Seeing Christ in the Fish

Seeing Christ in the Fish

Jonah

· This is real, not just allegory.

· Theme – Missions

o specifically God’s heart for the nations

§ remember, this story is more about God and his work than it is about Jonah and his obedience or disobedience.

· Key Verse-

Jonah 4:2

Tell the story without reading Scripture

· The people of Nineveh.

o They were great.

Jonah 1:2

“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”

§ meaning large

o They were evil.

Jonah 1:2

“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”

o They were repentant.

Jonah 3:5-9

And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

§ Aren’t we glad that God relentlessly, purposely pursues the lost?

§ This love He has for the lost is not reckless, it is not random, it is incredibly intentional, it is phenomenally purposeful – it’s intended purpose is to draw sinners to repentance.

· The prophet Jonah.

o He was disobedient.

Jonah 1:3

But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

§ Listen to the drastic contradiction between Jonah and Jesus given by the Gospel Transformation Bible

“Jonah was in a good place, doing good work, enjoying a good life. Then God said, ‘Jonah, I want you to go to another place, and do a different work for the sake of people I love; people who are facing an imminent judgment.’ Jonah said ‘no.’

Jesus was in heaven, ruling the universe by the word of his power. Adored by angels, he was in the best place, doing the best work, and enjoying the best life. Then the Father said, ‘ go to another place, where you will be utterly rejected. You will live a life that will lead to torture, crucifixion, and death. You will become an atoning sacrifice for people I love, who are facing an eternal judgment.’ Jesus said, ‘yes.’”

o He was conscious.

Jonah 1:12

He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”

§ he was aware of the reality of the situation

§ Notice the strong comparison here – the sacrifice of one will save the group but the group wanted to go about it their own way

Jonah 1:13

Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.

o He was intense.

Jonah 3:4

Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

o 3 day’s journey likely refers to how long it would take for Jonah to walk through the city preaching

o He was a complainer.

Jonah 4:1

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.

Jonah 4:8-9

When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.”

· The perfect God.

o He is intimate.

Jonah 1:1

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

Jonah 3:1

then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,

§ The Lord’s closeness is not always dictated by our level of obedience

o He is compassionate.

Jonah 3:10

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

§ Jonah knew the truths of Jeremiah…

Jeremiah 18:7-8

If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it.

o He is powerful.

Jonah 1:4

But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.

Jonah 1:17

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.

Jonah 2:10

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

Jonah 4:6-8

Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

o He is not only powerful over nature – but recall

Matthew 8:27

And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

o He is gracious and merciful.

Jonah 1:17

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.

Jonah 3:10

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

Jonah 4:2

And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.

o He is sovereign.

Jonah 1:17

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.

Jonah 4:11

And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

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