Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
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Disgust
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Fear
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Joy
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Sadness
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Language Tone
Analytical
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Confident
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Tentative
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Social Tone
Openness
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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Agreeableness
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Emotional Range
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Anger
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Intro: Ticket.
Brother/sister arguing.
Again Jonah holds up the mirror.
Causing us to consider our responses.
God’s Mercy Enraged Jonah
Jonah was indignant at what had happened.
He is probably the only preacher in history to be mad that God used his message to bring people to repentance.
But he was MAD!
He was furious.
It’s why he didn’t want to go in the first place.
He knew that this was a possibility.
That God would save these people.
He was so mad in fact that he would rather die than see God be merciful to the Ninevites.
But why did this enrage Jonah?
He had just received mercy from God. Jonah God was just sooooo good to you.
Don’t you want God to be good to other people too?
In Jonah’s mind these people didn’t deserve a single ounce of mercy from God. I’m sure some of you have felt this way about someone before.
I particularly remember how I felt the after 9/11.
I had been a Christian for a couple months and I remember thinking “let’s go wipe these guys off the face of the earth.”
They had become our mortal enemies.
I wanted swift justice to be served.
No holding back.
The full brunt of our military might to be wielded against them.
This is how Jonah felt about the Ninevites.
They deserved swift brutal justice from God.
The punishment that Sodom and Gomorrah recieved.
Or the plagues on the Egyptians.
Or the falling of the walls of Jericho.
The full breadth of God’s force.
Yet.
God in his mercy spared these people.
God spared the enemies of Israel.
This fact makes Jonah indignant.
So what does Jonah do?
Jonah Puts God To The Test
Jonah decides to put God to the test.
God it is me or them.
Kill them or kill me.
Wipe them off the earth or remove me from it.
We’re back to chapter 1. Jonah is trying to force God’s hand.
He would rather die than see these people receive mercy.
That’s why he goes and builds himself a structure.
He is waiting to see what God does even though we already know that God has relented.
Jonah knows that God has relented, that’s why he is so angry.
Jonah is giving God an ultimatum.
But an ultimatum only works if you’re the one with the power, which Jonah is decidedly not.
Jonah don’t you know that the Lord controls your life?
That he knows the day of your death.
That he is the one who appoints it?
Jonah you have zero control over the outcome here.
God Provides An Object Lesson
Since God is not done with Jonah he won’t acquiesce to his request.
In fact now he is going to teach Jonah something and to do so he is going to use an object lesson.
Like the fish swallowing him whole as a means of provision God again uses nature in a super natural way to serve his purposes.
God causes a plant to spring up to provide Jonah with shade.
This act of mercy causes Jonah to be happy or glad about the plant.
But God, seeking to make his point, won’t let that last long.
The next day God has a worm come and kill the plant so that it will cease to serve as a means of mercy to Jonah.
So again Jonah wants to die.
Why?
Because God changed course.
The very thing Jonah desired God to do with regards to Nineveh, he now does with Jonah and it makes Jonah angry.
Oh how often does our Lord use circumstances outside of our control to teach us things.
How often does he use that which cause us pain or discomfort to reveal something about himself to us?
How often does he use “object” lessons in our lives to help us see things accurately?
Think through your lives friends.
Has God not taught you in many ways through circumstances that you disliked?
Rarely will you learn about his complete and utter provision if you never go without.
Rarely will you learn about patience if you don’t have to sit in traffic for 5 hours.
Rarely will you truly grasp peace that surpasses understanding unless you have opportunity to experience it.
God in his infinite wisdom and mercy uses the experiences of our lives to form us into the people he desires us to be.
That is what he is doing here with Jonah.
He is forming Jonah, addressing the very heart of the issue.
And God will drive it all home with a question.
God Questions Jonah
As the book of Jonah closes we are left with God questioning Jonah.
In a way similar to how God questions Job at the end of the book of Job God is taking Jonah to task over his attitude.
Jonah wished that God had shown pity to the plant, but not the entire city of Nineveh.
Jonah saw now value of life in the entire city of Nineveh.
The plant was of more value to Jonah that the entire city and all the creatures in it.
Jonah’s perspective was skewed.
What God is saying to Jonah is this?
Jonah Isn’t Nineveh of far greater value than the measly little plant?
Jonah don’t you see that this is of greater value?
Look Jonah these people have repented don’t they deserve mercy?
Don’t they deserve for me to grant them mercy?
Jonah…it’s just a plant.
That is an entire city of people and animals.
And what response do we get?
Nothing.
No response at all.
It is a deafening silence.
This is not the type of conclusion we want.
We want it all wrapped up nice and neat with a bow on top.
We we want to know what happens.
What is Jonah’s response?
What does God do?
Does Jonah go home?
Do Jonah get it?
But we don’t get that.
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