault and volunteers to be thrown overboard. But the sailors were compassionate and started rowing for shore instead. When that did no good, they finally asked God to forgive them, and they tossed Jonah over. This is where the great fish comes in, swallowing Jonah, during his three days in the fish’s stomach, Jonah prays to God for pardon in not accepting his call. Seeing Jonah's sincere repentance, God instructs the fish to vomit Jonah up onto dry land (2:2-10).
God’s Compassion Is On Full Display In His Willingness To Call People A Second Time. Now God sends Jonah the same call a second time, and this time Jonah obeys. Can you believe what happens next? After Jonah tells the people of Nineveh where they're headed, they listen, believe, and repent. Even the king sits down in the dust and issues a proclamation that every man, woman, and beast must fast in repentance and call upon God in the hope that he might yet change his mind and give them another chance. Guess what? When God saw what they did, he had compassion and did not destroy the city. Now you might be thinking that Jonah was delighted with what God had accomplished through his reluctant efforts. But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. Now he's complaining that this is just what he thought God would do, and that's why he didn't listen to him in the first place.
"I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity."
Several times during Jonah encounter with God he asks God to take his life. In His great mercy, God sought to reason with Jonah. God simply asks him why he thinks he's got a reason to be angry, and Jonah goes out and sits down on a hill overlooking the city to see what will happen next. God makes a vine grow up to shade him from the blazing sun. That cheers Jonah up, but the next day God sends a worm to chew up the vine, so Jonah was back to his cranky old self again as soon as the sun gets to beating down on him. He asks God to take his life again.
God’s Compassion Is On Full Display In His Willingness To Help Flawed People See Themselves. If Jonah's more concerned about a shade vine than he is about a city of 120,000 people who were children, besides the livestock he needs to reevaluate things. God is a merciful and gracious God who desires all men to be saved. This is really what the book of Jonah all about. The view of Jonah and the people of Israel was too narrow. It's time for his prophet and his people Israel to act a little more like God and show some compassion for people who are different from themselves. It's all about priorities, and nothing's more important to God than people, all of them, even the sinners. It is so easy to allow our preferences and prejudices to cloud our judgment. In Church, we major in minor things and minor in major things. If we've got problems with inconsequential things at church or on the mission field, or if we have a different opinion, then maybe it's time to get over it and wake up and smell the coffee. People are important to God and God wants all to be saved. God's mission is to change lives. If that's not what we're about then maybe it's time for us to reconsider!
Why do you think Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh? After he did go, why was he was disappointed with what God did? This reluctant prophet Jonah represented the nation of Israel in his time, and the church today. who do you think he represents today? Have you ever been disappointed with God's extreme mercy and grace on other? When have you enjoy an abundance of God’s grace and mercy on you and complained when He extended that same grace to others? What is God saying to you in this story of Jonah? What is God asking you to do?
God’s Compassion Is On Full Display In His Willingness To See All Men Saved. God used the reluctant prophet Jonah to illustrate a message of universal mercy, demonstrate that His grace is not limited to Israel, and show that He desires repentance from all nations, not just the Israelites. Jonah's personal struggle and rebellion against God's command to preach to the hated city of Nineveh mirrored Israel's own tendency toward disobedience and isolation. Ultimately, Jonah's story was intended to show that God's compassion is available to anyone who repents, even those seen as enemies.
God used Jonah to preach to the people of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, a nation that was a hated enemy of Israel. By sending a prophet who hated them, God showed that His mercy is a gift He gives to whomever He chooses, regardless of people's actions or their nation's reputation. The Ninevites' repentance after Jonah's preaching demonstrated that God desires all people to turn to Him, not just the Israelites.
Jonah's rebellion against God’s command to go to Nineveh mirrored the Israelites' own frequent disobedience and their tendency to act contrary to God's will. Jonah's unwillingness to share God's message of potential salvation with the Ninevites was similar to how many Israelites had turned away from God and isolated themselves from other nations.
Jesus referred to the "sign of Jonah" to foreshadow His own death, burial, and resurrection. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days, Jesus was in the heart of the earth for three days before rising again. The story of Jonah shows that the resurrection of Jesus was a sign authenticating His message that God's salvation is available to all who believe. Jesus extends the invitation to all by saying, "whosoever will, let him come." Mark 8:34 and Luke 9:23, include simple instructions for those who will follow Jesus to "deny themselves, and take up their cross, and follow me". The general meaning is a universal, free invitation to all who are willing to accept spiritual salvation and follow Jesus' teachings. In Revelation 22:17, adds thirst as a simple requirement, for anyone who is thirsty come and "take the water of life freely". His grace and mercy is universal, so is his offer of salvation. We can see God’s Compassion is On Full Display in His willingness to use flawed People. Jonah was imperfect, angry and unwilling, yet God used him. We can see God’s Compassion is On Full Display in His willingness to Give People a second Chance. God Called Jonah a second time, then reasoned with him a second and third time when Jonah was angry and upset. We can see God’s Compassion is On Full Display in the patience He showed to help Jonah to see himself. Finally, God’s Compassion is on full display as He seeks to see all men saved. He paid the ultimate price and extends a general invitation to all. All need salvation. All can be saved. All can be saved to the utmost. Amen.
