Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Have you ever taught a children’s Sunday Class?

Right now in the other room there are great questions being answered by our wonderful teachers.

Questions from inquisitive children but what is most surprising are the answers to the Teacher’s questions.

I wonder this morning if we were to ask the children, what is the Book of Jonah is about.

For those of you who have children and you were to ask them, what do you think they would say.

What have we focused our stories in Sunday class over the years when it comes to the book of Jonah.

Now some of you, are like me and have heard the story of Jonah over the years.

I am sure if you grew up in the church and attended Sunday class, you would all have the same answer,

It’s about a man who was swallowed by a fish.

That’s the exciting part of the whole book,

Or is it?

Is this really what we can boil the book down to.

When I was in high school a few year ago, if you didn’t want to do the work that was involved in learning about a book assigned in Class, you would travel to the local bookstore, not online, and you would have to buy the classic,

Coles Notes

Some called it cheating, others lazy, but why read the entire book of Moby Dick when you can pick up a small book that answers all the the questions, outlines the motif, the plot and give you clear discussion questions that make you look like you read the book.

It was brilliant.

You would buy this book, read it, then come to class prepared.

Or you thought you were.

You came to class, but what you didn’t realize is that the teacher had also read the coles notes and knew right away you hadn’t read the book.

Now fast forward today, have things changed?

You are asked to read something for work, at the office or training session, what do you reach for?

An Executive Summary

The Executive Summary.

Why bother reading the entire paper, when all we really need is to read the executive Summary.

Things haven’t changed, we have just made the process more dignified.

For many people who want quick answers when studying the book of Jonah have simplified it to an executive summary.

In fact, the other day, as I was driving back from picking up a coffee for Heather, before the 10:00 hour, the preacher on the radio gave a quick summary of Jonah to make a point.

Executive Summary.

Can it really be boiled down to this?

Let’s look at an executive summary of the book taken right out of the text.

Jonah 1:17–2:10 (ESV)

17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah.

And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

This is the beginning and ending of today’s text.

If you simplify this it is an executive summary and a storyline for a great and dramatic plot maybe for a movie.

Show the movie/playn of Jonah at the end of the series

After all who doesn’t like a good story.

For some people who look at scripture and wonder if what is in the text is really true, argue that this story is just that, a story.

How can a man be swallowed up by a whale.

True Story

The other day, Dave stopped by my office knowing that we were going through the book of Jonah and commented that there was a story of a man actually being swallowed by a whale.

So I did some research and found out it was true.

June 11, 2021 Man Swallowed by Whale.

Cape Code

“All of a sudden, I felt this huge shove and the next thing I knew it was completely black,” Packard recalled Friday afternoon following his release from Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis.

https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/2021/06/11/humpback-whale-catches-michael-packard-lobster-driver-mouth-proviencetown-cape-cod/7653838002/

I do not want to spend a lot of time on the debate, and folks, there is much information on the debate,

but like I have been saying in this series.

The questions we should be asking as we approach this text, the entire book is not a question about the whale, but about what is the text telling us about God.

God’s Control

When we read the executive summary, we do not have a clear timeline of the events that folded for Jonah and the sailors.

In fact,

If you are a disciple and you are eager to learn more about God, discovering His Truth, it begs questions as you read through this text.

First Question.

How long did it take for Jonah to be swallowed up by the whale.

If you read the scripture and discover that the moment Jonah was cast into the raging waters, the waters calmed down.

Should Jonah been able to swim in the calm waters.

Did he disappears from the sight of the sailors.

Did he drop like an anchor,

How close was the fish to the boat when Jonah was swallowed up.

As I mentioned earlier in the series, this past summer was a themed holiday for us and we had a wonderful experience of watching whales in the bay of Funday.

At one point, a baby whale made its way under our boat, you couldn’t miss that.

Taking a picture was even harder.

Many questions, some of the text will be answered in Jonah’s pray, some left out so that it leaves us in wonder of an almighty God.

One thing that I can tell you and as we look into the story, that Jonah, as he was being cast into the stormy waters, began to put his attention to God.

So it does lead us to ask ourselves that question,

When the storms of our lives hit us and we appear to be cast into chaos, does it lead us to God.

When the world is a mess and hostile to all that we stand for, does it lead us to God.

One person put it this way,

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 7: Daniel and the Minor Prophets (E.

Jonah’s Protection (1:17–2:1))