Text: Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Introduction
Today is the 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany when we are reminded of the Church’s responsibility to share the message of what God has done in Jesus. Have you ever been reluctant to tell others? Maybe you are not sure how they are going to react, or maybe you know exactly how they will react and that’s the problem! Today is also the 33rd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. Many are reluctant to talk about things like abortion or assisted suicide in church. But let’s pause a minute and lay aside all the political baggage that goes with these issues and think of the message we have to share. It is a positive message of life! It is a powerful message of life! We know what God has done to give value and dignity to human life. Why should we be so reluctant to share such a powerful message?
Most people know the story of Jonah in our text. He was a reluctant messenger with a powerful message. We can learn from him that WE DO NOT HAVE TO BE RELUCTANT MESSENGERS OF LIFE WHEN WE HAVE SUCH A POWERFUL AND POSITIVE MESSAGE OF LIFE.
Jonah – Reluctant Messenger
Jonah was a reluctant messenger. This was the second time God came to him with a message for the city of Nineveh (v.1). Jonah ran away the first time. But being swallowed by a great fish and then being vomited up has a way of getting your attention! This time Jonah “obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh” (v.3). However, he did so reluctantly. We know that because after the people of Nineveh repent and God relents, Jonah pouts. Following our text we read, “But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry” (4:1). Didn’t he want the people of Nineveh to be saved? Did he want them to suffer God’s wrath? Evidently he did. Perhaps we can understand that a little when we remember that the Ninevites were a foreign people who were Israel’s enemy. Still, Jonah’s pouting at God’s forgiving seems pretty selfish.
The Church – Reluctant Messenger?
Is the Church today a reluctant messenger when it comes to the life issues? Have we been running away from God’s call to share this message? What will it take to get our attention? Don’t we want to speak up for those unborn babies who cannot speak for themselves? Don’t we want people to know that God’s gift of life is destroyed through abortion over 3,000 times every day and well over 45,000,000 since 1973? Don’t we want families dealing with an unplanned pregnancy or those facing end-of-life decisions to know about a God who does not abandon them in their troubles? Don’t we want people who have made mistakes and are filled with sorrow like the Ninevites to know of God’s compassion and forgiveness? Sure, some of these issues are controversial, but doesn’t it seem a bit selfish of us to remain silent? After all, we have the message they need to hear. It’s God’s message of life, and it’s a powerful message.
Jonah’s Powerful Message
Jonah learned that. Reluctant though he may have been, he knew this was God’s message. “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you” (v.2). Reluctant though he may have been, Jonah went to Nineveh with God’s message. This was no small task. Nineveh was a very large and very important city. We can only imagine what went through Jonah’s mind as he traveled through this large city with its thousands and thousands of people. He was all alone, and the message God had given him was not exactly a popular one. “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned” (v.4).
But there was power in this message because it was God’s message. Notice it wasn’t Jonah whom the people believed. “The Ninvevites believed God” (v.5). They understood the source of this message. Therefore, they understood the truth of this message and the power of this message. They responded with repentance. They humbled themselves before God with fasting and putting on sackcloth. The power of God working through the message of God brought about godly results.
Next we see the power of God revealed not through threats of destruction but through compassion. “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” (v.10). The power of God seen here is in what He did not do. He did not punish as He had a right to do. He did not give the Ninevites what they rightly deserved. God’s great love restrains Him from carrying out His great judgment.
This frustrated Jonah. He wanted these people to get what they deserved. When we go to a movie or a play, we expect the good guys to win and the bad guys to “get it” in the end. If for some reason the bad guys get off in the end, we are frustrated. We may say something like, “What a goofy ending.” But God is the master of the “goofy ending.” The bad guys do not get what they deserve. As Jonah knew all along, “You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love” (4:2).
Yes, Jonah may have been a reluctant messenger, but he had a powerful message. It was powerful because it was God’s message. God worked through it to bring repentance. God worked through it to reveal His compassion.
The Church’s Powerful Message of Life Protecting Life
Reluctant though we may be to talk about abortion and other life issues, we need to remember that God has something to say about these things. The message we have to share is God’s message, not ours. We want people to listen to Him and to believe Him. God’s message is a powerful message. It is a positive message. Certainly it is a message of “Thou shalt.” and “Thou shalt not.” But even this is positive. God loves human life so much that He wants to protect it from harm. So He says in the fifth commandment, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). It is not our prerogative to choose that an innocent human being should die in order to solve a problem. It is not our prerogative to hasten someone’s death in an effort to relieve suffering. God loves human life so much that He wants to protect it from the harm of bad choices. So He says, “Flee from sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18). Living chaste and decent lives enables us to avoid a whole host of destructive consequences. God loves human life so much He wants to protect it from the harm of misplaced trust. So He says, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). We avoid the burdens that result when we turn to other sources of help and deliverance by trusting and loving God above all else. God’s message of protecting life is a positive message for others and for us. Why should we be reluctant to share such a message of life?
Valuing Life
The message we have to share is God’s message. It is a powerful and positive message. It is not only a message that says “Do this.” and “Don’t do this.” It is also a message that says, “Look what God has done.” We have a positive message of what our God has done that gives value to each and every human life. He created the first humans in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27). Even though sin marred that image, that original, lofty position still gives special value to human life. God has been intimately involved in the creation of all human life ever since. The Psalmist said, “You knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13). Job reminded us that in God’s hand is “the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10). God gives value to each and every human life through His creative hands.
God also gives value to each and every human life through His redeeming hands. The hands that knit you together in your mother’s womb stretched out on a cross to pay the price for your sin. God loved what He made with His hands so much He sent His son to buy us back from sin and death. “You were bought at a price” Paul reminded us (1 Corinthians 6:20). It wasn’t gold or silver but the holy and precious blood of Jesus. That gives life value!
What a positive message of the God-given value of human life we have! The embryo in the Petri dish, the baby in the womb, the child on the play ground, the child with Down Syndrome playing with him, the professional athlete, the paraplegic in the wheelchair, the energetic young business woman, the young woman with MS, grandpa on the golf course, grandma in the nursing home-all are people created by God. All of these are people for whom Jesus died. Therefore, they all have value and dignity and purpose. Why should we be reluctant to share such a powerful and positive message of life?
Forgiving Mistakes Against Life
The message we have to share is God’s message. It is a powerful and positive message. It is a message through which God reveals His compassion and love. There are a lot of people out there and undoubtedly some right here in these pews who have made mistakes when it comes to decisions about life and death. There are those who have not led chaste and decent lives. There are those who have chosen abortion. There are those who have made wrong decisions about discontinuing a treatment or about the use of certain technologies. There are people out there and in here who have made mistakes and they know it. They are filled with guilt and regret and are sitting in their own version of sackcloth and ashes.
Others of us may find we have the attitude of Jonah. The “bad guys” should get what they deserve because of their wrong decisions. However, the reality is we are all “bad guys.” All have sinned. It is not the magnitude of our sin that puts us under God’s judgment. Sin puts us there. Like the Ninevites, we deserve God’s wrath. Like the Ninevites, we do not get what we deserve. God’s “goofy ending” for us satisfied His wrath once and for all by giving Jesus what we deserved as He hung on the cross. Jesus gets what we deserve and we get what we do not deserve. The holiness of Jesus is applied to us. In God’s goofy ending, the good guy, Jesus, is declared to be the bad guy who gets it in the end. The bad guys, you and me, regardless of the magnitude of our sin, are declared to be the good guys. Through faith in Jesus, we are seen as holy and blameless. We must declare with Jonah, “You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love” (4:2). Why should we be so reluctant to share such a powerful and positive message of life?
God’s Presence in Life’s Circumstances
The message we have to share is God’s message. It is a powerful and positive message. It is a message about our God who promises never to leave or forsake those He created and redeemed. There are no circumstances, whether it is a crisis pregnancy or a terminal illness, which we ever face alone. There are no circumstances beyond God’s power to help. There are no circumstances that can ever separate us from His love. There are no circumstances in which God is not at work bringing good for the sake of His people. Why should we be so reluctant to share such a powerful and positive message of life?
Conclusion
Have you ever been reluctant to tell someone something? Who hasn’t? There is a little of Jonah in all of us. But in this season of Epiphany, we are reminded that it is the Church’s responsibility to share with others the message of what God has done in Jesus. On this 33rd anniversary of the legalization of abortion, we are reminded that it is the Church’s responsibility to apply the message of what God has done in Jesus to the life issues of our time. It is a message that calls people to listen to God and what He has to say about these issues. It is a message that calls people to repentance. It is a message that reveals God’s love and compassion. We do not have to be reluctant to share such a powerful and positive message of life!