WEBVTT 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:04.719 Well, good morning and welcome again to Advent. 00:00:05.839 --> 00:00:11.019 If you have been with us the past few weeks, you know that we have been in the book of 00:00:11.019 --> 00:00:13.140 Jonah in the month of July. 00:00:13.880 --> 00:00:17.960 And for any reason you haven't been with us, if this is your first time or you have been 00:00:17.960 --> 00:00:23.420 out of town, Jonah is a story of a minor prophet in the Old Testament. 00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:29.980 It's this short but great story about a prophet who runs away from God, but who nonetheless 00:00:29.980 --> 00:00:36.920 has this incredibly deep encounter with God's mercy and His grace and His power by being 00:00:36.920 --> 00:00:39.359 rescued literally from the bottom of the sea. 00:00:40.140 --> 00:00:45.760 And this experience of, this deep experience of God's grace and His power takes Jonah on 00:00:45.760 --> 00:00:48.500 both an inward journey and on an outward journey. 00:00:48.679 --> 00:00:49.900 And that's what we've been looking at. 00:00:49.980 --> 00:00:55.880 Last week in chapter 3, we saw the first part of Jonah's outward journey, this process of 00:00:55.880 --> 00:01:02.940 how God changes Jonah's perspective toward Nineveh, a group of people who are His ethnic 00:01:02.940 --> 00:01:04.159 and national enemies. 00:01:04.980 --> 00:01:08.320 And part of what we said last week is that this is the journey that we all have to go 00:01:08.320 --> 00:01:13.700 on as followers of Jesus, of learning how to love our enemies and even learning how to 00:01:13.700 --> 00:01:19.340 love our neighbors and even our enemies, even people that we would consider those kinds 00:01:19.340 --> 00:01:19.920 of people. 00:01:20.980 --> 00:01:26.560 And before we dive into chapter 4 this week, I want to make good on a promise that I made 00:01:26.560 --> 00:01:31.400 in week 1, which is that I would say a brief word about the historicity of Jonah. 00:01:32.359 --> 00:01:36.300 We just didn't have time to fit that in the past couple weeks, but a question that I raised 00:01:36.300 --> 00:01:40.879 that some of you might have or that some of your friends might have as we read a story 00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:44.319 like Jonah is, did this story actually happen? 00:01:45.060 --> 00:01:49.319 Should we consider it to be historically true, or is it just a symbolic story? 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:55.799 A lot of people would argue that it's just an allegory or a parable, that it's a fictional 00:01:55.799 --> 00:01:58.099 story mostly because of its style. 00:01:58.819 --> 00:02:00.859 It's crafted like an allegory. 00:02:01.219 --> 00:02:03.780 It's crafted to teach a lesson. 00:02:04.060 --> 00:02:09.139 And there's also some miraculous events that happen in chapter 2 with the great fish, 00:02:09.139 --> 00:02:12.000 in chapter 4 with the vine that we just read. 00:02:12.500 --> 00:02:17.759 And so in many ways, on a surface value, on face value, when you read a story like this, 00:02:18.319 --> 00:02:22.219 it seems like it might just be a fictional story, an allegory. 00:02:22.559 --> 00:02:24.559 That's not necessarily historically true. 00:02:25.359 --> 00:02:26.419 What do we say to that? 00:02:26.519 --> 00:02:28.139 Well, we can say a couple things. 00:02:29.019 --> 00:02:30.560 I think we can say a few things. 00:02:30.639 --> 00:02:37.019 The first is that many scholars agree that the primary genre of Jonah is, even though it 00:02:37.020 --> 00:02:42.280 has features of an allegory, the primary genre is not an allegory, but a prophetic narrative. 00:02:43.080 --> 00:02:48.760 You can think about prophetic narratives like the stories of Elisha and Elijah in the book 00:02:48.760 --> 00:02:53.260 of Kings, that even though they have maybe perhaps a miraculous or sensational component, 00:02:53.879 --> 00:02:58.480 they nonetheless would have been received by the original audience as being historically 00:02:58.480 --> 00:03:03.520 true because they are about prophets, both receiving and preaching God's word to his people. 00:03:03.520 --> 00:03:09.920 The second thing that we can say is that we know from the book of 2 Kings that Jonah was 00:03:09.920 --> 00:03:14.980 a prophet under the time of Israel, under King Jeroboam II. 00:03:15.620 --> 00:03:20.879 And if we consider the book of 2 Kings to be a work of history, and if it mentions the 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:25.640 prophet Jonah, then we should probably consider Jonah to be historically true as well. 00:03:25.719 --> 00:03:29.439 And then the final thing that we can say is that in Matthew chapter 12, which has been 00:03:29.439 --> 00:03:36.400 in our gospel reading the past several weeks, Jesus refers to the story of Jonah in reference 00:03:36.400 --> 00:03:38.639 to his own death and his own resurrection. 00:03:39.900 --> 00:03:45.800 And because we take Jesus' own death and resurrection as historically true, then it makes sense for 00:03:45.800 --> 00:03:48.039 us to also do that for Jonah. 00:03:48.039 --> 00:03:53.479 And so in summary, kind of what we can say is that even though stylistically it has some 00:03:53.479 --> 00:04:00.379 literary features of an allegory, that we should still take Jonah to be at face value, to be 00:04:00.379 --> 00:04:01.439 a story that really happened. 00:04:02.560 --> 00:04:05.639 And so if you have questions about that or if you want to talk more about it after the 00:04:05.639 --> 00:04:08.280 service, I'd be glad to talk about that with you. 00:04:08.280 --> 00:04:15.599 In our final look at this story in chapter 4 that we arrive at this morning, we're going 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:20.120 to look at the second part of the outward journey that Jonah goes on. 00:04:20.699 --> 00:04:22.199 And we're going to look at this in two parts. 00:04:22.879 --> 00:04:27.639 We're going to look at Jonah's concern for the vine and God's compassion for the city. 00:04:28.600 --> 00:04:32.360 Jonah's concern for the vine and God's compassion for the city. 00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:35.860 I think we might have some elementary schoolers here with us this morning. 00:04:35.860 --> 00:04:37.180 If you're in elementary school, raise your hand. 00:04:37.180 --> 00:04:38.199 Where are they? 00:04:38.319 --> 00:04:40.180 There may be some elementary schoolers here. 00:04:40.720 --> 00:04:45.620 You should have, like the past few weeks, received some colored pencils and paper on 00:04:45.620 --> 00:04:46.180 your way in. 00:04:46.240 --> 00:04:49.040 And on the third page, there should be a space for you to draw a picture. 00:04:49.280 --> 00:04:52.139 And so I'm going to give you a picture to draw during the sermon. 00:04:53.300 --> 00:04:59.379 So today, if you would like to draw a picture, I want you to draw a picture of a city. 00:05:00.340 --> 00:05:04.439 It could be our city, Washington, D.C., or it could be another city that you visited, 00:05:04.439 --> 00:05:06.899 or it could be a city that you make up. 00:05:07.180 --> 00:05:08.079 That you draw yourself. 00:05:09.019 --> 00:05:11.740 And then I want you to draw around that city. 00:05:12.500 --> 00:05:15.860 I want you to draw a picture of God loving that city. 00:05:16.759 --> 00:05:18.920 I want you to draw a picture of God loving that city. 00:05:19.280 --> 00:05:19.540 All right? 00:05:19.879 --> 00:05:23.620 And as always, I want to see, if you end up drawing that, I want to see it after the 00:05:23.620 --> 00:05:23.860 service. 00:05:23.960 --> 00:05:24.899 So come and show it to me. 00:05:26.220 --> 00:05:29.780 So we're going to look at Jonah's concern for the vine, God's compassion for the city. 00:05:30.120 --> 00:05:32.079 First of all, Jonah's concern for the vine. 00:05:32.659 --> 00:05:39.259 Last week, what we looked at in chapter 3 is that after Jonah repents, I'm sorry, after 00:05:39.259 --> 00:05:43.699 Nineveh repents from the word that Jonah preaches to them, and God relents from bringing judgment 00:05:43.699 --> 00:05:46.339 on the city, Jonah becomes angry. 00:05:46.339 --> 00:05:50.019 And he becomes so angry that he doesn't want to live. 00:05:51.239 --> 00:05:53.159 And we saw there's great irony in this. 00:05:53.239 --> 00:05:59.859 The irony is that Jonah is totally fine being on the receiving end of God's mercy and compassion, 00:06:00.179 --> 00:06:05.739 but he does not want to live in a world where the Lord shows that very same mercy and compassion 00:06:05.739 --> 00:06:06.899 to his enemies. 00:06:06.899 --> 00:06:10.879 And that's where we pick it up, where we pick up the story in chapter 4, verse 5. 00:06:11.799 --> 00:06:17.620 And verse 5 says this, Jonah went out of the city to the east and made a booth for himself 00:06:17.620 --> 00:06:17.939 there. 00:06:18.679 --> 00:06:23.319 He sat under it in the shade till he should see what would become of the city. 00:06:24.039 --> 00:06:30.879 This word for booth means some sort of makeshift shelter, perhaps made out of stones or clay 00:06:30.879 --> 00:06:32.699 or sticks or whatever he could find. 00:06:32.699 --> 00:06:38.279 And so he's sort of sitting out in the wilderness under this makeshift shelter, kind of still 00:06:38.279 --> 00:06:44.860 holding out hope, still holding out hope that perhaps God is still going to destroy Nineveh 00:06:44.860 --> 00:06:45.339 in judgment. 00:06:45.500 --> 00:06:49.180 Maybe he is going to send down fire from the sky. 00:06:49.899 --> 00:06:52.980 Maybe he's going to send an invading army to come and conquer them. 00:06:53.620 --> 00:06:57.980 But he's sitting out there to the east of the city in his little makeshift shelter, and 00:06:57.980 --> 00:07:05.920 he's sitting there in the heat of the day with the sun beaming down on him, an experience 00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:07.180 we can all relate to this time of year. 00:07:07.879 --> 00:07:12.620 And his makeshift shelter is giving him a tiny bit of shade, but it's not quite enough. 00:07:13.200 --> 00:07:16.379 Have you ever had the experience where you have just a little bit of shade, but you're 00:07:16.379 --> 00:07:17.680 still pretty uncomfortable? 00:07:17.819 --> 00:07:18.560 It's not enough shade? 00:07:18.759 --> 00:07:19.879 I think that's what was going on. 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:21.020 And so he's sweating. 00:07:21.220 --> 00:07:22.060 He's getting pretty hot. 00:07:22.600 --> 00:07:23.439 You know, he's a little bit uncomfortable. 00:07:23.439 --> 00:07:27.500 He forgot his SPF 50 sunscreen back in Israel. 00:07:27.819 --> 00:07:29.939 He did not bring his Ray-Ban sunglasses. 00:07:30.959 --> 00:07:32.160 He's getting a little sunburn. 00:07:32.420 --> 00:07:33.639 You know, that's the situation. 00:07:34.500 --> 00:07:36.019 But then we read in verse 6, 00:07:37.720 --> 00:07:43.000 Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade 00:07:43.000 --> 00:07:45.680 over his head to save him from his discomfort. 00:07:45.680 --> 00:07:52.199 We don't know precisely what kind of plant this was, but it was probably some sort of large 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:59.519 vine with large leaves that provided shade from the sun and more shade than Jonah was 00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:00.180 currently having. 00:08:00.860 --> 00:08:05.040 And verse 6 tells us that Jonah was exceedingly glad about the vine. 00:08:05.879 --> 00:08:08.639 He was exceedingly glad about it. 00:08:09.040 --> 00:08:12.319 But the plant, the story tells us, doesn't last very long. 00:08:12.319 --> 00:08:17.439 The Lord then sends a worm to attack the plant and then a scorching east wind that causes 00:08:17.439 --> 00:08:18.680 the plant to wither and die. 00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:24.279 And Jonah then becomes angry and moves into despair once again. 00:08:24.980 --> 00:08:27.300 And talk about an emotional rollercoaster. 00:08:27.620 --> 00:08:31.339 Like Jonah is on this emotional rollercoaster in chapters 3 and 4. 00:08:31.420 --> 00:08:36.939 In just a short time, we've gone from depths of anger and despair about God having mercy 00:08:36.939 --> 00:08:41.600 on Nineveh, his enemies, and then to the mountaintop of joy because now there's this plant 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:46.360 that's providing him shade back down again to the depths of anger and despair. 00:08:47.399 --> 00:08:49.659 And the Lord asks him a question again. 00:08:50.580 --> 00:08:57.040 And the Lord says to Jonah, Jonah, you mean to tell me that you are more concerned about 00:08:57.040 --> 00:09:02.820 this vine that provided you with a little bit of shade for less than 24 hours, that you 00:09:02.820 --> 00:09:06.680 did nothing to labor for, you did nothing to make it grow? 00:09:06.679 --> 00:09:13.879 Jonah, you are more concerned about this vine than you are about human beings in the city 00:09:13.879 --> 00:09:14.339 of Nineveh. 00:09:15.359 --> 00:09:21.779 And Jonah's rollercoaster of emotions shows us that his perspective on Nineveh has moved 00:09:21.779 --> 00:09:24.419 from irony to absurdity. 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:26.859 It's moved from irony to absurdity. 00:09:26.919 --> 00:09:32.679 He cares more about this vine that's giving him a little bit of shade than about 120,000 00:09:32.679 --> 00:09:35.500 people who are made in the image of God. 00:09:36.039 --> 00:09:42.219 And here we see another idol, another functional savior at work in Jonah's heart. 00:09:42.319 --> 00:09:49.219 In chapter 3, we saw the idol of tribalism, his ethnocentrism, putting his own love for 00:09:49.219 --> 00:09:51.179 his country and his culture at the center of his life. 00:09:51.879 --> 00:09:57.399 And here in chapter 4, we see a new idol pop up, and it's the idol of comfort. 00:09:58.379 --> 00:09:59.419 It's the idol of comfort. 00:09:59.419 --> 00:10:01.559 Now, comfort isn't a bad thing. 00:10:02.539 --> 00:10:07.919 I love the thermostat to be at the exact right temperature in my house, in my car. 00:10:08.459 --> 00:10:10.919 You can ask my roommates, and they would tell you that. 00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:17.799 But when our love of comfort becomes greater than our love for God, and when it becomes 00:10:17.799 --> 00:10:20.399 greater than our love for our neighbors, it becomes an idol. 00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:22.919 It becomes a functional savior. 00:10:22.919 --> 00:10:29.519 And the reason why that is important is because it becomes an idol that actually keeps us from 00:10:29.519 --> 00:10:33.959 participating in the mission of God in the world, from participating in the mission of 00:10:33.959 --> 00:10:36.819 loving our neighbors and sharing the gospel with the world. 00:10:36.959 --> 00:10:44.120 Jonah failed to see that the reconciliation of the people of Nineveh to their creator would 00:10:44.120 --> 00:10:49.919 have been a much greater joy than the small joy of just a little bit of shade that a plant 00:10:49.919 --> 00:10:50.560 could provide. 00:10:51.620 --> 00:10:56.720 And I think if we're honest, I think we are all like Jonah in this regard in some ways. 00:10:57.360 --> 00:11:01.899 And I think we're all like Jonah in some ways like this because I think that our love of 00:11:01.899 --> 00:11:09.840 comfort can keep us from experiencing the joy of participating in God's mission in the world. 00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:16.600 I think we have to admit that in a time, in a place, in a culture like ours, it is so easy 00:11:16.600 --> 00:11:19.440 to center our lives around comfort. 00:11:20.100 --> 00:11:22.139 And I'm speaking to myself here as well. 00:11:22.259 --> 00:11:28.560 We can so center our lives around finances or career stability or on our family stability 00:11:28.560 --> 00:11:33.019 or just the simple conveniences of modern life, which are all good things. 00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:35.240 They're all good gifts from God. 00:11:35.240 --> 00:11:41.000 But we can so center our lives around those comforts in such a way that we insulate ourselves, 00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:44.700 that we insulate ourselves from our neighbors. 00:11:45.460 --> 00:11:47.919 We insulate ourselves from people who don't know Christ. 00:11:48.600 --> 00:11:53.419 We insulate ourselves from the poor, from the marginalized, from the people who are suffering. 00:11:54.139 --> 00:11:59.279 And we insulate ourselves with comfort in a way that we miss out on the beauty and the 00:11:59.279 --> 00:12:01.720 glory of participating in God's mission in the world. 00:12:01.720 --> 00:12:08.639 But part of what God is trying to teach Jonah here is that the small joys of comfort that 00:12:08.639 --> 00:12:16.660 we insulate ourselves with pale in comparison to the joy of joining God and what he's doing 00:12:16.660 --> 00:12:17.360 in the world. 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:24.360 And I was reminded of this recently as I was watching a new Netflix series called Quarterback. 00:12:24.800 --> 00:12:26.360 I don't know if you have seen this. 00:12:26.440 --> 00:12:27.340 If not, you should. 00:12:27.340 --> 00:12:32.180 But this documentary is produced by Peyton Manning in NFL Films. 00:12:32.980 --> 00:12:36.740 And it follows three quarterbacks through last year's NFL season. 00:12:36.920 --> 00:12:41.820 It follows Marcus Mariota from the Atlanta Falcons, Kirk Cousins from the Minnesota Vikings, 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:44.620 and Patrick Mahomes from the Kansas City Chiefs. 00:12:44.620 --> 00:12:48.460 And it follows them on and off the field throughout the whole season. 00:12:48.580 --> 00:12:50.399 So it shows footage from their practices and games. 00:12:50.399 --> 00:12:56.699 But it also shows footage from their time with their families at home, with their wives 00:12:56.699 --> 00:12:57.360 and kids. 00:12:58.259 --> 00:13:02.699 And if you're not familiar with NFL at all, if you're not familiar with the NFL season 00:13:02.699 --> 00:13:08.600 last year, it's important to know that in the postseason playoffs, Patrick Mahomes suffered 00:13:08.600 --> 00:13:11.139 a pretty significant ankle injury towards the end of the season. 00:13:11.139 --> 00:13:15.439 And if you follow the playoffs in the end of the season, you know that this was a big 00:13:15.439 --> 00:13:20.279 part of the drama of the latter rounds of the playoffs, particularly the AFC Championship 00:13:20.279 --> 00:13:20.960 and the Super Bowl. 00:13:21.879 --> 00:13:24.980 Is Patrick Mahomes going to be healthy enough to play? 00:13:25.720 --> 00:13:31.179 And the documentary shows kind of an up-close look at Patrick Mahomes dealing with his injury. 00:13:31.299 --> 00:13:37.080 It shows him on game day fighting through it and playing through it and kind of just groaning 00:13:37.080 --> 00:13:43.100 after every throw and after every play, even just hobbling and walking around while he's 00:13:43.100 --> 00:13:45.360 playing, not really being able to fully run. 00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:52.740 And it's clear that he's in a lot of pain, but he's fighting through it because he wants 00:13:52.740 --> 00:13:56.280 to play and because he wants to play in the Super Bowl. 00:13:57.160 --> 00:14:02.820 There's even a scene that shows him during the week receiving treatment from his athletic 00:14:02.820 --> 00:14:08.720 trainers that even intensifies the pain because it shows his athletic trainers pushing on 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:09.920 the nerves and the bone. 00:14:10.740 --> 00:14:12.460 It's kind of a hard scene to watch. 00:14:12.900 --> 00:14:19.300 But what's striking to me is the amount of pain Patrick Mahomes was able to tolerate because 00:14:19.300 --> 00:14:21.600 of how badly he wanted to compete and win. 00:14:22.360 --> 00:14:27.060 And there's a scene after the AFC Championship where he says, you know, part of how I get through 00:14:27.060 --> 00:14:32.120 it is I just have to tell myself that it doesn't hurt, which is like an incredible amount 00:14:32.120 --> 00:14:33.039 of mental toughness. 00:14:34.659 --> 00:14:37.639 Patrick Mahomes put up with an incredible amount of pain and comfort. 00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:38.159 Why? 00:14:39.560 --> 00:14:47.159 Because he was compelled by the glory and by the joy of the mission of winning the Super 00:14:47.159 --> 00:14:47.360 Bowl. 00:14:48.220 --> 00:14:53.340 And for him, the comfort of his ankle was this incredibly small joy. 00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:58.379 It was insignificant compared with a much more glorious joy of getting that Lombardi Trophy, 00:14:58.860 --> 00:15:00.299 which he did end up getting. 00:15:00.299 --> 00:15:04.399 And I'm sure that if we asked him today, he would say that all the pain and discomfort 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:09.620 that he experienced was worth all the glory and all the joy of the mission. 00:15:10.699 --> 00:15:17.879 God was inviting Jonah, and through Jonah, he was inviting Israel into a mission greater 00:15:17.879 --> 00:15:19.019 than winning Super Bowls. 00:15:19.079 --> 00:15:25.319 It was the mission of joining him in his redemptive and reconciling and restorative work in the 00:15:25.320 --> 00:15:29.960 world, to see all the nations of the earth come to know his salvation and his steadfast 00:15:29.960 --> 00:15:36.140 love and mercy and grace, to be a community that participates in what God is doing to restore 00:15:36.140 --> 00:15:41.820 all creation, to be a community that embodies the shalom, the holistic flourishing of God's 00:15:41.820 --> 00:15:48.379 kingdom in such a way that Israel's neighbors would say to them, who is the God that you worship? 00:15:48.379 --> 00:15:54.159 Who is the God that you worship that you would be a group of people that lives such lives of 00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:58.939 love and justice and mercy and compassion and holiness? 00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:04.659 Who is the God that you worship that you would love the foreigner and the vulnerable and the 00:16:04.659 --> 00:16:07.960 marginalized among you in this way? 00:16:07.960 --> 00:16:15.139 And friends, that is also the glory of the mission that we get to participate in as well, although 00:16:15.139 --> 00:16:19.200 under expanded ways under Jesus Christ. 00:16:19.840 --> 00:16:24.160 And it's a mission that is worth giving up all kinds of comfort for and to even be willing to 00:16:24.160 --> 00:16:31.019 embrace discomfort, to even be willing to embrace suffering, to be inconvenienced for the sake of 00:16:31.019 --> 00:16:31.360 others. 00:16:32.240 --> 00:16:36.160 And so if we're going to go on the outward journey of joining God and his mission in the world, 00:16:36.159 --> 00:16:39.019 then we're all going to have to face the idol of comfort. 00:16:39.980 --> 00:16:45.879 We're all going to have to embrace the pain and the discomfort of what God, of being joining 00:16:45.879 --> 00:16:46.620 what God is doing. 00:16:46.759 --> 00:16:54.459 Maybe it's the difficulty, as we looked at last week, of learning how to love those people, 00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:58.679 those people that we don't want to associate with. 00:16:59.259 --> 00:17:02.500 Maybe it's the discomfort of being generous with our time and money. 00:17:02.500 --> 00:17:08.700 Maybe it's the awkwardness of talking to our friends and coworkers about the gospel. 00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:14.880 But whatever it is, joining God in his mission and what he is doing in the world forces us 00:17:14.880 --> 00:17:18.119 to face our idol of comfort and to deal with it. 00:17:19.180 --> 00:17:20.279 So how do we do it? 00:17:21.240 --> 00:17:22.619 How do we face the idol of comfort? 00:17:24.039 --> 00:17:27.200 Well, we have to see God's compassion for the city. 00:17:27.200 --> 00:17:30.259 God's compassion for the city. 00:17:30.360 --> 00:17:32.680 And that's what we see next here in chapter 4. 00:17:33.259 --> 00:17:40.680 In chapter 4, verse 11, which is the last line of the whole story, God asked Jonah this 00:17:40.680 --> 00:17:41.100 question. 00:17:41.759 --> 00:17:42.240 He says, 00:17:42.240 --> 00:17:59.339 And I love that this story ends on this question for a lot of reasons. 00:18:00.099 --> 00:18:04.500 I love that it ends on this question because I think it shows us something profound about 00:18:04.500 --> 00:18:11.299 God and it also invites us to respond to this story in a way that changes our own lives. 00:18:12.059 --> 00:18:16.539 Three times throughout the story, God refers to Nineveh as that great city. 00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:20.259 It was great in both its size and its influence. 00:18:20.839 --> 00:18:25.339 120,000 people may not be a lot in our world, but it was a lot of people in the ancient world. 00:18:25.920 --> 00:18:28.059 It was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire. 00:18:28.059 --> 00:18:31.859 And so it was a political, economic, and cultural urban center. 00:18:32.500 --> 00:18:35.159 And this is something that God acknowledges. 00:18:35.299 --> 00:18:38.039 And it's actually central to why he calls Jonah there. 00:18:38.539 --> 00:18:38.919 He says, 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:44.679 There's 120,000 people who are made in my image, who reflect my goodness and my glory. 00:18:45.659 --> 00:18:53.119 And it is that density of image bearing that moves God's heart with compassion for Nineveh. 00:18:53.119 --> 00:18:58.739 But it's more than just the size and the influence that moves his heart for compassion. 00:18:58.859 --> 00:19:06.059 Did you also notice that what he said was that the city is full of people who don't know their right hand from their left? 00:19:06.759 --> 00:19:11.439 This is a saying that's referring to their moral and their spiritual lostness. 00:19:12.219 --> 00:19:20.619 Their sin and evil and injustice has so corrupted their society that they can't even discern good from evil, right from wrong anymore. 00:19:20.619 --> 00:19:23.279 They don't know which way is up, which way is down. 00:19:23.699 --> 00:19:24.799 They're without a compass. 00:19:25.859 --> 00:19:27.399 They're lost in their lostness. 00:19:29.139 --> 00:19:33.959 And this isn't something that brings about God's disdain. 00:19:35.039 --> 00:19:37.239 It's something that awakens his compassion. 00:19:37.899 --> 00:19:39.319 It's something that awakens his mercy. 00:19:39.459 --> 00:19:40.699 It's something that awakens his love. 00:19:41.219 --> 00:19:42.019 Their lostness. 00:19:43.179 --> 00:19:44.299 But one more thing. 00:19:44.379 --> 00:19:45.299 Look at what he ends on. 00:19:45.419 --> 00:19:48.099 He ends the last words of the whole story. 00:19:48.099 --> 00:19:51.099 The last words of this question are, and much cattle. 00:19:52.480 --> 00:19:53.379 And much cattle. 00:19:53.579 --> 00:19:55.779 What a weird way to end the story. 00:19:56.839 --> 00:19:57.699 What's that about? 00:19:57.919 --> 00:19:59.359 What is the much cattle about? 00:20:00.539 --> 00:20:05.919 Well, if you think about it, cattle were a huge part of the economy of that city in the ancient world. 00:20:06.019 --> 00:20:08.059 They were a huge part of their agriculture. 00:20:08.059 --> 00:20:14.720 They were an important part of the fabric of the society that impacted people's daily lives. 00:20:15.440 --> 00:20:16.139 Their jobs. 00:20:17.679 --> 00:20:18.819 Their businesses. 00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:19.659 Their families. 00:20:19.779 --> 00:20:20.059 Their livelihoods. 00:20:21.559 --> 00:20:28.099 And it's here that we see that God is concerned about all the individual people, but he's also concerned about the whole city. 00:20:28.099 --> 00:20:35.719 God is not only concerned about the city's spiritual renewal, but he's concerned for its social and cultural renewal as well. 00:20:35.879 --> 00:20:39.399 God's heart is overflowing with compassion for the whole city. 00:20:40.019 --> 00:20:46.659 For the people who are made in his image and for the institutions that impact the lives of his people. 00:20:46.660 --> 00:20:48.300 The businesses. 00:20:49.080 --> 00:20:49.700 The schools. 00:20:50.440 --> 00:20:51.259 The transportation. 00:20:51.880 --> 00:20:52.700 The public safety. 00:20:52.840 --> 00:20:53.660 The legal systems. 00:20:53.800 --> 00:20:54.320 The arts. 00:20:55.680 --> 00:21:02.740 And this is the heart of God that moves us with compassion and love towards our own city and towards the great cities of the world. 00:21:03.560 --> 00:21:08.040 And I actually think that this is a really important point for us to see here. 00:21:08.039 --> 00:21:17.119 Because at this point in human history today, more people are living in cities than at any other point in human history. 00:21:17.759 --> 00:21:23.379 At the beginning of the 19th century, about 5% of the world's population lived in cities. 00:21:24.200 --> 00:21:27.359 But by the beginning of the 20th century, that grew to about 14%. 00:21:27.359 --> 00:21:30.899 And today, it's over 50%. 00:21:31.099 --> 00:21:37.659 And estimates are that trend is well up to 75% to 80% by the year 2050. 00:21:38.599 --> 00:21:41.879 The future of the world is an increasingly urban one. 00:21:42.740 --> 00:21:49.899 And this is something that secular people and religious people, people who believe in God and people who don't believe in God, can have in common. 00:21:50.200 --> 00:21:51.180 It's something they should care about. 00:21:51.259 --> 00:21:55.639 That if we care about the future of our world, we should care about cities. 00:21:56.659 --> 00:22:03.139 Even if we don't live in cities, we should care about them because our world is going to be an increasingly urban world. 00:22:03.639 --> 00:22:06.019 But we should especially care about cities if we're Christians. 00:22:06.019 --> 00:22:09.440 Not because cities matter more than other places. 00:22:09.619 --> 00:22:10.259 Of course not. 00:22:11.039 --> 00:22:11.920 Absolutely not. 00:22:12.839 --> 00:22:17.680 But because people are moving into cities faster than the churches. 00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:25.519 It's not that churches and ministries in urban areas matter more than those in the suburbs or rural areas. 00:22:25.720 --> 00:22:26.519 Absolutely not. 00:22:26.600 --> 00:22:34.120 But what it does mean is that if redemption is about the restoration of the image of God in all people, 00:22:34.119 --> 00:22:41.679 then cities like Nineveh and cities like Washington, D.C. have an important role to play in that story. 00:22:41.679 --> 00:22:45.619 Because wherever people are, the image of God is. 00:22:45.619 --> 00:22:51.799 And the image of God is more densely concentrated in cities than any other place. 00:22:52.739 --> 00:22:57.019 And what we see from Jonah chapter 4 is that that reality is something that moves God's heart. 00:22:57.759 --> 00:23:01.879 That reality is something that moves God's heart with compassion and mercy and love. 00:23:01.880 --> 00:23:10.400 Every city in the world, including ours, needs people who reflect the merciful, compassionate heart of God that we see here in Jonah chapter 4. 00:23:11.400 --> 00:23:14.420 Who don't just come to the city to use the city for their own gain. 00:23:14.420 --> 00:23:18.140 And just enjoy what the city has to give to them. 00:23:19.140 --> 00:23:26.200 To build a career, to make more money, to just enjoy the cool restaurants and the museums and the art galleries and the concert venues. 00:23:27.259 --> 00:23:29.160 But who come to the city to give to the city. 00:23:29.960 --> 00:23:32.140 To serve the city, to invest in the city. 00:23:32.360 --> 00:23:35.200 Perhaps even at their own expense. 00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:38.120 Perhaps even at their own discomfort. 00:23:38.960 --> 00:23:39.220 Why? 00:23:40.640 --> 00:23:42.920 Because they're moved with God's compassion. 00:23:42.920 --> 00:23:46.320 And they're moved by the glory of a greater mission. 00:23:46.500 --> 00:23:52.500 To seek the spiritual renewal and the cultural renewal of the city. 00:23:52.600 --> 00:23:57.680 To see men, women, and children come to know the love of Christ and the power of the gospel in their lives. 00:23:58.200 --> 00:24:00.960 To see neighborhoods and communities transformed. 00:24:01.180 --> 00:24:05.160 To see workplaces and institutions flourish and become more just and humane. 00:24:05.600 --> 00:24:09.480 To see the poor and the marginalized be loved and dignified and empowered. 00:24:10.820 --> 00:24:12.340 And this is a beautiful mission. 00:24:12.920 --> 00:24:15.820 But it's not a comfortable mission. 00:24:16.680 --> 00:24:18.120 It's not an easy mission. 00:24:18.800 --> 00:24:20.880 It's not a risk-free mission. 00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:28.620 But the most glorious and the most joyful things are always worth giving up comfort and ease. 00:24:28.619 --> 00:24:33.299 If you want to experience the glory of winning a Super Bowl. 00:24:33.799 --> 00:24:36.879 You are going to have to experience some bumps and bruises along the way. 00:24:37.959 --> 00:24:44.259 If you want to experience the glory and the beauty of the view of a mountaintop peak. 00:24:45.439 --> 00:24:49.219 You're going to have to face some pain and discomfort on the hike up. 00:24:49.220 --> 00:24:56.720 And I think this is part of where the story of Jonah leaves us. 00:24:56.720 --> 00:25:02.200 I think one of the questions that we're left with at the end of the story of Jonah is this. 00:25:02.200 --> 00:25:06.960 Given God's great heart of mercy and compassion. 00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:12.180 Given his great heart of mercy and compassion for the lost. 00:25:14.180 --> 00:25:15.880 For all nations of the earth. 00:25:16.740 --> 00:25:19.039 For even people that we would consider our enemies. 00:25:20.200 --> 00:25:23.620 For our own city and all the great cities of the world. 00:25:24.180 --> 00:25:26.539 Given his heart of mercy and compassion. 00:25:26.539 --> 00:25:32.639 What comforts are we willing to leave behind? 00:25:34.180 --> 00:25:36.740 What discomforts are we willing to embrace? 00:25:37.079 --> 00:25:40.819 In order to join God in the more glorious joy of his mission. 00:25:43.420 --> 00:25:45.619 And I actually think this is an important question. 00:25:45.720 --> 00:25:49.960 As we consider a move to the Shaw neighborhood. 00:25:50.460 --> 00:25:52.180 In the urban core of our city. 00:25:52.720 --> 00:25:54.740 I think it's going to be an amazing opportunity. 00:25:56.539 --> 00:25:59.240 But I also think it's going to involve facing some discomfort. 00:26:00.559 --> 00:26:02.259 And I think we have to think about that. 00:26:03.259 --> 00:26:05.720 Are we going to make decisions as a church. 00:26:06.740 --> 00:26:08.599 Because we want to experience more comfort. 00:26:08.759 --> 00:26:13.599 Or are we going to make decisions because we want to more greatly participate in the mission that God is doing. 00:26:14.759 --> 00:26:18.259 What comforts is God calling you to leave behind? 00:26:18.259 --> 00:26:22.599 Maybe it's the discomfort of talking to friends and coworkers about the gospel. 00:26:22.599 --> 00:26:27.259 And sharing your story of how Christ has made a difference in your life. 00:26:28.179 --> 00:26:31.000 Maybe it's facing the discomfort of how learning to love. 00:26:31.719 --> 00:26:33.000 Learning how to love those people. 00:26:33.859 --> 00:26:37.019 People that you otherwise would want to avoid. 00:26:38.519 --> 00:26:42.439 What dreams might he be asking you to let die? 00:26:43.439 --> 00:26:46.219 So that you can experience the joy of a greater mission. 00:26:46.220 --> 00:26:48.920 Maybe it's making more money. 00:26:50.460 --> 00:26:52.100 Maybe it's having more status and power. 00:26:52.839 --> 00:26:53.960 Maybe it's buying a bigger house. 00:26:54.039 --> 00:26:54.920 But whatever it is. 00:26:55.380 --> 00:26:59.380 God's question here at the end of Jonah doesn't leave us where we are when we started it. 00:27:00.200 --> 00:27:02.860 I think it should lead us to wrestle with the status quo of our lives. 00:27:02.980 --> 00:27:06.779 It should force us to confront the idols of tribalism and comfort in our own hearts. 00:27:07.339 --> 00:27:11.279 And it should lead us into deeper love for our neighbors and our city and even our enemies. 00:27:11.279 --> 00:27:19.960 And it should drive us deeper into the heart of God and to his mission in the world to seek and to save the lost. 00:27:21.220 --> 00:27:22.940 And that is what Jesus came for. 00:27:24.960 --> 00:27:26.819 What is the story of Jonah about? 00:27:28.500 --> 00:27:31.879 Well, as we've seen over the past four weeks, it's about a lot of things. 00:27:33.460 --> 00:27:35.019 But mostly it's about Jesus. 00:27:35.019 --> 00:27:41.579 Jesus is the prophet and the missionary that Jonah should have been. 00:27:41.779 --> 00:27:44.619 Jonah disobeyed God's word and ran away from him. 00:27:45.379 --> 00:27:50.379 But Jesus Christ fully obeyed God's word and perfectly fulfilled the law in our place. 00:27:51.400 --> 00:27:55.160 Jonah threw himself into the storm to save the sailors on the ship. 00:27:55.879 --> 00:27:59.960 But Jesus threw himself into the storm of God's judgment to save us. 00:28:01.039 --> 00:28:03.879 Jonah was angry about the city because he hated his enemies. 00:28:03.880 --> 00:28:10.720 But Jesus wept over the city because he loved people who hated him. 00:28:11.740 --> 00:28:15.760 Jonah went outside the city and waited for it to be destroyed. 00:28:17.120 --> 00:28:23.420 But Jesus Christ went outside the city to suffer and die for it so that it could be saved. 00:28:24.560 --> 00:28:27.080 Jonah clung to the comfort of the vine. 00:28:27.079 --> 00:28:37.179 But Jesus Christ abandoned the comfort and the glory of heaven to come to earth and experience pain and suffering and death. 00:28:37.319 --> 00:28:37.619 Why? 00:28:39.579 --> 00:28:45.819 Hebrews chapter 12 tells us that for the joy set before him, he endured the cross. 00:28:46.619 --> 00:28:49.240 And what was the joy set before Jesus? 00:28:49.240 --> 00:28:49.900 It was you. 00:28:50.900 --> 00:28:51.819 It was me. 00:28:51.819 --> 00:28:51.920 It was you. 00:28:52.660 --> 00:28:53.620 It was me. 00:28:54.140 --> 00:28:56.640 It was all the nations of the earth. 00:28:56.740 --> 00:28:58.019 It's all the people in our city. 00:28:58.140 --> 00:29:08.160 For Jesus, all the pain and the suffering was worth the joy of seeing all the nations of the earth come to know him and be reconciled to himself and love. 00:29:08.160 --> 00:29:19.480 And when you see that, when you see Jesus Christ abandoning comfort for you and enduring the suffering of the cross, you'll leave behind any comfort. 00:29:20.820 --> 00:29:24.519 You'll abandon any dream to follow him. 00:29:25.840 --> 00:29:26.900 Let's pray together. 00:29:26.900 --> 00:29:33.120 Almighty God, thank you for this story in your word. 00:29:34.040 --> 00:29:40.480 And thank you for how it teaches us about your glory and your grace and your love and your compassion. 00:29:40.680 --> 00:29:53.600 Lord, I pray that as we reflect on this amazing story, Lord, I pray that it would drive us deeper into your heart and that it would drive us deeper into love for our neighbors and for your world. 00:29:53.599 --> 00:29:57.959 Lord, and we pray this in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 00:29:58.599 --> 00:29:58.779 Amen.