Uh…I’m Sorry, but Which Ones Were the Pagans Again?
When Philip found his brother Nathanael and told him he’d found the Messiah, and that Jesus was from Nazareth, Nathanael’s first response was, “Nazareth, can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46) Well actually, the prophet Jonah came out of there. Technically, a little bit north of there. But that may have been Nathanael’s point. Jonah wasn’t exactly the poster-child for prophetic leadership in Israel. In fact, the Old Testament book that tells his story reveals that Jonah was more rebellious punk than religious prophet. God asked Jonah to reach out to a lost world and he said, in no uncertain “I’d-rather-die-than-do-that” terms, “No thank you!”
The “big idea” in Jonah’s story is the depth of God’s love for all people, not just “us.” The Apostle Paul would later highlight a familiar theme in his challenge to “all the Lord’s holy people,to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”(Ephesians 3:18-19).
God’s heart for the lost was obviously hugely bigger than Jonah’s.
Reading through the Old Testament, we meet people or read about events theologians have classified as types of Christ, pieces of biblical history that foreshadow Jesus’ character or life mission. The story of Jonah made the list for an obvious reason. Jonah spent three days in the belly of a fish and Jesus spent three days in the belly of a tomb. As impressive as that similarity might be, there is little else that makes us think of Jesus when we read about Jonah, so this post is not about comparing them. Rather, my intent is to distinguish the attitudes expressed by the people who secured both men’s fate.
I can see the marquee now.
BIBLE TEACHERS V. PAGANS (Drum roll please)
Announcer: “In one corner, from Tarshish…the Pagans! In the other corner, from Jerusalem…the Bible Teachers!”
Last weekend, our pastor continued his series through the Jonah narrative. On Jonah’s now famous and rather roundabout trip east to Ninevah, he encountered a group of men who were all sailing west toward Tarshish. The storm interrupted Jonah’s obstinance and his travel companions were eventually forced by the weather to do the unthinkable, to throw Jonah overboard to save themselves. But as I sat and listened to Pastor Brian’s wonderful sermon, something struck me. The attitudes of those pagan sailors couldn’t have been more different than the attitudes of the religious Jews who would eventually orchestrate Jesus’ crucifixion.
As the weather worsened and the waves started to pull the ship apart, those frightened men prayed more than they ever had, yet received no relief from their own gods. That eventually led them to Jonah. They found him hiding in the bottom of the boat. “What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” (1:7) They then listened intently as Jonah explained the reason why their lives were in peril.
Fast forward almost 800 years to Jerusalem, the Bible teachers, and the events that changed the world.
“But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.” (Matthew 27:20) Their minds were made up before they even met Jesus. They refused to hear Jesus, as He repeatedly explained how He had come into the world because everyone’s lives were in peril. As the songwriter wrote, “My friends don’t understand me and I’m not surprised, because you can’t see nothing when you close your eyes.”
When the sailors finally realized what they had to do, they “cried out to the LORD, “Please, LORD, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, LORD, have done as you pleased.” (1:14)
That’s a stark contrast to the chief priests and elders, who refused any accountability. “All the people answered, “Crucify him…his blood is on us and on our children!” (27:23,25)
When the sailors took Jonah and threw him overboard, the raging sea grew calm. “At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.” (1:16)
On the other hand, as the chief priests and elders watched Jesus bleed out, they mocked Him. “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”…“He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself!” (27:40-42)
Now, I’ve read Jonah many times. I’ve taught sermon series about it. Some themes were consistently elevated. Themes like Jonah’s stubborn bigotry. God’s persistent pursuit. The Ninevites sudden 180. All critical pieces to an amazing story. But this time, as the story was read out loud, the thing that became clear to me was the heart posture of the executioners. The reluctance of humility versus the velocity of arrogance. The repentant pagans who showed up versus the unrepentant chief priests and elders who simply didn’t.
When you think about it, Jonah was the only one in the story who needed to repent but wouldn’t. The sailors repent. The Ninevites repent. But there sits Jonah, sitting under a dead tree in the summer heat, as hard-hearted as ever.
God loves people. All people. Including Ninevites. Even including you and me. And even including the people who are around us every day. When God asks us to share the love of Jesus with our oikos, what is our response? Not one Ninevite in the entire bunch, but our lack of enthusiasm to his call reveals that there might be a little (okay, maybe more than a little) of us in the story of Jonah.
But the story of Jonah is more than a story about a rebel. It’s actually a story about God, and how He reacts to our rebellious attitudes. Here’s a clue. Never bet against God’s grace. Or his ability to fish!