On October 10, 1536, William Tyndale was killed. He was strangled to death and his body burned. For ten years leading up to this day, he had labored to translate the Bible into English so that his countrymen could read the Scriptures for themselves. The problem was that translation of the Scripture at that time was a crime punishable by death. So for these ten years of labor in translation, Tyndale had been on the run. Finally, someone posing to him as a friend betrayed him, he was apprehended, and he was killed.

We do not like to see stories of such heroism end this way. If his life were made into a motion picture, we would all be rooting for his rescue and survival throughout the film. But he did not survive; he died. However, as Tyndale died he prayed publicly, “Lord, open the king of England’s eyes.” And God decided he would do much more than that as Tyndale’s work became a foundation for the Scriptures being translated into English, which God is using to open the eyes of millions who are able to hear and read his Word.

As I pondered this week on the book of Jonah, and the final message in this series, it hit me that this book climaxes upon a man’s disobedience. Much as if the story of William Tyndale simply ended at his agonizing death, the story of Jonah ends on an uncomfortable note. The man who reluctantly goes and preaches that which brings repentance and mercy to the Ninevites is sitting pitying himself and angry over the Ninvites being spared. And there’s where it ends. We are not given anything else. Did Jonah eventually see his wrong? Upon God’s rebuke did tears roll down his face as he fell to the ground in repentance and worship before the Lord? We simply do not know. The story ends with this rebuke from the Lord and the “credits roll.”

So why? Why have this kind of story, highlighting a prophet’s disobedience in the Scripture? Why let it end on this bad note? In Romans 15:3, we are told, “What was written in earlier times was written for our instruction.” And I think Jonah is no exception here.

Therefore, as we again turn to this book this morning, I pray that we might learn and that we might be the end of the story to Jonah, that is our obedience, as we are instructed through God’s rebuke of Jonah’s disobedience. For in this way, God’s rebuke of another will be used to bring about not simply obedience in Jonah’s life but in God’s children for generations.

Therefore, this morning I want to show us what the book of Jonah teaches us in relation to our obedience to the Lord in relation to the world. For I think this book reminds us of our message to the world, of our responsibility to proclaim that message to the world, and of those in the world to whom we are to speak such a message.

First, we see from this book what is the message that we are to proclaim to the world.

Jonah points us to the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ

Jonah points us toward the gospel, the message that we are to proclaim, that which is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes.

Now, here, you may be tempted to say, “But aren’t we reading back into the text a little more than what is there? Isn’t it a stretch to say that Jonah’s life, message, etc. show us the gospel which we are to proclaim?” However, it is not we this morning who first say this, but we are simply echoing what the Lord himself has said.

In Matthew 12:38-41, Jesus is confronting by the Pharisees who are always wanting Jesus to prove to them who he is – not wanting to accept him by faith. Eventually, they demand that Jesus perform a miracle on the spot prove that he is the Messiah. Now this is odd because Jesus has been doing miracles all the time. They simply want it done at their command, and Jesus refuses. Instead, he says, “No sign will be given to [this generation] except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”

Thus, Jesus tells us that Jonah was a sign to them of a greater work and person who would come, namely, himself. But how does this work? What is he saying here?

To understand, it helps to think about the events of the story of Jonah for a second. The people of Nineveh had sinned and God sent Jonah to preach repentance to them, else they would face the destruction of God. Jonah did not want to go, but as he ran, he ended up getting swallowed by a great fish and spit ashore alive. His life had been spared, as he should have died, so that he might preach this message to these people.

Therefore, when someone comes with a message to you and you know that they have tried to run, have been stopped, have been swallowed by a fish, and spit up alive to come and speak the message to you, you hear it. For, it is certain that the fact that this man is alive validates the fact that he is saying something that you need to hear.

I believe what Christ is saying here is that something bigger than Jonah will occur (and for us, temporally, has occurred) in the life of someone bigger than Jonah - Jesus. That is to say, Christ lived a perfect life, died, and rose from the dead in order that forgiveness of sins might be proclaimed to all the nations. This is bigger than what happened to Jonah, for Jonah didn’t actually die – Christ did. And yet he was raised from the dead. Therefore, the resurrection demands that people listen and obey Jesus’ teaching; it is a clear proclamation from God, “This is indeed the Christ.” Yet Jonah was heeded by the Ninevites and Christ would not be heeded by these Pharisees.

The reason Nineveh will judge these nations is because they marveled at the grace of God and feared him in light of bringing Jonah from the certain death to speak a message to them to call them to repentance, while many today (and these Pharisees in Matthew 12) are rejecting forgiveness made possible because God the Father gave his Son to death and raised him from the dead.

Thus, in Jonah being in the belly of a fish three days and three nights only to emerge and proclaim a message to the Ninevites to bring them to repentance, it is a sign of the gospel. For the gospel, according to 1 Corinthians 15:4 is, “That Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” It is as Jesus tells the two men on their way to Emmaus in Luke 24:46-47, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

This is the sign to which Jonah’s life and story point, the gospel. And it is that message which we must proclaim: that Christ has died to pay for sins, that he was buried and raised on the third day, and that repentance and faith credits his righteousness to our account and the forgiveness of sins.

Jonah teaches us that God desires to bring blessings to the world through his people

In this story, God does not simply say, “I’m going to bring the Ninevites to repentance.” Nor does he say, “I’ll bring the Ninevites repentance through Jonah preaching the message or some other means.” No, God is intentional about Jonah preaching to the people and being a divine conduit through which God would extend his mercy to these people. So even when Jonah runs, God brings him back to finish his God-ordained task.

God’s ordained means to bring salvation to people is through the proclamation of the gospel through his people. There is not salvation outside of the proclamation of the gospel. Thus, Paul writes in Romans 10:14-17, “But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? … So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

We are ambassadors for Christ, Paul will later write in 1 Corinthians 5:20. We have the blessing of getting to speak the gospel to men so that they might be saved. And, we have the responsibility of speaking the gospel to men that they might be saved.

Yet many of us are like Jonah in our disobedience. We do everything but actually verbally proclaim the gospel to men. But there is no substitute for this. There is nothing else that is the power of God for salvation.

But it is probably not for the same reason that Jonah was disobedient, for Jonah simply did not want the Ninevites to know God’s mercy. We, however, probably do want people to be saved; it would be a great source of joy and delight to know our friends, family members, neighbors, and even those who were complete strangers were being saved. So why is it that we do not do speak the gospel to men?

I think it’s because we’ve grown accustomed to shallow and temporary pleasure. We think there is greater pleasure found in avoiding the cost of rejection than is found in obedience. Like a child who thinks he is getting away with having more fun by eating chocolate and going to bed without brushing his teeth, we sacrifice greater pleasure for what appears as pleasure. We opt for the shallow and temporary pleasure of sin over the deep and enduring pleasure found in obedience.

That’s why I say that we have the responsibility of speaking the gospel to men as well as the blessing of getting to do it.

Finally, Jonah teaches us that God’s mercy extends to all nations and all kinds of people

I believe the main reason that God disciplines Jonah is because Jonah’s lack of desire to see the Ninevites repent communicated wrongly the heart of God. That is, as Jonah found no delight in the Ninevites repenting and finding mercy, he was not at all reflecting God’s desire for them.

But this brings us to a difficult question: “Are there certain people with whom we find no or little delight in speaking the gospel and falsely communicate God’s desire for them?” Whether it is those with little intellect, or the sniper, or poor and dirty people, or just those who happen to be so annoying that they find no acceptance anywhere, are we lying about God’s heart to them by showing a lack of desire on our part for them to be a part of the body of Christ? It is no different with Jonah as the Ninevites were wicked people who would punish the people of God. However, Jesus would later say that he did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.

The clear point on which this book ends is God’s declaration that as a prophet of God, Jonah must clearly display God’s thoughts and practices. And the same is true with us. Therefore, Jonah teaches us that God’s message of forgiveness must go to all men, regardless of their appeal or benefit for us.

Therefore, let me end with a few things I think we need to do in light of this book of Jonah.

1. Settle the message of the gospel in your mind.

I’ve heard one man say he begins the day saying, “God – sin – cross – faith” so that he will be ready to share the gospel at any chance. That is the message that God is holy and must judge man in his sin, but that God has made a way for forgiveness by Jesus dying, being buried, and being raised from the dead that we might proclaim everywhere that men may repent and believe and have forgiveness of sins. That is the simple message we are trying to get out to men. Settle it in your mind daily to make sure you are prepared to speak it – whatever practice you use to settle it in your mind.

2. Be intentional each day about speaking the gospel.

Again, an illustration I used one Wednesday night was that I can sit all day and know that a good husband gets flowers for his wife, but unless I actually go get the flowers and deliver them, I am not doing what I need to do. The same is true with evangelism. Don’t just say, “My neighbor needs to hear the gospel.” Rather, say, “Today as I get to speak with him or her I am going to labor in my conversation so that I might be able to speak the gospel,” even if today’s conversation is simply laying a platform for tomorrow.

3. Ask God to show you any way you’re wrongfully communicating his heart toward his creation.

That is, pray, “God, are there any groups of people or certain individuals that I am not showing your yearning love? Are they any groups of people or individual persons that I would say my heart does not necessarily get excited about them being a part of the body of Christ?” And if God points out anyone or any group to you, repent and then be intentional about laboring to speak the gospel to them.

4. Finally, find someone to hold you accountable to do these things.

Find someone with whom you can sit down and be specific about these things and ask them to hold you accountable to be obedient. Tell them, for example, that you know your neighbor is not a believer and that you are fearful about speaking the gospel to him or her and are lazy about working toward a relationship with him or her. Then ask them to develop ways you can be obedient and ask them to keep up with you (maybe in weekly meetings) to ensure that you are doing what you know will bring deep and enduring joy – obeying God’s word.

There have been a number of points where I have found strength for obedience only because I knew I was going to be held accountable by another in the body of Christ. The Christian life is not to be lived alone, so don’t try to do it that way. May we rather labor to grow each other up into maturity in Christ that God might be glorified above all things.

Grace be with you. Amen.

LESSONS FROM THE BOOK OF JONAH - PART 3