Jonah – Taking The Message To The People

Spring Grove 16.05.10

 [Audio of Jonah - Taking The Message To The People]

Pop Quiz

Who is the patron Saint of ...?

Orphans ..........  St. Jerome Emiliani
Doctors ............. St. Luke
Preachers........... St. John Chrysostom

Not that I am into the religiosity behind “patron Saints,” but I do not think that there is any harm in having role models.

Out of curiosity I looked up to see if there was a patron saint of truck drivers.

The closest seemed to be Saint Christopher the patron saint of travel.

As I read the description I learned that St. Christopher is not a biblical character, nor is he even an early church figure. Instead it seems that this Catholic saint doesn’t appear until the 12th century.

So I thought I'd have a look and see if I could come up with a more apt figure. And until I find a better one I thought I would adopt Joseph.

GE 41:43 [So Pharaoh … ] had [Joseph] ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.[NIV]

But what of the Church. If we were going to pick a patron Saint of the modern day church who would it be?

The Catholics choose Joseph – husband of Mary as their patron Saint of the Church. But I think there is a more apt figure that we could choose.

My choice would be Jonah -The reluctant prophet.

^{Turn with me to the book of Jonah -}

^{JNH 1:1} The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: ² "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me."

^{JNH 1:3} But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.

What must a person do to be saved?

Believe, repent and be baptized.

Repent literally means do a 180 – turn and walk the other way. Which is exactly what Jonah has done here. If Jonah was going to go Nineveh he would have traveled East, instead he traveled West toward Tarshish.

We will come back to the reasons for Jonah's choice soon, but first let us continue.

^{JNH 1:4} Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. ⁵ All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.

But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. ⁶ The captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish."

There is another story in the Bible about someone sleeping in a storm tossed boat. This one is quite different. Jonah is the cause of the storm, and he is oblivious to the destruction he has caused. Like those mocking Noah, or those taunting Lot, the guilty often have no idea of the damage they cause nor of their impending demise.

Everyone else in the boat is shocked at his complacency.

And this is one of the reasons I think Jonah is perfect as patron saint of the church today. We have a complacent church that has found it self comfortable in society. Everyone else is appalled at how secular we have become but we sleep through the storm. Despite what they say, the world wants us to intercede with our God. But we sleep through the storm.

Even when it becomes apparent that Jonah is the cause of the problems, and he admits to running from God the creator, the men in the boat are reluctant to sacrifice him. They try everything they can to get him ashore, but God will not have it. So they throw him overboard as instructed.

Notice this.

^{JNH 1:13} Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. ¹⁴ Then they cried to the LORD, "O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased." ¹⁵ Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. ¹⁶ At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.

These men repented (did a U turn) and began to follow the Lord. The opposite of what Jonah had done.

Jonah too has his chance to meet with God. He has to be taken to the depths of the ocean as well as spiritual valleys to meet with God. But in that unlikely situation he does repent and God honors his renewed commitment.

We pick up the story again-

^{JNH 3:3} Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city--a visit required three days. ⁴ On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." ⁵ The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

^{JNH 3:6} When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. ⁷ Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh:

"By the decree of the king and his nobles:

Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. ⁸ But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. ⁹ Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish."

^{JNH 3:10} When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.

Again the people of the world are eager to repent to turn from their wicked ways. They recognized the word of the Lord and were obedient.

Like disobedient children they had been waiting, hoping, that someone would come along and correct them. Even people of the World know deep down that the path they are on leads to destruction, and they want someone to tell them to turn around.

^{JNH 4:1} But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. ² He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. ³ Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live."

Now we find out the heart of the prophet.

Why was he so adamant that God's judgment should be met and not his mercy?

Did Jonah have a personal grievance against the citizens of Nineveh?

Was it just his Jewish bigotry against the gentiles?

We do not find out the cause of Jonah's motives, but it is revealed that his own self-righteousness was stronger than his heart for the lost. Again, I put it to you that he makes a good Patron Saint for the church today.

Before we come down too hard on Jonah, let us remember that it was to him the word of the Lord came. He was obviously close enough to God that he was able to hear him speak. He was probably busy “doing the work of God” in his home town.

How many of us are busy doing God's work. And how many of us would find it inconvenient if God gave us a message to take to the people of Motueka.

Jonah was a man of God to his credit. However, Jonah was given a command by God and his neglect to fulfill that command was counted as sin against him.

Has God given us any commands?

The Great commission-

^{MT 28:16} Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Love one another in unity-

^{JN 13:34} "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

My father's house will be called a house of prayer

What do you think people today call the temple (or church building)?

-         Survey results
- A Church Building Is A Place Where …? (what happens?)

People worship God

Miracles maybe

Singing and stuff

Peace

Young young people go

I walk past – church stuff happens

People go to pray

Drunks go at night

Place for religion

Beautiful buildings (Would you go to Church if someone you knew asked you?)

Get together and feel good (Y)

People go for different reasons (Y special occasion)

Feel serene

Place of peace

Place where people go to pray (N)

Place where people pray (Maybe)

Used to go when a child

Pray (Y)

Pray and things

People worship

People go to church (Probably)

Singing (Might)

Church (N)

Worship (Y)

Respect (Y)

Like minded people gather (Y)(Y)

Someone wants to control me

People worship God (Maybe)

Singing etc (N)

Worship (N)

Weddings and Funerals (Maybe)

Pray (N)

Social & psychological support (N)

Go occasionally (Easter) (Maybe)

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35 - Non church goers & 5 or 6 Church goers

6/40 (15%) said church was a place of prayer

5 – worship 3 – singing

Out of 19 asked if they would go if someone they knew asked them to 7 yes, 6 maybe, and 6 no.

Out of the church people asked what they think of the statement that 90% of the people who don’t go to church would go if they were asked none agreed.

Survey taken down town Nelson around lunch time. Surveyed male and female, young and old, business people and non business people.

So what do the results of this survey tell us – given the high margin of error possible in such a small sampling.

First of all that what you think you know you may not know at all.

60% of those non church goers I asked would go or consider going to church if asked by someone they know (and it was originally looking like 90% until I had a few no’s at the end – so a larger sample might give interesting results)

It looks a whole like if you want to see church growth all you have to do is ask the non church attendees you know if they would like to come along.

How to grow a church seminar included in this mornings message, no extra charge – double the size of our church by next week (everyone invite 2 people).

You see now why I think Jonah – the reluctant prophet is a good patron saint of the modern church?

Like Abraham – reluctant man of faith, many excuses why he couldn't do the job (same as ours?)

I don't speak well, what if they don't believe me?

We need to pray like Paul – give me boldness …

^{EPH 6:19} Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

^{COL 4:2} Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. ³ And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. ⁴ Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.

I'll leave you with the words of James –

^{JAS 1:22} Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.

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References:

NIV Bible

The Pulpit Commentary - Eerdmans