The Divine Crash

Church was interesting.  We moved around some of the liturgy and it seemed okay but still needs tweaking.  We also started a new sermon series on the book of Jonah.  Jesus identifies himself with Jonah more than any other prophet so what is so special about Jonah?  You can listen to the sermon at the bottom of this post or on iTunes by clicking here. Is the book of Jonah real or is a folklore meant to teach about God?  There are very good arguments for both sides.   Regardless of what side you are on, as we move through the series question what it would mean for your faith if it were the other one.  What would it mean for your faith if Jonah were a true event?  What would it mean for your faith if it were a parable meant to teach a story?

Jonah was a prophet who God called to preach to the city of Nineveh.  However, Jonah tries to flee to Tarshish.

Ever been there? Ever felt God calling you to something and decided you knew better than God?  That is where Jonah is, Jonah thinks he knows better than God.

Jonah tries to go by boat to Tarshish.  Tarshish is probably in southern Spain.  In 2 Chronicles 9:21 it says that Solomon would get gold, ivory, apes, and peacocks from Tarshish.  Tarshish is paradise.  Think Aruba, Cancun, Hawaii, just beautiful places where it is clear that God is very active in all that we see.

Except God isn’t there.

We have been like that.  How often do we think if we work hard and get that promotion then we will be in paradise only to get there and feel empty and realize just how much it cost us.

When it says that Jonah paid his fare for the boat, there is an impression that Jonah actually chartered the whole boat just for himself.  Only to never get where they are going.  That would have been a lot of money and Jonah was willing to give it all up to go where he thought was perfect.

However, God wasn’t in paradise.  God was in Nineveh. Nineveh was everything Jonah hated.

They were the Assyrians and Nineveh was the capital.  The Assyrians were ruthless and when they captured the Israelites they forced them to intermarry and create half-Israelite half-Assyrian people and as a result they could not go in the temple.  Essentially the Assyrians had separated them from God.

So then, Jonah hates these people.

Jonah knew God’s will and ignored it. Ever been there? If you have, you know exactly what I am saying.

We can ignore the will of God but if we do we will find ourselves in the situations where we feel empty, alone, and need to change. It is only when we give in to the thing God wants of us, that we hate to do, that we find the most joy.

Sermon Audio

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Sermon by RevBT