Jonah 1:1-17,
3:1-10, 4:1-10
November 6,
2016/All Saint’s Sunday
One
of my friends posted a picture on Facebook last week of the Democratic and
Republican candidates for president. They were standing side-by-side, and the
caption of the picture said,
“Both of these
people were created in the image of God. Yes. Both of them.”
It was an
important, although perhaps an unwanted, reminder that no matter how much you
may dislike one candidate or the other, they are both children of God. That’s
one of those tenets of our faith that sounds wonderful when it applies to us,
but it can be a pesky thorn in our side when we have to apply that belief to
others, the people we don’t like, our enemies.
In a seminary
theology class, our professor was talking about the grace of God, the mercy of
God. He made the point that if Hitler were to have repented of the horrific
things he had done, then it is our belief that God would have forgiven him and
shown him mercy. To this statement my professor added vehemently, “And yes, the
idea of Hitler being forgiven galls me! It galls me! I hate the idea! But
that’s God’s mercy.”
We only have to
read three verses into the first chapter of the book of Jonah to learn that
Jonah was not just a reluctant prophet, but apparently hated and was galled
by the idea of going to Ninevah. God called Jonah, saying,
“Go at once to Ninevah, that
great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before
me.”
Certainly other
prophets, other people, struggled with God’s call for them. Moses told God that
his public speaking skills were poor; perhaps God should call his brother
Aaron. Jeremiah told God that he was only a boy, who would listen to him? Sarah
laughed at the idea that she would have a child in her old age. Zechariah
questioned Gabriel’s message because of his advanced years, and his disbelief
left him unable to speak until his son, John, was born. Even Mary was perplexed
that God’s messenger, Gabriel, would come to her because she was still a young
girl.
But Jonah did not
utter a word in response to God’s words. He did not question God’s call. He did
not argue with God. He didn’t ask for more clarity about God’s purpose in
sending him to Ninevah. Without pause or hesitation, Jonah turned and went the
opposite way. He fled to the port city of Tarshish
and hopped a boat to Joppa.
I’d never given
much thought before as to why Jonah was so resistant to preaching repentance
and God’s mercy to the Ninevites. But I’ve learned some things about Ninevah. Ninevah
was the capital city of Assyria.
And Assyrian was the sworn enemy of Israel.
The Assryians were brutal. One commentator I read displayed pictures of carved
reliefs showing Assyrian soldiers flaying Hebrews. There are depictions of
Assryians counting the heads of Hebrews they had killed. The Assyrians were
brutal. I understand now why Jonah did not want to go to them. I understand now
why Jonah did not want the Assyrians to repent, and I certainly understand why
Jonah did not want them to be shown mercy. Perhaps if God had called Jonah to
preach repentance someplace else to someone else, he would have gone gladly.
But God wanted Jonah to preach repentance, and Jonah was not having it. So he
fled.
The thing about
fleeing God is that it becomes a cosmic game of hide and seek. And God always finds
you. God found Jonah on that ship, and sent a terrible storm to get his
attention. The storm was so bad that the sailors thought it would break the
ship apart. These sailors were not Hebrews, because the text tells us that they
cried to their different gods in fear at the storm. If the storm alone was
supposed to get Jonah’s attention, it did not work. While the sailors were on
deck throwing out cargo to lighten their load and praying for their lives,
Jonah was in the hold fast asleep. The sailors woke him up and told him to pray
to his god. Maybe if he prayed to his god, his god would keep them from dying
in the storm. They cast lots trying to discern who had brought this calamity of
storm and sea upon them. The lots fell on Jonah. Jonah did not deny it. He
identified himself as a Hebrew, and that he was fleeing the Lord.
It was Jonah who
told them to throw him overboard. But the sailors did not want to; they did not
want the blood of this man on their hands. They did everything they could to
bring the boat back to land, but the sea only worked harder against them. They
prayed to the Lord, these men who worshipped so many different gods. They
prayed that they would not have this man’s life and death held against them.
Then, because nothing else was working, they threw Jonah overboard. The minute
they did this, the storm ceased and the waters stilled. They prayed to the Lord
again, and offered a sacrifice and made vows.
We all know what
happened next. Jonah was swallowed by a whale – or a big fish, according to the
text. Jonah stayed in the fish’ belly for three days and three nights until the
fish finally spat him up on dry land. God sent the great big fish to swallow
Jonah, and a word from God caused the fish to expel him.
Once Jonah was out
of the fish’ belly, God spoke to him again. Same call, same instructions.
“Get up, go to
Ninevah, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.”
Jonah had learned
his lesson about trying to flee God, so this time he obeyed God. He went to the
large, bustling city of Ninevah,
and he cried out seven words,
“Forty days more,
and Ninevah shall be overthrown.”
I can imagine that
Jonah did not say these words with a great deal of enthusiasm. I suspect that he
did not repeat himself or shout them too loudly. But in spite of this, in spite
of himself, the people of Ninevah heard Jonah. The people of Ninevah believed
God. They called for a fast, and everyone – from the king down – fasted. The
king called for every human and every living thing to fast, to wear sackcloth
and ashes. They were all to repent. Maybe if they did, God would relent and
change his mind. Maybe God would turn his anger away from them.
Jonah must have
been the most successful prophet ever. Seven words! Seven words and everyone
believed. They listened! They repented! And they did not halfheartedly repent,
they went all out. This is a preacher’s dream. There are probably a thousand
words in this sermon. Jonah uttered seven! And it worked because God changed
God’s mind.
But Jonah was
angry. He prayed to God, saying, “This is why I fled. I knew you’d be merciful.
I knew you would be gracious, because you are a gracious God and you are
merciful and you are ready to relent instead of punish. And I am so angry by
this, that I wish you would just kill me now. I would rather die than live.”
That’s more like a
tantrum thrown by a tired and sulky toddler than it is a prayer. But while God
relented from his anger at the Ninevites, Jonah would not relent from his anger
at God’s mercy. He went out of the city and waited. God caused a bush to grow
up over Jonah’s head and give him shade. Jonah loved that bush. But the next
day, God sent a worm to attack it and the bush died. To make matters worse, God
sent a hot wind to blow over Jonah and let the sun beat down on Jonah. Jonah
was hot and felt faint, and again he begged to die.
Now I think God
had had enough.
“Is it right for
you to be angry about the bush?” Jonah responded, “Yes, angry enough to die.” God
said,
“You are concerned
about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came
into being in a night and perished in a night. And should I not be concerned
about Ninevah, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and
twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and
also many animals?”
Generally, when we
read a story about a prophet, it is the prophet who is the good guy. But
everyone around Jonah, even the whale, the bush and the worm, were more
obedient to God than Jonah was. The pagan sailors prayed and worshipped the
Lord. The fish obeyed God. The bush grew because of God. The worm did what God
desired it to. The Ninevites repented and God showed them mercy. But God’s
mercy to the Ninevites infuriated Jonah. He did not want them to receive mercy.
He wanted them to be punished. It galled him that they would receive mercy,
just as it galled my professor that Hitler might receive forgiveness. But
that’s the pesky side of God’s grace. It is offered to everyone.
God questioned
Jonah about his anger, essentially saying, Should I not be concerned about all
of those people in Ninevah, those people created in my image? Should I not be
concerned about every living thing that abides in that city? I created it all,
and I am concerned about my creation. I think that Jonah did not want to
reconcile himself to the idea that even the Ninevites were created in the image
of God. Yes, even them. On this day when we lift up our saints – those official
ones and our more personal ones, on whose shoulders we stand, let us lift up
those people we believe are far from sainthood as well. Let’s lift up the
people we fear and dislike and even hate, because they are also God’s children;
whether we like it or not. Let’s give thanks that people as well as a whale, a
bush and a worm, served to remind Jonah that God was concerned with all of
God’s creation. Let’s give thanks for the multitude of reminders that we are
given that God is still concerned – God shows us mercy and God shows our
enemies mercy as well. Because of all us were created in God’s image, even our
enemies. Yes, even them.
Let all of God’s
children say, “Alleluia!” Amen.
