THY WORD IS TRUTH
John 17:17
“Are We Like Jonah Or The Older Son?”
Today is the fourth Sunday in the season of Lent.
And lent is the season of reflection and repentance where we reflect on what Christ has done for us on the cross.
Last week’s sermon was on how belief in Jesus Christ not only saves us but can save even the unbelievers in our household.
So if we are part of the flock of Jesus Christ what is our responsibility in regards to those who are not saved.
And I should add what is our responsibility to those who are not yet part of the body of Christ?
And that is a question that should make Christian and every Pastor uncomfortable.
And why should I even suggest that let alone ask the question?
For how can we claim to be children of God and continue to ignore what God has commanded and go on as if nothing was wrong or out of order?
How can we ignore the direct command of Christ and claim to be one of His?
What does it actually mean to be "in Christ" and to be a leader in the church and do not pray for the repentance of those whom we love and that they come to know and obey Christ and even be baptized as Christ commands.
And by the title of the sermon today we have two examples of people who were called by God or who were in the family so to speak in regard to never leaving the family like the older son in today's Old Testament reading of the parable of the prodical son.
But what was their attitude in regards to those who left the fold or were never in it?
Did they enthusiastically and with joy respond to Gods command to go to the lost and preach the gospel of repentance or did they rejoice when the lost returned to the fold and repented?
Repentence is a requirement of entering the sheep fold of Jesus Christ.
The first words of Jesus in his ministry on earth were "Repent for the Kingdom of God is near."
So what about Jonah? What is the book of Jonah all about.
And sometimes it is difficult to be in a bible study with unbelievers for they will mock the bible as if no one in their right mind would believe such a thing.
And many years ago in CA, I was in a bible study and when the pastor asked what the story of Jonah was all about, a devoted naturalist piped up “that is where a man is swallowed by a whale.”
And the man followed that statement up with "that is why the Jonah story is hardest of all the bible stories to swallow".
He got a laugh for his remark as I recall.
And I forgot just how the pastor handled the remark but did you notice that the man used the word “whale”?
Did you hear the word whale in the OT reading today?
Where is the word “whale” in the passage?
Did the translators of the NIV leave it out!
How does the modern mind work?
The scientific secular mind presupposes that there are no supernatural events possible in nature.
The natural laws cannot be broken!
So to make the Jonah story (there’s that unbelieving word story again) and it is a tell that there is unbelief working.
"A tell " is a gambling term where you reactions tell you opponent the value of your cards!
All the Old Testament miracles are just children’s stories and do not relate to the real world where God does not operate at all. This is the thought process of the modern secular mindset!
This is the bias of the unbelieving mind.
Only a whale could swallow a man and have that man in the whales throat where the air hole is both the whale and the man could breathe.
But what does the scripture say?
Does the scripture say whale or does the scripture say throat.
The answer is NO on both counts.
The scriptures reads Jonah 1 verse 17, “But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah and Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
Impossible for the modern mind to get their arms around intellectually so it must be a children’s story which can’t be taken seriously by a grown adult!
Right or wrong?
Do we agree with this man in the bible study?
Many like this man are in the pulpit preaching today and they are unbelivers.
IS BELIEF REQUIRED FOR SALVATION OR NOT!
But what does Christ say about this story?
We do teach children that Jonah was swallowed by a whale in Sunday schools just to help God out and make the story more plausible?
But what does Christ say about this passage of scripture?
And this is crucial to our belief or it should be!
How does Christ interpret this scripture and can we as Christians especially those who are charged with the responsibility to proclaim God’s word have any option to interpret scripture in any other way than what Christ says it means.
How can anyone claim to be of Christ and interpret scipture contrary to Jesus Christ's interpetation of Scripture.
We can't.
Christ uses the story of Jonah to rebuke unbelievers of his time.
Let go the Matthew to find out what Jesus of Nazareth says a bout Jonah.
Matthew 12:38 reads, “Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you."
39 He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.
What a rebuke. Jesus called them, “A wicked and adulterous generation”.
Jesus of Nazareth understood the account of Jonah the prophet and He knows that the point of the "so called story" is not about the fish at all but it is about the power of God over nature and the coming miracle of His resurrection.
Clearly, Jesus Christ speaks of Jonah was a real person in the history of the nation of Isreal!
The three days in the belly of the great fish was like the three days and three nights in the belly of the earth and those who can’t believe in the Jonah story will not be given the signs and wonders of the resurrection (just like the Parasees) to new life for they do not believe and they will not repent and believe.
The whole point of Jonah account is repentance for that was Jonahs mission.
John was a real man in history. A real prophet of God.
To regard the Jonah as a ficticious character it to be a unbeliever!
That was the opening line of the OT passage today what was God the Fathers charge or orders to Jonah the prophet. “Go preach Jonah!
The Exact words were “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because it wickedness has come before me.
And what was Jonahs reaction to his call?
Jonah ran away in the opposite direction!
Where was Jonah when he got the call?
What city was Jonah in?
The city was named Joppa?
Where is Joppa?
It is in Palestine! What is the modern name of the city in the modern nation of Israel?
The modern name is JOPPA!
Was this Jonah story fiction? Only to the idolatrous modern mind!
Where is Nineveh?
It is where Abraham was called in Iraq more than 1000 miles to the east and where did Jonah go.
He jumped on a ship to where, Tarshish!
Where is Tarshish?
Tarshish is in Spain about 2000 mile to the west in the opposite direction?
Did Jonah a believer and do exactly as God commanded him. NO HE DID NOT!
So if someone calls you a Jonah it is not a complement!
What about the other example of belief and obedience the older son in the parable of the prodigal son. in the New Testment reading today.
What does the word "prodigal" mean?
Prodigal means lost! The parable of the prodical son is the parable of the lost son!
And we should know this because the parable of the prodigal son is the 3rd of a series of parables that Jesus of Nazareth teaches to his disciples in the book of Luke and others present.
The first two are the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin and then the parable of the lost son.
And we heard of the lost son this morning in the NT reading of how he asked for his inheritance and left the family and then squandered his wealth on wild living and extravagance and after he has spent everything there was a severe famine in the whole country and he began to be in need.
And what did the lost son do?
We went to live with the pigs and eat the pods that they were eating.
But then he came to his senses and he says, “I am starving to death!”
And so he returns to the family.
And in his speech were the words of repentance.
“Father I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired men".
But what was his father’s reaction to the Prodigal son?
The Father rejoices and runs to his son and kisses him. Lets have a celebration and he put a robe around him and ring on his finger and they brought the fatted calve kill it and have a feast.
And what were the words of the Prodigal’s father. “For this son of mine was dead but is alive again; he was lost but now is found.
Sounds like the words of the hymn "amazing grace". I was lost but now I am found.
But what was the reaction of the older son?
Did he rush out to receive this lost younger brother.
Not exactly!
When he was told your brother has come home and your father has killed the fatted calve because he has him back safe and sound the older brother became angry and what did he tell his father? “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a goat so I could celebrate with MY friends. But when this son who squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fatted calve for him!
And what was his father’s reply, “My son, you are always with me, and everything is yours".
Are we like this older son?
Do we act out in resentment when at those who are bought into the kingdom in the eleventh hour who have never worked for the kingdom at all yet are let into the kingdom of Christ by a death bed confession?
Do we say that is not fair or do we think it?
What does Christ teach in this regard?
Whom is Christ concerned about?
Whom did he come to save for the lost or the righteous?
What did Christ say that He came to earth for?
Christ had opened with the parable of the lost sheep at the beginning of Luke 15.
The shepherd has return with the lost sheep carrying it across his shoulders saying; I have found my lost sheep.
And then Christ says, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents and over the ninety nine who do not need to repent.
What about the calling of the Jonah and the older son when it comes to repentance?
Are we like them?
Do we run out and share our faith in Christ and his atonement and lead our lost bothers and sister or sons and daughter to repent.
Or do we repent ourselves for not doing so?
Let me close in prayer:
Eternal God in this season of lent let us examine our selves and repent of those things we would like to change in our lives. The thing that we should have done in you service but we were to busy or to distracted to do. Help us to share our faith with those loved one who are in the world and have never come to Christ or to join a church. He us to obey you command to go to all nations and make disciples and we pray that we would be better disciples of Christ and that we would be grateful for his atonement on the cross and that we are now part of the family of God.
Help us to be not only hears but does or his word.
Amen.
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