Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRODUCTION

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Joke –

There are countless stories of people being rescued at sea which are no laughing matter.

There are amazing stories of people who have been saved at sea (rescued at sea).

· Teen boys

· Bailys

The stories of being saved at sea are truly amazing – there is nothing like be saved in our moment of desperation, distress, despair, and death.

Need

Today in our JONAH series we find another gripping story of being saved at sea!

The rebellious prophet’s rescue at sea undoubtedly the most familiar and popular story in the book of Jonah.

The rebellious prophet’s rescue at sea is likely the most memorable and yet misunderstood story in the book of Jonah as well.

The story of Jonah’s rescue at sea is not just reserved for kids storybook bibles, it’s a story we desperately need to understand for it is the theological heart of the book, revealing who God is and His glorious salvation that transforms our lives.

Preview

If you have your Bible (I hope you do) turn to the book of Jonah.

Jonah chapter 1. . .

If you don’t have a Bible feel free to grab on in the pew rack, and if you don’t own a Bible take that home as our gift to you.

Let me give you a brief review to catch us up.

God had called this Jonah to preach a message of pending judgment to the city of Nineveh but this prophet refused.

God said “Go” and he said “No.” Instead Jonah rebelliously ran from God’s call and tried to get as far away from Nineveh as he could by boarding a boat board for the city of Tarshish (2,000 miles in the opposite direction of Nineveh).

Jonah’s journey was suddenly interrupted by a fierce storm literally sent from the hand of God.

The Lord had “hurled” a great wind upon the sea and the ship was about to sink.

The sailors determined that this storm was of divine origin and began calling upon their gods but to no avail.

Eventually it was determined that Jonah’s god had caused the storm and the only way to get Him to relent was by throwing Jonah overboard.

Once the sailors cast Jonah off the boat and into the sea the storm ended.

And when we ended our study last week the sailors had made vows of dedication to the Lord while Jonah was lost at sea treading water.

Jonah was not able to run from God—the Lord had used the storm and the sailor’s as instruments to draw this rebellious prophet back to Himself—and God put his prophet in the same condition of the people of Nineveh.

Jonah was facing the peril of death and in need of God’s salvation.

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I) GOD’S RESCUE OF A REBELLIOUS PROPHET

In -2:16 we find “God’s Rescue of a Rebellious Prophet.”

We come to what is undoubtedly the most familiar & popular part of the story—Jonah being swallowed by a really big fish—what an amazing story for Jonah to tell his grandkids.

The story of Jonah living inside the belly of a fish is pretty spectacular – and yet this story is not about the fish – it’s about God’s relentless pursuit of Jonah, the people of Nineveh, and you and me.

Today we turn our focus to God’s Rescue of Rebellious prophet, the impact on Jonah’s heart, and in the end the life-changing implications for our lives.

Let’s dig into this amazing part of Jonah’s story.

A) The Rebellious Prophet’s Miraculous Rescue (1:17)

We begin with “The Rebellious Prophet’s Miraculous Rescue” (1:17).

Last week we left off with Jonah dogpaddling in the open sea.

I don’t know how many of you have been to the open sea but it’s massive and powerful, you’re not going to survive swimming in the open sea for long, so Jonah’s facing the peril of sinking down to a watery grave.

Jonah is willing to die and would rather die than go to Nineveh.

Jonah’s sin has him sinking – no longer running from God – and after his strength waned Jonah eventually began sinking downward towards his imminent death.

In that moment the Lord rescued Jonah from the peril of death.

17 But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah,

and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

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There is a lot to unpack in this one verse – it’s been misunderstood and mocked – so let’s get a firm grasp on this amazing rescue!

There are several issues to address about Jonah’s rescue at sea.

By His sovereign power the Lord “provided a great fish to swallow Jonah while he was drowning at sea—Yahweh had already hurled a storm upon the sea and then He literally “sent” or “appointed” a great fish to swallow Jonah so he doesn’t drown.

The God of Heaven who created the land and the sea has control over the weather, as well as the creatures in the sea!

This is not an accident, a coincidence, or the mere act of a really hungry fish who sees something flailing about in the water as a really nice snack.

The location (Mediterranean sea) & actions (swallowing Jonah) of this fish was arranged by the sovereign hand of God.

In a touch of irony that runs through the entire book of Joah, the fish is more obedient than the prophet, God called Jonah to preach to the people of Nineveh and he said “Nope” – God called the great fish to swallow Jonah and he said “Gulp.”

Now there has and will always be speculation about this fish.

What kind of fish could swallow a man.

Our childhood Bible story books usually say this “great fish” is a whale.

And while that could be a possibility the Hebrew text literally says “great fish” which refers to general species of aquatic creatures that live in a body of water that are large in size or mass.

The NT description of this event uses the word “ketos” which could refer to a “whale” or any large fish or sea monster ().

The mention of Jonah being inside the fish three days and three nights has deep significance, the intent goes far beyond marking how long Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for historical purposes, for this was Jonah’s way of informing his readers that he was facing the peril of death (We’ll see this again in his prayer).

During the time of Jonah the people living in ANE believed it took “three days” to travel to the grave or place of the dead.

Jonah’s use of this specific phrase was a way of saying “When I sank to the bottom of the sea and was in the belly of the great fish “I was as good as dead” or “I was at death’s door.”

1) Our childish understanding of Jonah’s rescue

First, we must come to grips with our childish understanding of Jonah’s rescue.

If you’ve been raised in church you might have fond memories of being taught this story (Flannelgraph) and yet our well-intentioned telling of the story has prompted serious misunderstanding of Jonah’s experience.

I’m not sure what you were taught about Jonah being swallowed by a fish but there are some pretty crazy ideas about this part of the story in children’s bibles and storybooks.

Let’s take a look at some illustrations of what it was like when Jonah was swallowed by the fish.

· Pics

Wow! Here’s the problem, none of those are true!

Sadly, the pictures don’t highlight the truth of the story.

Let’s be honest it’s not as nice and neat as we teach it, he’s in the belly of a fish which is not the Holiday Inn, and while I’ve never been inside the belly of a fish I’ve cut open the belly of a fish and it’s slimy, warm, and stinky.

Let’s set aside our childish misunderstandings of Jonah’s rescue.

I want us to grasp and teach the truth of Jonah’s story—highlighting what it teaches us about God—and its implications for our lives.

2) The Possibility of Jonah’s Rescue

Secondly, we must address the possibility of Jonah’s rescue.

Let’s take a moment know to address the obvious elephant in the room.

Did this really happen?

The idea of a man not only being swallowed by a fish, but actually surviving in the belly of a great fish for three days and three nights seems irrational, illogical, and impossible.

People throughout church history have questioned this event.

Lucian in the 2nd century derided the notion.

Augustine in the 5th century wrote about people in his day laughing this off as folly.

The questioning of this event is not just the practice of modern man.

This part of Jonah’s story goes beyond human reason, denied by many, and declared to by a fanciful myth.

Is it historical?

Jesus declared that Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of a fish () so it seems that he was referring to it as a historical event as opposed to a myth, parable, or allegory.

Is it possible?

Yes! I’m not going to linger here but for the record, yes, it’s not out of the realm of human possibility.

Most encyclopedias have references about some species of whales and sharks that are big enough to swallow a human being.

A sperm whale, which often grows over sixty feet in length, has a throat large enough and fully able to swallow a man.

As a matter of fact, some of the whales feed on octopuses larger than many men.

Here’s a great picture of an actual “Whale Shark” which proves there are creatures out there that can get the job done.

A Dallas newspaper had a story about a scientist that crawled through the gullet of a whale just to verify the biblical account.

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· A.J. Wilson - ‘The Sign of the Prophet Jonah and its Modern Confirmations’cites, along with two other examples, the case of a whaler, James Bartley, who in February 1891 during an attempt to harpoon a large sperm whale in the south Atlantic was swallowed by the animal.

When the whale was eventually killed and dissected, Bartley was found alive, although unconcious, within its stomach While Wilson argues that the incident was carefully investigated and its veracity confirmed by Sir Francis Fox and two French scientists, Allen, p. 176, n. 5, observes that the widow of the ship’s captain later denied that it occurred.[2]

Despite all the attempts to convince people of the truth and possibility of this story, in the end most of them are unconvincing, and what happened to Jonah must be classified as a miracle—and by definition a miracle goes beyond human reason, logic, and scientific explanation—Jonah’s rescue was the supernatural work of a sovereign God who can controls waves, fish, and it’s not natural but supernatural—it’s a miracle—and it’s the work of God who operates above and beyond the realm of science, logic, rationality, and human reasoning because He is the all-knowing, all-powerful Creator and the one true God who controls the universe!

God can use whatever He wants, whenever He wants to fulfill His purpose and plans for Jonah!

· Quote: “If man could prepare a “big fish” to hold a man for months (submarine); couldn’t God prepare a “big fish”(whatever it was) to hold a man for 3 days?”

3) The Connection between Jonah and Jesus

Third, I want us to see the connection between Jonah and Jesus.

Jonah’s three days and three nights in the belly of the fish is mentioned by Jesus in the NT.

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The similarity between Jonah and Jesus is known as “Typology.”

Typology refers to the practice of identifying parallels between OT events & people with NT events and people in the interpretation of Scripture.