Who is this Jonah?

Last week, we see he has been given a call to preach to the Ninevites. It was more than just a call to preach; it was a call to repent. The Lord knew Jonah's heart. He was a prophet who had done fairly well for himself. It appears that he even was a prophet for the king. Hating the Ninevites was part of his job description, at least as a wicked king would want it. And Jonah filled the bill well.

But his job was getting the best of him. The hatred he preached, and the nationalistic pride was hurting his soul. Unlike what St. Paul has said, and you have heard at installation services, "I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. It's the passage I usually choose.

Look at Jonah as a preacher. When a pastor writes a sermon, the first person he preaches it to, is himself. Otherwise, to be in this kind of position is dangerous for a man. He could lose his soul.

Apparently, this is what had been happening to Jonah. He would preach sermons that did not convict him. They would only convict their enemies. How would the people react? They would love them! It didn't make anyone feel uncomfortable. It didn't make them look at their lives. Instead, they could say they had heard the Lord speak, and the Lord was telling them the Ninevites deserved to be damned. Actually, the Lord wasn't saying that, but if a prophet was preaching it, it would seem to be true.

Now, it's time to break in. So, the Lord calls Jonah to preach to the Ninevites. The people He was supposed to hate so much, is to be shown mercy. Jonah wants nothing to do with it.

We are in the season of Lent. How fitting for us to look at Jonah and see ourselves in him. The writing of this book is designed to do that. Make us look at ourselves. As we get deeper into Lent, we will look at ourselves harder. Remember, we observe Lent so we are prepared to celebrate Easter, but how are we prepared? By seeing our need. The Holy Spirit exposes to us what we would rather not know. We have our certain sins that we protect. It's not a big sin, we tell ourselves. I'm only human. If you knew my circumstances, you would see why.

What are we doing when we say this? We are holding forgiveness off. We are saying, "Lord, forgive me for everything but this." We are saying, "I need forgiveness except for this which is not really a sin." We are lying to ourselves, and we know it.

Jonah shows us what happens when we deny our need. Did Jonah think he was doing wrong? It seems not. In fact, when we see he has a chance to admit his guilt, he doesn't. Dangerous. Very dangerous. Dangerous to the soul.

In Jonah's case, dangerous to his life. Does this mean, when we deny our sin, the Lord is going to track us down like He did Jonah? We can't say. It's not like you can really control your life. Jonah thought he could. He charters this boat and heads in the complete different direction. He told himself he was in control but he wasn't. That realization comes down on him in a big way.

But we still have the question floating out there. Would the Lord track us down like He did Jonah? Who can say, but one thing we know for sure. The Lord wants us to have the best of everything. We are His children, His sons. What loving father doesn't want his child to have the best he could give? So, the same for our Heavenly Father-even more so. If He did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also along with Him graciously give us all things? So, we know He would give us all things, but sometimes we won't have them.

I don't know what that looks like in your life, but we see it in Jonah's. Jonah doesn't understand grace. As a result, he knew none of the joy of life; he knew none of the comfort of being God's child. How ironic! He was a preacher by trade, and yet didn't know the very thing he was to preach.

It's a little risky that we might have some kind of trouble come into our lives, and ask, "What is the lesson I need to learn?" The assumption would be that as soon as we figure out the lesson and learn it, the trial will stop. What's the problem, here? We are not seeking to learn, we are seeking to stop it. Instead, by the Holy Spirit we commend ourselves to our gracious Father's care, looking to His Son on the cross, to see that He is truly gracious and receive it from a loving Father.

Jonah didn't. He ran. He will not speak. Instead, he goes down more and more, sinking deeper and deeper as he struggles to get away from God. He couldn't get away. The Lord hurls a great wind upon the sea. He will not let Jonah thwart His purposes. As much as the Lord wanted Jonah to preach to the people he despised, He wanted Jonah to know all He was. He wanted Jonah to know the gifts He has.

That's what this Lent is about. How willing are you to admit your sin? Do you still want to excuse certain things you do or are? Do you tempt the living God to take some drastic action so you can know His gifts?

What comfort your baptism brings to you. You are His child. Nothing happens without His knowledge and approval. Just as nothing was happening to Jonah that His heavenly Father was not sending.

And yet Jonah tried harder and harder to get away. He goes down into the deepest holds of the ship and even sleeps. Meanwhile the sailors are busy calling out to their gods, and trying to appease them, making sacrifices of their cargo. His sin deepens as he risks the lives of these sailors, but his reaction is to hide. He sleeps. It is not the sleep of serenity knowing all is well; it is the sleep of depression. He exhausted from trying to run from God and he falls asleep while a horrible storm is raging.

It's important to see this detail and recognize the contrast from the time our Lord in the flesh sleeps during a storm. This time it was with the disciples. They struggle against a storm on the Sea of Galilee, and during this time, Jesus sleeps. How could he? Unlike Jonah, He is confident that all is under control. Jonah, on the other hand, is feeling out of control. But rather than admitting it, he continues to try to run.

The captain even tries to wake him, tries to get him to pray to his god, and Jonah won't even do that. We know why. It was an admission of guilt that he wouldn't pray, but that still doesn't get Jonah to repent. We are reminded of another time when praying was to be done, but closing of the eyes happened instead-when the disciples waited with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The greatest moment in the history of time was about to come, and rather than preparing for it, they slept. Instead of praying, they closed their eyes.

After calling to their gods and with no relief, the sailors began to suspect this is no ordinary storm. They cast lots to find out who is responsible and the Lord directs the lots to point to Jonah. Finally, the prophet speaks. And still he doesn't admit his guilt. He doesn't tell them exactly why this storm has come. But he tells them he is running from the Almighty God and more importantly, makes a confession of faith. The sailors recognize this is the God who is causing this storm. And in desperation call out to this God. They show greater faith than Jonah, because they call out for mercy. They recognize this is the true God, and without knowing about the Messiah, they recognize this is a god they never knew, but one they should. And even more, they look better than Jonah.

Even after asking Jonah what they should do, they look better than Jonah. Jonah says to throw him overboard, but they don't want to do it. Even when they eventually decide this is what they should do, they beg for forgiveness from the God who they are about to offend

Now we have been talking about confession of sins, and not running from the recognition of our guilt, but forgiveness has been kind of scarce in this sermon. But we could see the source of our forgiveness here in this text.

Whether Jonah tells the sailors to throw him overboard because he would rather be dead than admit his guilt or because he no longer wants to risk the life of these sailors, we are not told. But because it is always good for us to find our Lord's saving work in every page of the Scriptures, we will do well to see the sacrifice of one man saves the many.

But before we do that, we have to see how deep Jonah has sunk. He will not admit his guilt. He runs from God. He endangers the lives of men who are innocent of his guilt, and he doesn't care. He still won't do anything about it. His denial of his guilt is so deep, he would rather be dead than admit it. This is evil, a very great evil. And here we see our Lord.

What? How could we see Jesus in this?

He who knew no sin became sin for us. Our Lord was treated as the worst of all sinners. His Father unleashes all the anger against all sin against His own Son. By all appearances from the way God is treating Him, Jesus looks like the most evil person who had ever lived, just like Jonah, but His death was the sacrifice that saves the many.

Maybe this is a stretch. Maybe the text does not let me actually go here, but a person who feels there is no forgiveness is not going to be inclined to admit guilt. When you feel an admission of guilt will result in a greater judgment, who would admit it? But when you see our Lord, treated as the worst of sinners, sacrificed so that you and I could be saved, cursed for even our unwillingness to admit guilt, for our stubborn refusal to confess our sins, then you can see the Lord truly is a God of love who truly wants to the best for His people.

AMEN