Go ahead and grab a Bible and start flipping to the book of Jonah. As you do, I want to invite you to something that’s coming next Sunday night.
We get to do something very special. Being ordained is the highest expression of a church’s affirmation of those who have dedicated themselves to a life of ministry. We will ordain three pastors who have been faithfully serving Jesus and our church for some time now.
- Ian Benoit
- Paul McDonald
- Svea Merry
I am very grateful that Pastor John Steer will be my partner in this service. I hope you will attend. This is not only an occasion for these three individuals but also for the church family. There is a special moment in which we will all pray over them. I truly hope you will join us next Sunday night.
How does this image strike you? You might have heard someone say, “Truth is a matter of perspective.” What is your response to that? When someone says stuff like that to me, my response is, “Is that true, or is that just your perspective?” And that’s why I’m so much fun at parties.
But that’s not how people typically say it. More often we will hear other people, and even ourselves say, “That’s what it feels like to me. I feel like that’s true” That is a showstopper, isn’t it? If someone says that, it makes us out to be jerks if we tell them they are wrong. I just don’t know that it’s possible to have a productive argument with someone’s feelings. And yet, I think we owe it to ourselves to acknowledge a truth. All feelings are real. Not all feelings are valid. All feelings are real. Not all feelings are valid. Every feeling you have is 100% real. But that very real feeling may be based on something untrue.
One morning I woke up from a dream that Heather left me for Peyton Manning. I woke up mad. That feeling was 100% real but 0% valid. It was based on something untrue.
What I love about this image is that it doesn’t fall into the ditch that equates truth with someone’s perspective or feelings. Rather, it reminds us that what we see, what we are currently aware of, may not be all there is. It reminds us that what we are certain is wrong, may be true.
Let me share with you a lesson that I learned the hard way in life.
Any FOOL can judge. The WISE seek to understand.
I wish I was the kind of person who could just be told this lesson. I had to learn it with bruises. Some of the bruises were my own, and some of the bruises belonged to others because I was way too quick to judge. I’ve spent too much of my life here [FOOL] and too little of my time here [WISE]. As we read the book of Jonah, we are watching this battle play out. It’s the battle between wisdom and foolishness. Do you remember this from week one?
PRIDE + IGNORANCE = FOOLISH
HUMILITY + INSTRUCTION = WISDOM
Being instructed in the truth is good, but it’s never enough unless we are humble enough to let truth confront us and correct us. As good as this is [INSTRUCTION], no amount of this [INSTRUCTION] can make up for a lack of this [HUMILITY].
PRIDE + INSTRUCTION = FOOLISH
This really does some up the story of Jonah’s life. It should inspire us to pause and reflect. Remember our filter through which we should read this book.
Jonah is the story of a QUESTIONABLE prophet who QUESTIONED God, written so that we will QUESTIONourselves.
As we read Jonah, it’s appropriate to scrutinize him. It’s wise to be discerning and spot the battles between foolishness and wisdom. It’s appropriate to label his behavior as wise or foolish. But as we do, we should also scrutinize ourselves with unflinching questions. Are we wise or foolish? Are we humble or prideful? I hope you have your Bible ready. Let’s start with the last verse of chapter 1 and read all of chapter two.
JONAH 1:17-2:10 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry. You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit. “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’ ” And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Finally, we get to the fun part. What’s the deal with this big fish that swallowed Jonah? I wonder how many of you have seen this footage. This happened a couple of years ago off the coast of California. Check it out.
VIDEO
Wild! There are some people who interpret Jonah as a historical narrative. Others interpret it as a parable. Both sides have good-hearted, very intelligent people who have good reasons for their different views. I’m suggesting that while both of those views are understandable, neither of them tells the full story. It’s like this picture.
Jonah has all the hallmarks of a comedic satire, much like a Saturday Night Live sketch about a presidential debate. It’s about very real people, very real places, and very real events, told with exaggerations to bring us face-to-face with urgent truth.
Do I think that God sent a big fish of some sort to actually swallow Jonah? Yes. I think he did. And it’s not because I think that’s the sort of thing that can happen. I don’t believe that virgins get pregnant or that people come back from the dead—except for those times in history when God supernaturally intervened and caused those things to happen, which he has done. Looking for a natural explanation for how Jonah survived this encounter is like trying to find a natural explanation for how Jesus turned water into wine. It misses the point. By the way, if you do know how Jesus turned water into wine, please share the recipe.
What is the point of all this? How should we think about it? How should we understand the way this story is told—including all of the non-literal and exaggerated parts, too? Well, Jesus talked about this story. Let’s try to see it the way that he saw it.
MATTHEW 12:40-41 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Just like Jonah was in the belly of a huge fish for three days and three nights, Jesus said he, too would be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. Was Jesus speaking literally or figuratively?
Let’s start with an easy one. Was Jesus literally in the heart of the earth, or is that a figurative way to describe a grave? That’s figurative, though a grave is a literal thing. What about three days and three nights? Jesus was crucified on a Friday and buried before sundown. In Jewish culture, any part of a day counted as a day.
- He was in the grave on Friday. That’s day one. Friday night is night one.
- He was in the grave on Saturday. That’s day two. Saturday night was night two.
- Sunday morning, he was in the grave. That was day three. The resurrection happened that morning.
Jesus was only in the grave for three days and two nights. But he said he would be in the heart of the earth for three days AND three nights. What do we do with that? We have four options.
MATTHEW 12
- Jesus was mistaken.
- Matthew misquoted Jesus.
- The Gospels are wrong about when Jesus was crucified and/or resurrected.
- Jesus wasn’t being literal.
Did you know that “three days and three nights” was an expression that was not meant to be taken literally? Just like when we say things like, “If I’ve told you a thousand times to.” Three days and three nights was a figurative, non-literal expression to refer to a time of serious danger or testing. It’s an expression that’s used figuratively in numerous Old Testament passages and it’s used like that in ancient near eastern literature as well.
How long was Jesus in the grave? Three days but less than three nights. How long was Jonah in the fish? We don’t know. This is a figurative expression to describe a time of great danger or testing, not a literal measurement of time.
Let’s look again at what Jesus said.
The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.
Jesus talked about the book of Jonah figuratively and historically. These are real people and real events. If Jesus talked about this as something real from history, but told with figurative language, then it only makes sense that we do, too.
The imagery and figurative and comedic language in which this is packaged are so very important, and I don’t want you to miss out. Did you know that a sea monster or giant fish is a stock metaphor in the Old Testament for empires and power structures that stood against God and his people? Let me show you.
EZEKIEL 29:3 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “ I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, you great monster lying among your streams. You say, “The Nile belongs to me; I made it for myself.”
JEREMIAH 51:34 “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured us, he has thrown us into confusion, he has made us an empty jar. Like a serpent he has swallowed us and filled his stomach with our delicacies, and then has spewed us out.”
Serpent is the Hebrew word tanin, which the same word in Genesis 1 for the great fish of the deep that God created in the beginning. Giant fish, sea creatures were the stock metaphors for corrupt power structures. Why is this important? Hang with me.
Do you know who the Ninevites considered to be the greatest and most powerful god? It was a fish god named Dagan.
Dagan
Dag|an
This is the Hebrew word for the giant fish that came to swallow Jonah. In that time and in those cultures, the sea represented chaos and death. That’s why in Revelation, heaven is described as having no sea. That’s not intended to be taken literally. It’s saying there is no chaos and death in heaven. The deep and the sea creatures of the deep represented their greatest fears. They saw them as powerful; they were the stuff of nightmares. Even the most powerful empires and people were terrified of these things.
Are you beginning to see it? All the things that people fear most are nothing compared to the power of our God. The most terrifying nightmares of the world are laughable when compared to the sovereign might of our God. I want to share something from Phillip Cary. He’s a scholar and author.
The great fish is a comic version of an ancient nightmare, the great monster of the deep that represents chaos and destruction...In bearing witness to the power of the God of Israel, Scripture often reckons with the nightmares of ancient near eastern mythology and puts the images to its own uses...In Jonah the nightmare is turned into a comedy. The creature that swallows Jonah up is not one of the terrible monsters of the deep...but just a great big fish...Call it a monster if you wish; it’s no big deal. –Phillip Cary
If we were to fixate only on whether or not this book tells a literal history, we would miss the language of satire that draws us in to find rest in a profound truth. God makes a laughingstock out of the stuff that scares us, and if we know and trust in him, we can be freed from fear and free to laugh, too.
This is James Harrison. He’s one of my top 5 favorite players. This man is freakishly strong, and his workouts were the stuff of legend. He would take bar used for bench pressing, put 45-pound plates on both ends, and lift with a single hand for shoulder presses. All NFL players are tough. But this dude intimidated other players. He even intimidated his coaches. When he would hit a guy, their momma felt it.
He wrecked so many guys. When you think about how God wants to relate to you, I want you imagine a loving, compassionate father. When you think about how God relates to corrupt power structures, to idols, to the things that scare us—I want you to imagine something like James Harrison. God wrecks the things that would wreck us.
This is why we are told 365 times in the Bible: do not be afraid, even when we look honestly at things that are broken and wrong. Even when we look honestly at injustices and evils. Even when we look honestly at very difficult and deeply painful things, we don’t fear. And it’s not that real hurts are funny. Facing terminal cancer is not funny. But the idea that cancer or death or the moral complexities of an election season, or an economic downturn, or even a global pandemic can rival the sovereign might of God—that’s laughable.
But you know what, I still get insecure. I wish it wasn’t true, but I get wobbly sometimes when other people gossip about me and say things that aren’t true. Whenever that happens, believe it or not, that’s pride. I’m looking to myself instead of the one who I truly revere. I hope this encourages you.
It’s not the STRENGTH of your faith that counts, but the strength of the OBJECT of your faith.
I’m so grateful that he is strong because too often I am weak. How about you? Did you know that we get to rest in his strength? Our confidence is not in our religious performance or moral performance. Our confidence is meant to be in him, in what he has done and in what he promised he will do. That’s humility. It’s humility that turns us to him in faith.
What do you think about Jonah’s prayer in chapter 2? Don’t let this sermon be the only way you engage this week. Spend some time reading Jonah for yourself. Meditate on it. Wrestle with it. Can you identify indicators of humility? Can you identify repentance? As you dig in, consider this.
A prayer can be full of WORSHIP and REVERENCE, yet empty of REPENTANCE.
Remember that this book is not a contrast between the good people and the bad people. It’s a contrast between those who are humble and those who are proud. What do you see? Jonah strikes me as a stellar communicator. Eloquent. A master of language. Ironically, the skill of a communicator can sometimes distract us from what was actually said, and it can distract us from what was not said.
When I read Jonah's prayer, I see a beautiful expression of worship and reverence that is dripping with truth. But when it comes to repentance, it is bone dry. Religion is a poor substitute for humble repentance.
Brennan Manning was a man who seemed to know humility and grace like a personal friend. Reading him makes me want to know Jesus more. He somehow knew how to be gentle while not pulling any punches.
Paradoxically, it is precisely our exaggerated moral standards and our pseudo-piety that force themselves like a wedge between God and us humans. It is not the prostitutes or the tax collectors who find it hardest to show repentance; it is precisely the zealous people who think that they do not have to show repentance. Jesus did not die at the hands of muggers, rapists, or thugs. It fell into the scrubbed clean hands of deeply religious people, the most respected members of society. –Brennan Manning
What does humble repentance look like? I don’t think there is anything better than Psalm 51. King David sexually abused a woman. In an attempt to cover it up he had her husband killed. This behavior invited chaos into his home that would lead to heartbreaking behaviors by his children.
Instead of being humble and vulnerable, David was exposed. God sent the prophet Nathan to confront him for his sin. Psalm 51 is David’s response.
PSALM 51:1-17 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.
The invitation from our Heavenly Father, who is holy and compassionate, is for us to humbly repent and turn to him. If you have never trusted in Jesus, I want to invite you humbly repent and give your allegiance to him. If you are already a follower of Jesus, may we be people who continually repent and turn to him. God never despises that and we shouldn’t either.
I have some repenting to do. We are in a 12-week season of prayer about taking our next steps in being a church of all cultures. Because we are praying about this, it’s natural that people may want to start talking about it. To encourage and support that, we recommended resources in the back of the prayer guide.
One of the books that we suggested for parents to talk with their kids is this one [holding up book]. No book is perfect, but we really do believe this can be helpful to those who want to use it. What I need to apologize to you for is not letting you know that this book is one in a series of other books by the same author. This is the only book we recommend. Some of the other books have views we don’t endorse. Because I did not make that clear up front, it contributed to some of you being confused or concerned about what our church is associating with.
That concern is understandable because I missed the opportunity to be clear. I apologize. I think you deserve a little better from than that.
If anyone is wondering, why would we recommend a resource from an author who also has other views that we don’t support, that’s a fair question. The reality is that there are many gospel-centered resources for adults, but books for parents and children just don’t exist yet. Right now, this is the book that many of our trusted ministry partners are recommending.
I look forward to the day that there is a book for parents to talk with their kids, that is written by someone who loves Jesus and knows how to connect this important conversation to the gospel. Somebody needs to write that book, maybe one of you will be the one to do it.
Let’s close with this.
Jonah is the story of a QUESTIONABLE prophet who QUESTIONED God, written so that we will QUESTIONourselves.
What should we ask ourselves? Are we going to be people who respond with pride and play religious games or will be people who respond with humble repentance and faith?