Jonah 1:17-2:10 Thanksgiving Message
Text: Jonah 1:17-2:10
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thanksgiving
is a time of the year that we find ourselves thinking about all the things that
we can be thankful for. For many families the Thanksgiving meal will consist of
a share time where each family member will name off the various things in their
lives that they are thankful for. Typically
though, the attitude of thankfulness is not something that we derive from
ourselves. In other words, we really
don’t conjure up thankfulness from within ourselves. Thankfulness is typically connected to
persons, things, or events outside of us.
For example, the words ‘thank you’ are said in response to things we are
given, or where we are served, or where we receive something to our
benefit. Events, persons, and things
that bless us produce thankfulness and bring forth the words, “thank you.”
There
is another side of the coin though. The
opposite of being thankful is to be ungrateful, to be unappreciative, and to be
thankless. This was the case in the Old
Testament reading for today. Jonah was a
prophet from the land of Israel.
Prophets preached and proclaimed God’s Word to the people, much like
modern day pastors do today. However,
Jonah was called by the Lord to go to the city of Nineveh and proclaim God’s
word to the people of this great city. However,
Jonah’s response was ‘No.’ He disregarded God’s calling by not going North East
to Nineveh on land, but by going west, the opposite direction, to the city of
Tarshish by sea on a boat (which is modern day Spain).
I
know for myself, growing up, that I typically thought that Jonah didn’t go to Nineveh
because he was scarred. Indeed, Nineveh was not a pleasant place; it wasn’t a
city that you plan a family vacation to.
So, why did Jonah avoid Nineveh?
Jonah was angry that God would have compassion on an enemy of
Israel. He wanted God’s goodness to be
shown to Israel and not to Gentiles (vs. 4:1-4). “Because Jonah knew that God was so kind, he
would rather not preach, instead he would rather die, than have the grace of
God communicated to the Gentiles who had neither the word of God, nor the laws
of Moses…” (Luther) Jonah deemed that
the people of Nineveh were not on the same level of Israel. He believed that the people were not worthy
of God’s grace and value. He resented
the fact that God would give grace and forgiveness to a culture that he deemed
lower than Israel, lower than himself.
They were not worthy to receive forgiveness in the eyes of Jonah. Jonah was a hard hearted, ungrateful, angry,
legalist. Instead of rejoicing and being
thankful for the message of the Gospel going forth to lost and condemned
people, he burned with anger and frustration.
His will and desires conflicted with God’s will and desires.
Unfortunately
my friends, this disposition of Jonah is not something that only he
possessed. For this spirit of
ungratefulness is unfortunately found in each and every one of us. It is the result of our sinful nature, what
is called our old Adam. You see, our old
sinful nature does not bring forth an attitude of thankfulness naturally, but
our old Adam does the complete opposite. Indeed, our old Adam typically does
two things: the old Adam props us up—elevates us—and then he whispers lies of self-promotion. Our old Adam points us to ourselves, and
tells us that we should have what we want when we want it because we are the
center of the universe and we surely control our destinies and know what is
best for ourselves.
This
Thanksgiving let me ask you this, “Are you completely free from
ungratefulness? Are you completely free
from thanklessness? Are you completely
thankful? Are you completely
grateful?” If you and I are honest with
ourselves we must admit that we are not, for the old Adam has his ways with us,
even on this most festive holiday of Thanksgiving.
So
what are we to do with this old Adam and these outbreaks of ingratitude and the
spirit of thanklessness?
Shall we try to suppress these sinful attitudes of ingratitude out of respect of the Holiday of Thanksgiving? Or, shall we just try harder to be thankful? No, we do not fight sin by concealing it and we know that thankfulness does not originate in us nor is derived by our own determinism. Rather a better question is this… what does God do about this old Adam in each one of us? What does God do with our ingratitude, thanklessness, and so forth? What did God do with the ungrateful and angry Jonah? The answer is that God is not content to leave you and me in our sins. God was also not content to leave Jonah but God pursued Jonah.
Shall we try to suppress these sinful attitudes of ingratitude out of respect of the Holiday of Thanksgiving? Or, shall we just try harder to be thankful? No, we do not fight sin by concealing it and we know that thankfulness does not originate in us nor is derived by our own determinism. Rather a better question is this… what does God do about this old Adam in each one of us? What does God do with our ingratitude, thanklessness, and so forth? What did God do with the ungrateful and angry Jonah? The answer is that God is not content to leave you and me in our sins. God was also not content to leave Jonah but God pursued Jonah.
In
our text it shows that Jonah was trying to escape the presence of God by
sailing west, but God came against the boat and Jonah with a mighty storm,
resulting in Jonah being cast off the boat by the crew of the ship into the
deep sea. Once he was in the deep sea we
get a sense that Jonah wrestled with the stormy waters before he sank beneath
the waters. Our text said that the
currents swirled around him, the waves swept over him, the waters were at his
throat, and seaweed was even wrapped around his head. God in his sovereign authority over land and
sea comes against this hard-hearted, bitter, ungrateful, prophet and brings the
full force of nature against him. Jonah
was helpless, basically dead. The heavy
hand of God came against Jonah and ground him to a fine powder. Yet, it was in this despair that something
profound happened. Through this distress
that God brought upon him, it drove Jonah to call out to the Lord and the Lord
answered him. Indeed, the Lord God brought a hammer against this hard hearted
ungrateful prophet, smashed him, and then God came rushing in with a mighty
hand of rescue, He provided a fish to swallow Jonah. God rescued this prophet from certain death
by providing a great fish.
My
friends, it is no different for you and me today. Daily you and I sin. Daily our old Adam, our sinful nature, spews
forth poison and ungratefulness.
However, like Jonah, the full power of God almighty has come against
your old Adam. In the mighty and
powerful waters of your baptism, the old Adam was drowned and put to
death! At your baptism the God of the
Universe came to you and He drowned the old Adam. In your baptism you were buried with Christ. In
your baptism you were also resurrected in Christ.
With
that said, we also know that the old Adam is a good swimmer and good at holding
his breath. Thus, the old Adam
continually fights and wars against us, trying to get his own way. However, the good news is that your Lord God
continually comes to you with His Word.
Each and every time that you open His Word, or hear His Word at this
church… God through His Word comes against your sinful nature to kill it,
destroy it, and resurrect you. Furthermore,
each and every time that you come to this church you confess your sins, laying
yourself helpless before God only to hear the powerful Words of Christ that you
are forgiven. Indeed, you also come to
this church confessing your need for Christ and you receive His body and blood
given and shed ‘for you’ for the forgiveness of your sins.
Why
is this all possible? It is possible
because God provided not merely a fish for you, but He sent the only begotten
Son for you. Jesus came for you. Jesus died for you. Jesus was resurrected for you. Indeed Christ’s death and resurrection
testify to you right now that Jesus really did defeat the devil that Jesus
really did atone for sin that Jesus really was and is divine, that Jesus was
and is the Son of God. Indeed, because
of Christ’s death and resurrection for you, the waters of your baptism are
indeed powerful waters. You are indeed,
despite the lies of the old Adam, the Devil, and the World, a baptized child of
God. Because of Christ’s death and
resurrection for you, the body and blood of your Lord are indeed food for your
souls. Because Christ’s death and
resurrection, you can trust the Word.
My
friends, like Jonah, you have been rescued from certain death. Like Jonah, you have been forgiven. Like Jonah, God has provided for you. And like Jonah, you can proclaim with
thankfulness and joy this Thanksgiving that “Salvation belongs to the Lord” and
the Lord indeed “answers you” for He has and will continue to pursue you.
May
the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus. Amen.
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