Life Sunday Jonah 2006
Text: Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Theme: “Reluctant Messenger—Powerful Message”
Rev. Dr. James I. Lamb, Executive Director of Lutherans For Life
Introduction
Today we are reminded of the Church’s responsibility to share the message of what God has done in Jesus. But, for various reasons, we don’t always do this. We are reluctant to speak. Maybe we are not sure how people will react, or maybe we know exactly how they will react and that’s the problem! We are afraid to the reaction. This year is the 33rd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade, the decision that legalized abortion. Most people are reluctant to talk about things like abortion or assisted suicide in church. But think of the message of the gospel that we have to share. It is a positive message of life! It is a powerful message of life! We know what God has done to give value and dignity to human life. Why should we be so reluctant to share such a powerful message?
Most people know the story of Jonah in our text. He was a reluctant messenger with a powerful message. We can learn from him that WE DO NOT HAVE TO BE RELUCTANT MESSENGERS OF THE GOSPEL BECAUSE WE HAVE SUCH A POWERFUL AND POSITIVE MESSAGE OF LIFE.
Jonah – Reluctant Messenger
Jonah was a reluctant messenger. This was the second time God came to him with a message for the city of Nineveh (v.1). Jonah ran away the first time. But being swallowed by a great fish and then being vomited up has a way of getting your attention! This time Jonah “obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh” (v.3). However, he did so reluctantly. We know that because after the people of Nineveh repent and God relents, Jonah pouts. Following our text we read, “But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry” (4:1). Didn’t he want the people of Nineveh to be saved? No, he want them to suffer God’s wrath? Perhaps we can understand that when we remember that the Ninevites were Israel’s enemy. Still, Jonah’s pouting at God’s forgiveness is hardto understand and is down right selfish.
The Church – Reluctant Messenger?
Is the Church today a reluctant messenger when it comes to the life issues? Have we been running away from God’s call to share this message? What will it take to get our attention? Shouldn’t we want to speak up for those unborn babies who cannot speak for themselves? Shouldn’t we want people to know that God’s gift of life is destroyed through abortion over 3,000 times every day and well over 45,000,000 since 1973? Shouldn’t we help families deal with an unplanned pregnancy or those who face end-of-life decisions. These people need to know that God does not abandon them in their troubles? Don’t we want people who have made mistakes and are filled with sorrow like the Ninevites to know of God’s compassion and forgiveness? Sure, some of these issues are controversial, but doesn’t it seem a bit selfish of us to remain silent? After all, we have the message they need to hear. It’s God’s message of life, and it’s a powerful message.
Jonah’s Powerful Message
Jonah learned that. Reluctant though he may have been, he knew this was God’s message. “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you” (v.2). Reluctant though he may have been, Jonah went to Nineveh with God’s message. This was no small task. Nineveh was a very large and very important city. We can only imagine what went through Jonah’s mind as he traveled through this large city with its thousands and thousands of people. He was all alone, and the message God had given him was not exactly a popular one. “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned” (v.4).
But there was power in this message because it was God’s message. Notice it wasn’t Jonah whom the people believed. “The Ninvevites believed God” (v.5). They understood the source of this message. Therefore, they understood the truth of this message and the power of this message. They responded with repentance. They humbled themselves before God with fasting and putting on sackcloth. The power of God working through the message of God brought about godly results.
Next we see the power of God revealed not through threats of destruction but through compassion. “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction He had threatened” (v.10). The power of God seen here is in what He did not do. He did not punish as He had a right to do. He did not give the Ninevites what they rightly deserved. God’s great love restrains Him from carrying out His great judgment.
This frustrated Jonah. He wanted these people to get what they deserved. /// When we go to a movie or a play, we expect the good guys to win and the bad guys to “get it” in the end. If for some reason the bad guys get off in the end, we are frustrated. But God does not always give the bad guys what they deserve because God is merciful. And Jonah knew this when he said, “You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love” (4:2).
Jonah may have been a reluctant messenger, but he had a powerful message because the message came from God. God worked through it to bring repentance. God worked through it to reveal His compassion.
The Church’s Powerful Message of Life Protecting Life
Reluctant though we may be to talk about abortion and other life issues, we need to remember that God has something to say about these things. The message we have to share is God’s message, not ours. We want people to listen to Him and to believe Him. Certainly it is a message of “Thou shalt.” and “Thou shalt not.” But even this is positive. God loves human life so much that He wants to protect it from harm. We are not permitted the choice of ending an innocent human life in order to solve a problem. We may not hasten a loved ones death in an effort to relieve their suffering. So He says in the fifth commandment, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). God loves human life so much that He wants to protect it from the harm of bad choices. So He says, “Flee from sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18). Living chaste and decent lives enables us to avoid a whole host of painful and destructive consequences. God’s message of protecting life is a positive message for others and for us. Why should we be reluctant to share such a message of life?
Valuing Life
The message we have to share is God’s message. It is a powerful and positive message. It is not only a message that says “Do this.” and “Don’t do this.” It is also a message that says, “Look what God has done.” We have a positive message of what our God has done that gives value to each and every human life. He created the first humans in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27). Even though sin marred that image, that original, lofty position still gives special value to human life. God has been intimately involved in the creation of all human life ever since. The Psalmist said, “You knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13). God gives value to each and every human life through His creative hands.
God also gives value to each and every human life through His redeeming hands. The hands that knit you together in your mother’s womb stretched out on a cross to pay the price for your sin. God loved what He made with His hands so much He sent His son to buy us back from sin and death. “You were bought at a price” Paul reminded us (1 Corinthians 6:20). It wasn’t gold or silver but the holy and precious blood of Jesus. That gives life value!
Forgiving Mistakes Against Life
The message we have to share is God’s message. It is a powerful and positive message. It is a message through which God reveals His compassion and love. There are a lot of people here in this church and outside of this church who have made mistakes when it comes to decisions about life and death. There are those who have not led chaste and decent lives. There are those who have chosen abortion. There are those who have made wrong decisions. They are filled with guilt and regret and they desperatlly need to know that they are forgiven. These people will not always come to the pastor, so the3se people need to hear of God’s forgiveness for the sake of Jesus death on the cross from you. Will you speak, or will you be reluctant? Will you hold back forgiveness like Jonah wanted to do? Just like Jonah had a job to do, you do to. Speak the Word. Let God’s love be poured from your lips.
Why? Because all of us, confronted by our own sin, need to hear this word from God. All have sinned. It is not the magnitude of our sin that puts us under God’s judgment. All sin puts us there. Like the Ninevites, we deserve God’s wrath. Through faith in Jesus Christ, like the Ninevites, we do not get what we deserve. God satisfied His wrath once and for all by giving Jesus what we deserved as He hung on the cross. Jesus gets what we deserve and we get what we do not deserve, the holiness of Jesus. Through faith in Jesus, we are seen as holy and blameless. We must declare with Jonah, “You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love” (4:2). Why should we be so reluctant to share such a powerful and positive message of life?
Conclusion
We have all been reluctant to tell someone something? There is a little of Jonah in all of us. But we are reminded that it is the Church’s responsibility to share with others the message of what God has done in Jesus. On this 33rd anniversary of the legalization of abortion, we are reminded that it is the Church’s responsibility to apply the message of what God has done in Jesus to the life issues of our time. It is a message that calls people to listen to God and what He has to say about these issues. It is a message that calls people to repentance. It is a message that reveals God’s love and compassion. We do not have to be reluctant to share such a powerful and positive message of life!