Sermon for September 24th 2023. Jonah, his help and hope.

The story of Jonah is one of hope and help, because in spite of what he goes through, the story ends with God by his side, telling him that a city of people and animals was saved, thanks to him. And now God is here, with Jonah, to make sure he is okay.

I should also say that there are moments of despair for Jonah in this story which are quite challenging, so please do seek help or talk to one of us if you need to later, we are happy to listen.

Jonah is one of the Old Testament characters we often miss or overlook, other than the part about the whale, which has always been popular in Sunday School and has inspired works from Pinocchio to Moby Dick.

Jonah is one of the twelve minor prophets in the Old Testament and the only one to also appear in the Koran. In fact Jonah is important in the three Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths. His tomb in Mosul was partly destroyed by ISIS in 2014 because of this inter-faith, in their eyes, apostasy. Ironically, after they were defeated, multinational, interfaith teams helped explore a km of tunnels under the tomb. Anything moveable had been looted, but the markings showed that there had once stood on the site and Assyrian temple, about 700 BC, around the time Jonah went to Nineveh, which is where Mosul stands today.

Jonah is a prophet and saint and while not celebrated in the Church of England, in the Eastern Orthodox and Lutheran churches, Jonah is commemorated as a prophet on September 22^nd, which I think is why he appears in the list of readings for today.

This story could be viewed in a few ways.

For example, as a slapstick comedy routine, with the lead character running every which way, except where he is meant to go, until he walks the plank, runs around inside a whale, gets splurged out again, runs around some more, ending up in a city, running back and forth shouting, you’re all doomed, before collapsing in a heap in the desert where a tree grows, shelters him, shrinks and grows again.

Jonah is a short book of four chapters, we heard the last one today, so it’s easy to flick past. What’s immediately clear though is that Jonah, is a flawed and very human character.

God gives him the task of going to Nineveh, which is now near to Mosul in Iraq, to tell the people to follow God. But he is disobedient, and instead heads to Tarshish on a ship, which was thought to be in southern Spain, but is certainly in the opposite direction.

A massive storm hits and eventually the crew cast lots, believing that their Gods will guide them in a game of chance, and Jonah realises he is to blame, because he disobeyed God’s calling.

Eventually the crew throw him overboard, the storm abates and the crew are saved.

Jonah is swallowed by a whale, prays to God in lament and praise and is finally thrown up onto dry land after three days.  

God commands him again to prophecy against Nineveh, this time he is obedient, and goes there and for forty days walks across the city crying out, "In forty days Nineveh shall be overthrown."

The people take in this message, so they and their King end up repenting, putting on sackcloth and ashes. God sees this and decides not to destroy them.

Well, this really annoys Jonah. He didn’t want Nineveh to be saved and was looking forward to its destruction.

So even though he succeeded in God’s task, to turn Nineveh back to God, so he grumpily goes to sit in the desert and waits to either die, or for God to do what he, Jonah, expects. 

We should also note that Jonah didn’t proclaim the message God gave him, which was to, “cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me,” Instead, he told them the city would be overthrown.

God was giving Nineveh a chance to save itself, but Jonah had already judged them unworthy, and I think God was also trying to give Jonah a purpose to his life.

Because, looking over this story again, I think that really, Jonah was depressed. At the beginning, he refused God’s command and left. In the storm, Jonah was found asleep in the bowels of the ship. On being discovered, he asked to be thrown overboard.

So while Jonah’s message was of anger, not of repentance. This was coming from a place of despair and exhaustion.

Signs of depression include feelings of a lack of self-worth, of anger, resentment, increased tiredness. Jonah had misinterpreted God’s instructions, to something more negative.

Is this a reminder that even a prophet can mis-interpret God’s will and God’s judgement? Let us be careful to not be too literal when reading scripture, that we mistakenly hear what we want to hear, not what is being said.

Finally, we get to the prophecy that had been meant for Jonah all along.

God says: “You cared about the plant, which you did not work for and which you did not grow, which appeared overnight and perished overnight.

And should not I care about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not yet know their right hand from their left, and many beasts as well!”

That’s why the story finishes by telling us about all the animals. God is saying: “Don’t you realise how much I care about you? I care even about the cattle in this city. I care even about a single plant in the desert.

I love even your enemies, who are persecuting you, who do not worship me, who don’t follow my laws. How much do you think I care about you? Can’t you see how important you are?

Choose life, Jonah. Give up on all that anger and hate you’ve been bottling up. Choose life, Jonah, why would you choose death?”

That’s what this whole story has been about. It was never about sin and death and punishment. It was so much simpler than that. It was about life. “Look Jonah,” says God.

“I know you don’t think your life is worth living, but I do. To me, your life has meaning. To me, you are worth everything. Yes, even you. You with your stubbornness, your bitterness, your rage.

You with all your unhappiness, your imperfections and mistakes. You mean so much to me that I will perform miracles. I will turn the world on its head to keep you alive. I will send you to the ends of the earth just to tell you I love you. Choose life, Jonah.”

That’s what this whole day has been about. Sometimes in prayer, we can get so caught up in recounting our sins and holding onto our guilt, that we forget the whole point. To be thankful for the life we have been given. We have been called here because our lives have meaning. By dint of being human, we are not just special, we are holy and life is holy.

We are here to manifest the sacredness of life in everything we do. So today, let’s ask ourselves: are we doing that?

Are we holding on to sadness and rage or are we thankful for another day? Are we dwelling on all that we’ve done wrong, or will we embrace the chance to get it right? Won’t we remember today that God wants for us to live?

I like to think that Jonah was able to come away from his experience, knowing that God cared for him, was only showing him that Jonah’s concerns were more for himself than the city of thousands.

That in asking him, is it right for you to be angry?, perhaps gently, Jonah also repented of his anger and judgement and became healed. 

Knowing your left from your right is God’s way of saying, they don’t know right from wrong, which was a lesson for Jonah, as well as the city he had been sent to.

This is a reminder to Jonah that it is not for him to know what God wants, only to do what is asked of him. God knew he needed help and hope and gave him a purpose and sheltered him.

Which is exactly how God helps us, when we need help, God already knows our needs and sometimes helps without us asking.

And while we should be careful in offering unasked for advice, there are always helpers around. So again, do ask for help if you need it. Pray, if you can, God is already there, listening.

Jonah is just very human, he responds how many everyday people would. Irrationally, perhaps comically, but God still cares for him and spends time with him after he has struggled so much with all that has been asked of him.

God who chooses forgiveness and grace, over punishment or poverty. He wants to see goodness in a people who change their ways, he wants to help, because that’s how God’s grace works.

Saving Ninevah was simple, God chose inaction, instead of destruction. But God also chose to go back and sit with Jonah and talk through what had happened and why it was so important to save than destroy. 

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying,

‘I called to the Lord out of my distress,
   and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
   and you heard my voice.
You cast me into the deep,
   into the heart of the seas,
   and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows
   passed over me.
Then I said, “I am driven away
   from your sight;
how shall I look again
   upon your holy temple?”
The waters closed in over me;
   the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped around my head
   at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land
   whose bars closed upon me for ever;
yet you brought up my life from the Pit,
   O Lord my God.
As my life was ebbing away,
   I remembered the Lord;
and my prayer came to you,
   into your holy temple.
Those who worship vain idols
   forsake their true loyalty.
But I with the voice of thanksgiving
   will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
   Deliverance belongs to the Lord!’
Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon the dry land.

 Amen

First Reading 

Jonah 3.10 – 4.11

   10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

4 But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. 2He prayed to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. 3And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.’ 4And the Lord said, ‘Is it right for you to be angry?’ 5Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.

6 The Lord God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. 7But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. 8When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, ‘It is better for me to die than to live.’

9 But God said to Jonah, ‘Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?’ And he said, ‘Yes, angry enough to die.’ 10Then the Lord said, ‘You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labour and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?’

The Gospel

Matthew 20.1–16

20‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. 2After agreeing with the labourers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. 3When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the market-place; 4and he said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” So they went. 5When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. 6And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?” 7They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.” He said to them, “You also go into the vineyard.” 8When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, “Call the labourers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.” 9When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage.10Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage.11And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 12saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” 13But he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?14Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?”16So the last will be first, and the first will be last.’

Preached at Holy Communion on September 24th 2023 at St George, Cam and St Cyr, Stinchcombe.

Some thoughts gathered from here: (https://simlev.blog/2017/10/04/jonah-is-a-story-about-suicide/)