The day turned out bright and clear. The captain turned an admiring eye to the trim of his ship following the single main mast up toward the azure sky. His eyes turned downward and he surveyed the dock and saw his crew scurrying to load on cargo, bales of grain from Egypt, spices from Arabia and wood timbers from Lebanon. It was good to have a full ship with the promise of high profits when they hit the coast of Spain. He shouted out to the first mate telling him to give him a copy of the manifest. As he received the list from the sailor he was surprised to see that along with the cargo, there was the name of a passenger. His vessel was a cargo ship and they rarely got people. He squinted at the name As close as he could translate it, the man was called Dove. What kind of name was that for a man? And who would want to travel for a week across the Mediterranean on a cargo vessel? This guy must really be desperate to leave the country.
With that thought still in his mind, a stranger climbing up the gangplank caught his eye. He was dressed in a rough robe, cinched with a simple cord. His worn sandals testified that he had travelled quite a ways to get to the port city. He was carrying a walking stick which he leaned on heavily to navigate the swaying gangplank. He looked quite uncomfortable as he finally set his foot on the ship. The captain thought this stranger had probably never been on a ship in his life. Well he would get a crash course in sea travel soon enough.
The captain called over a crew member and assigned him the task of showing this man called “Dove” to his berth. He had more pressing matters to attend to than worry about this curious stranger. With that thought the captain called for the first mate to give the command to stow the gangplank and untie the ropes and get ready for launch. The daylight was burning and Spain wasn’t getting any closer with the ship in dock.
How many days had they been out to sea? The stranger had lost count. The first few days had been the worst. He had been sea sick ever since they had left the calm waters of the harbour. Dove was barely able to keep any food down and had spent a good amount of his day hunkered over a bucket or heaving over the side of the ship. But the worst had passed and he was finally starting to get his sea legs. He had kept mostly to himself during his time on board in his cabin, but he knew he needed to stretch his legs and get some air. Dove climbed on deck and immediately was struck by the cool air, tinged with salt. He carefully navigated his way across the swaying deck and found an open spot against the railing. The single sail billowed out, taut, filled with the stiff eastern wind. Looking down at the white flecked waves, Dove thought they must have been making good time.
The stranger looked out back toward the direction they had come. He wondered how far his home country, Israel was. Even though it had only been weeks since he left his home, his old life felt so far away. Dove had a twinge of regret thinking of all that he had left behind. He knew that he would never see his family and friends again. He realized he was turning his back on his culture, his people, his home and his God. Dove had to stifle back a sob, thinking of all that he had lost, all that he had given up. Maybe it wasn’t too late to turn back. Maybe he could ask to be let out at their next port and hop on a boat travelling back to Joppa. But Dove shook his head. There was no turning back. This was a one way trip. It was for his own good and the good of his home country. All of this brooding wasn’t going to do him any good. Dove decided that it was time to get back to his berth and get some rest. Besides, the sky looked to be clouding over. As he descended the stairs, he hoped it wasn’t going to rain. He had never been out in a storm on the sea before. Chasing that thought from his mind, he lowered himself in his hammock and drifted off to a fitful sleep.
He was rudely awakened by rough hands shaking him. Dove cracked his eyes open and saw through the slits, the captain with a desperate look on his face. He said in Phoenician, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish.”
Dove’s eyes snapped open and he bolted upright. He was almost thrown out of his hammock as the ship bucked up and down. The captain grabbed hold of the stranger, steadying him. He quickly told Dove of the storm that came out of nowhere and how they were in danger of breaking up. The sailors had done everything they could. They had even thrown over their precious cargo. But now they could do nothing else. They were at the mercy of the storm. The only thing left to do was to pray.
Groggily Dove followed the captain up the steps out of the hold. As he stepped out onto the slick, swaying deck, Dove was hit by a wall of freezing water. Helplessly he was thrown from his feet and was sent hurtling toward the edge of the deck. Just before he was thrown through the rope railings, a hand grabbed his wrist and he was dragged to the comparative safety of the leeward side of the deckhouse. Wiping the stinging saltwater from his eyes, Dove saw the sailors clustered together. Many had lashed themselves in with rope so they wouldn't be washed overboard, like Dove's near fate. He looked up and was amazed to see nothing but a solid wall of water surrounding the ship. Dove feared that when the huge swell fell, it would smash the boat into a million pieces. But with a buck like a wild bronco, the ship rolled up the heaving side of the wave until it crested on top. For a moment it seemed to Dove that they were flying in midair. But a moment later the boat plunged back down the next wave like some wild rollercoaster ride. Dove realized that their ship was being tossed around like a cork in a bowl of water being swirled around like a child's plaything. What made the stranger even more nervous was his fellow shipmates. He knew these men were Phoeniceans who probably had been on ships since childhood. They must have experienced storms many times before. But when Dove looked at the sailors he could see the stark terror in their eyes. Each of them was crying out to whatever deity they followed. Many clasped charms or totems in their hands.
One of the sailors cried out above the wail of the storm. He said, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." In his hand he held a bunch of straws, one for each man on the ship. He held out the bundle to one of the sailors who gingerly picked one. As he drew it out he gave a visible sigh of relief when it became obvious that he had picked a long straw. The procedure was repeated sailor after sailor, with the occasional break when a particularly rough wave hit them, soaking them to their skin. Finally the draw came to the stranger and Dove had a strong premonition of what was going to happen. Without hesitating, he reached out to grab the closest straw of the ones remaining. With absolutely no surprise on his face, Dove held up a straw half the length of the others.
There was a moment of stunned silence, then the questions poured out from the frightened sailors. "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?"
The stranger spoke out in a strong clear voice, carrying over the storm, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." When the sailors heard that declaration, their faces turned ash white. They became, if possible, even more terrified. They plied Dove with more and more questions.
Finally the stranger told his story. Dove, or as he was known in Hebrew, Jonah, was a holy man of Yahweh the God above all gods. Jonah was one of God's prophets, one of the Almighty's spokesmen. In the past he had prophesied to Israel, the northern kingdom. He had said that one day soon, the boundaries of Israel would be reestablished to their former extent, and under Jeroboam the second, the prophesy was fulfilled. But then came the day that God gave him another assignment. Even thinking about it now filled Jonah with anger and dread. The Lord had commanded Jonah, "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before Me."
When Jonah had heard that mission, he knew he couldn't do it. It wasn't that the trip was too long, even though it was. It wasn't because the mission was dangerous, even though it potentially could be. The Ninevites could easily turn on the prophet, reject his message and kill him. But Jonah could have accepted that. He was no coward. What Jonah couldn't accept was the possibility, no matter how slim, that the Ninevites would hear the message, accept it and repent. And if that happened, Jonah knew that the Lord would have mercy on them and relent from sending destruction. That was one outcome that the prophet wouldn't see come to pass.
Jonah was a prophet, but he was also an Israelite. He knew that his people were special and chosen by God, Himself. But the Ninevites were Assyrians. This race of people had been an enemy of his nation for hundreds of years. Even during the time of King Jehu, the Israelites were forced to pay the Assyrians tribute. In Jonah's eyes, the best thing that could happen would be for the Assyrian capital to be wiped out like Sodom and Gomorrah. The worst thing that could happen is for the city to prosper and grow strong. Jonah remembered spending many sleepless nights agonizing over what to do. If he obeyed God he would put his own life in immediate danger, but more importantly he could be putting his whole people at risk.
On the fifth night he had finally come to a decision. Early the next morning he had packed together his meager belongings and had set out. He didn’t tell anyone his decision, they just wouldn’t understand. He had made the long trip from his home town in Galilee to travel to the coast, to Joppa. And he had booked on the first ship leaving to Tarshish, Spain. Jonah reasoned that he wanted to get as far away as possible to start his new life. In his own country he was pretty well known, a minor celebrity. But in Tarshish no one would recognize him. Besides he wanted to get as far away from Yahweh as he could, even it meant running away to the ends of the earth.
As the sailors listened to Jonah’s story, they grew more and more afraid. One of them blurted out, “What have you done?” But any further questions were drowned out by the roar of the storm. Incredibly the gale was intensifying. The strength of the wind sucked the breath out of your lungs and the waves seemed like mountains climbing up to the sky. The sailors knew they had to do something.
One of the sailors asked the questions that was on all of their minds, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”
That was exactly the question that was circling around Jonah’s mind. He knew now without a doubt that he couldn’t run away from God. There was no where he could hide from His power. He knew that to save the sailors, he would have to sacrifice himself. Jonah’s reply was all the more frightening because of the calmness in his voice, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”
The sailors were shocked at the stranger’s answer. They looked and each other and then the argument broke out. Jonah’s grasp of Phoenician was weak and he could only grasp some of the phrases that were exchanged. It was obvious that these men, though pagan and rough, wanted to do what was right. They had no desire to kill him. With a final round of debate the sailors came to a decision. They unlashed themselves from their protective ropes and made their way to the rowing galley. Each man grasped an oar and heaved with all their might. Jonah realized they were trying to row out of the storm. Could it be that some land was close enough for them to reach? But even as that thought came to Jonah mind, a huge wave smash the starboard side of the ship cracking several of the oars and throwing some of the men off their rowing benches. The sailors on the other side quickly came over to help up those who had fallen and the motley group ran back to the comparative safety of the deckhouse.
The dejected group of sailors looked almost sheepishly the former prophet of God. It was the captain who spoke next. He voiced the prayer, “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.” The captain gestured to two of the crew, and they took hold firmly of Jonah’s arms, one on the right and other on the left. They escorted him to the side of the rocking vessel and with a heave, they threw Jonah into the thrashing turmoil of sea water.
As the captain saw the man they called Dove plunging overboard, he thought what a futile gesture it was. To think that the sacrifice of one man could ever stop this monster storm was utterly ridiculous. He had prayed to his own gods many times and he knew they seldom acted and when they did, answer, he secretly wondered if the same thing would have happened if he hadn’t prayed. It was wrong to kill an innocent man to try to save the ship. The only consolation that he had was that it wouldn’t be long before they would be joining the doomed man.
But as those thoughts filled the captain’s mind, he suddenly realized that the ship had stopped it’s rocking. He turned his face and instead of feeling a blast of freezing wind, he felt nothing. And then a ray of light fell on him. He looked up and saw the black, threatening clouds, breaking up and the sun burst through in dozens of places. Quickly, unbelievably so, the sea calmed to a gentle rolling and then to complete stillness. The captain had sailed the seas for all of his adult life and he knew that what was happening was impossible. No storm that huge could end so completely in such a short amount of time. He knew that this wasn’t natural, it was a miracle, an act of the gods. No that wasn’t right, it was the act of one God, the God of Jonah. The captain called together the crew and told them to gather whatever cargo and provisions that hadn’t washed over. He wanted to show his gratitude to this Hebrew God, the God of heaven who made the sea and the land. The captain made a decision that day to only worship one God and to throw away all of his other idols. He looked at the now calm sea and wondered what happened to Jonah, this man of God who tried to run away.
As Jonah was cast over the side of the ship, he felt the shock of the cold sting of the green brine water as he broke the surface. As he sank down into the dark, silent depths, he knew that he should have never tried to run away from God’s mission. He could never escape God and he had only ruined his life and everything good that he had had. As he sank into unconsciousness, Jonah was only vaguely aware when something surrounded him and pressed around him like and great cushion. It would be hours later before Jonah awakened in pitch darkness in the belly of a great fish.
Stop running and come home. Many people think that Jonah is a children’s story. While it is true that Jonah speaks to kids, it also has a message to us adults. Jonah was a respected man of God. He had been used in the past, but he threw it all away when God gave him new marching orders.
I think this is a good warning to us. It doesn’t matter what we have achieved for God in the past. It doesn’t mean that we have arrived. We can make a choice and throw it all away. In our relationship with God, it is never a one time choice. We need to keep choosing Him every day, in every decision.
Story of woman who never heard her husband say he loved her – “I told you I loved you on our wedding day. If I had changed my mind I would have let you know.” That’s not how relationships work. It’s never a one-time decision. We need to make decisions of love every day in a marriage. In fact, what we did yesterday doesn’t matter very much. What matters is this decision right now.
And God calls us to follow Him anew every day. Where has God called you? What mission has He prepared you for and called you to? Maybe at one point in your life your felt God’s call to the mission field, but you decided that you couldn’t live that kind of life. Maybe you’ve felt the pull to go into full time Christian service, but that just didn’t fit into your life plans. Maybe He called you to quit your job and take in a foster child, but you knew that your family wouldn’t understand. Whatever it is, don’t turn away. Think of what you are throwing away.
I think of the sad story of Charles Templeton. He was born in 1917 in Toronto and became a Christian in 1936. He proceeded to plant a church, maybe you’ve heard of it before, Bayview Glen. He also become a world renown evangelist. He toured Europe with Billy Graham and preached to thousands of people every night. But there came a point in his life where he decided to question the truth of the Bible. He talked with Billy Graham about his plans of going to Princeton and checking out what liberal scholars taught about the Bible. Billy Graham remained resolute in his stand on the Bible. Templeton quotes Graham as saying:
I’ve discovered something in my ministry: When I take the Bible literally, when I proclaim it as the word of God, my preaching has power. When I stand on the platform and say, ‘God says,’ or ‘The Bible says,’ the Holy Spirit uses me. There are results. Wiser men than you or I have been arguing questions like this for centuries. I don’t have the time or the intellect to examine all sides of the theological dispute, so I’ve decided once for all to stop questioning and accept the Bible as God’s word.
Templeton couldn’t accept that kind of simple faith and he went to Princeton and while there declared himself an agnostic. Templeton never returned to the church. In 2000, a year before Templeton’s death, Lee Strobel interviewed him for the book, “The Case for Faith”. During the interview, Templeton confirmed his doubt of God and his disbelief of the Bible. But then Strobel asked him how would he now assess Jesus at this stage of his life?
Strobel says that, amazingly, Templeton’s “body language softened.” His voice took on a “melancholy and reflective tone.” And then, incredibly, he said:
“He was the greatest human being who has ever lived. He was a moral genius. His ethical sense was unique. He was the intrinsically wisest person that I’ve ever encountered in my life or in my reading. His commitment was total and led to his own death, much to the detriment of the world.”
Strobel quietly commented: “You sound like you really care about him.”
“Well, yes,” Templeton acknowledged, “he’s the most important thing in my life.” He stammered: “I . . . I . . . I adore him . . . Everything good I know, everything decent I know, everything pure I know, I learned from Jesus.”
Strobel was stunned. He listened in shock. He says that Templeton’s voice began to crack. He then said, “I . . . miss . . . him!” With that the old man burst into tears; with shaking frame, he wept bitterly.
When we choose not to follow Jesus, think of what you are throwing away. In my life I’ve discovered I’ve never regretted when I obeyed Christ, no matter how hard a mission he called me to. But I’ve always regretted the times I’ve chosen to ignore God’s voice and go my own way.
The good news is that God loves us and won’t let us go our own way. The storm that God sent wasn’t really a punishment for what Jonah did, it was a blessing. The Lord wasn’t willing to let Jonah go. He brought the storm to get Jonah’s attention. That’s the picture from the story, even though the storm was about to dash the ship to pieces, Jonah was sleeping. He had to be woken up. And many times we need to be woken up. We need the gift of suffering in our lives to turn us back to God. Could it be that the trouble you are facing is God’s wake up call for you? Could it be that your plans are being frustrated because they are your plans and not God’s plans? I pray that this message, this passage in the Bible will serve like the lots did in Jonah’s case. To make it perfectly obvious, the lot fell to Jonah. He was the cause of the storm. God was using it to bring him back. What about the storms you are going through today? Are you running like Jonah? Stop. Turn around. Come back to God. He’s inviting you to come back home. Listen to Jesus from Matt. 11:28-30:
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Stop running and come home. Let’s pray.
