Jonah 1:1-17 NIV
The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." 3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. 4 Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.
5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 The captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish." 7 Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 So they asked him, "Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?" 9
He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." 10 This terrified them and they asked, "What have you done?" (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.) 11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?" 12 "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you."
13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried to the LORD, "O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased." 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him. 17 But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
“Hitchhiker 1 – Silencing the Stranger”
Three prisoners are about to be executed.
The guard brings the first prisoner forward and the executioner asks if he has any last requests. He says no and the executioner shouts, “Ready!…Aim!!…”
Suddenly the prisoner yells, EARTHQUAKE!!!” Everyone is startled and looks around. And he escapes.
The guard brings the second inmate forward and the executioner asks if he has any last requests. He says no and the executioner shouts, “Ready!…Aim!!…”
Suddenly the prisoner yells, “TORNADO!!!” Everyone is startled and looks around. And he escapes.
By now the third prisoner has it all figured out. The guard brings him forward and the executioner asks if he has any last requests. He says no and the executioner shouts, “Ready!…Aim!!…”
…and the third prisoner yells, “FIRE!!!”
I’m guessing that just about every single one of us has wanted to escape at least once in our lives. To run away… hit the open road… hitchhike to Disney World… leave it all behind! At least that’s how it was for me, at the tender age of 11. I got all of my most precious processions together and put them in a blue handkerchief tied to the end of a stick. I went out to good old First Street in LaMoure… right in my front yard… and stuck my thumb in the air. I was upset with the unfairness of my parents, and going to a place where they would understand me. Surely… if anyone understood me… it would be Mickey Mouse. Lo’, the fates were against me that day… can you believe not a single person was driving to Disney World that day?
That wouldn’t be the last time when I would want to escape either. There are plenty of times in all of our lives when we are tired of how things are going. Plenty of times that we don’t want to face what’s in front of us. Plenty of times we don’t want to take on the challenges that await us. Times we are just sick to death of the things… maybe even the people in our lives. Times when… the only thing we want to do… is run in the exact opposite direction… just run as far and as fast as we can. Hit the open road… put our thumb in the air and go where the wind blows us.
So, when we read our text today, we can feel as though we have just a little bit in common with Jonah. In this first chapter, we read about Jonah… possibly the most famous “hitchhiker” in history. Wanting to get away from it all… he heads to the shipyards… puts his thumb in the air… and hops on a ship taking him far… far away.
We learn that Jonah does not want to go to Ninevah, because Ninevah is the most terrible, evil place he knows. Wanting to stay out of the biggest slum in history should be enough but there is more! Jonah knows… he knows how good God is. He knows… there is grace for those who ask for it. He knows that there is a good chance that if he DOES go to Ninevah, if he DOES preach… Ninevah just might change their lives… then God… being God… will show them grace and bless them. The thought of Ninevah being blessed... well, lets just say it is no surprise that Jonah is running in the opposite direction.
Now, the thing that troubles me a little bit, is that he could have just stayed home and not gone to Ninevah. He could have just protested… stayed put… and not done a thing. Inaction is the easiest thing in the world, and it would have been just as effective. But he gets on a ship… and instead of going to Nineveh which was 500 miles east of Jerusalem, he decides to go sailing 2000 miles west of Jerusalem to Tarshish. To the farthest known reaches that ship sailed. Literally, to the ends of the earth as he knew it. He does this… not to flee Ninevah… but to flee God. He gets on a boat… and sails to the ends of the earth, because he doesn’t want to hear anymore from God. He’s tired of God’s company, tired his mission, tired of his ministry… and he just wants to get away. We know this because the scriptures tell us so THREE times:
3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish.
3b he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.
10b (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.)
Sometimes I feel that way being in the ministry. I’m sure more than a few of you have felt that way in your service to God too. Maybe as an elder, deacon, Sunday School teacher, even as someone who just comes at Christmas and Easter. There are times, we just get tired, we get weary, get plain sick of what GOD wants us to do.
Whether it is trying to keep so many people happy, doing the right thing when the wrong thing is so easy, or it’s butting heads with God when his will is not your will and neither one of you is budging… it is NOT always easy to follow God… not always easy to do what he says… and we can get pretty frustrated at times. It’s just easier… to treat him like a stranger… to silence him…. to hide from him.
So in today’s text we find that Jonah’s struggle is NOT so different and strange. Jonah flees from the presence of God because God’s presence is intolerable for him. God demands him to lay down his prejudices and give forgiveness instead of vengeance to his enemies! And he, simply… can not. And he runs… and he hides.
There… is only one problem with fleeing from God:
Psalm 139:7-12
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
So, it is not all that surprising that we find Jonah, several thousand miles west… sailing the sea… and facing God once again. And we see a fantastic battle of wills play out between God and Jonah. God calls to Jonah and says “Go East,” Jonah goes west. God sends a storm that threatens to tear Jonah’s ship apart… Jonah heads down to the lower deck to take a nap. We are almost to the point where God says, “I’m going to count to three… and if your not,” when the captain of the ship makes Jonah face facts.
The entire crew is in peril, and it is all because of the battle of wills Jonah is fighting with God. And here is Jonah’s chance… his chance to give up the fight… and say “Ok, ok… let’s turn this ship around and head to Ninevah.” Right? That’s what we’re supposed to do when we are in a battle of wills with God and God is obviously winning. Give up. Give in. Follow God. But, man are we stubborn.
Instead of saying, “OK lets turn this thing around,” Jonah says, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea.” Take that God. I love this next part… the sailors go NO, NO, NO… there must be something else we can do… from verse 13… we can just paddle faster… right. We can just run the other direction a little harder! God… turn the storm up a little more. Until there is no other choice… “no other choice…” but to throw Jonah into the sea. Ha, take that God. And God sends a big fish to save Jonah, NA NA na na Nah Nah. I love God.
Jonah should have known, you can run from a lot of things… but you can not run from God.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
Wherever you go, whatever you do, no matter what… God will be there. Even when we try to treat him like a stranger, when we try to silence him… even when we try to ignore him… even when we stop coming to church to flat out avoid him… he is there. Watching. Waiting. Loving. He is there.
Maybe you find yourself in this story today. Maybe there is something you have been fighting with God about. Maybe you are in one of these classic, clash of the titans battle of wills with God. Maybe, there is a big fish swallowing you whole today. Or maybe, you have made God a stranger… you have silenced him to the point that you don’t think you can ever get your relationship back on track with God. The words of psalmist speak to us still today:
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
How far are you willing to run? How long can you continue to run as fast as you are running? How hard are you prepared to bang your head against God’s, before you realize what these words actually mean…. “there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” There is grace in those words. There is love in those words. There is peace, and comfort in those words. Perhaps… perhaps it is time to stop silencing the stranger.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
