SERMON
11 August 2002

America’s greatest opera includes a love song to summer. “The livin’ is easy” in Summer; there is plenty to eat and there are no worries about cold winds and snow. I suspect that Church leaders have a different view of summer. Summer is when attendance goes way low. Week after week, “Where are all the people?” The result of such concern can be anger or depression. However, the point of being in church is to discover God, to hear and value Bible truth, to see and share Christ’s life in his sacrament.

The Episcopal Church is good to its summer customers. Some of the best Bible readings are shared during the summer. For example, it is in summer that we experience the spice and charm of Jonah. Do not belittle the story of Jonah by smiling at its “whale” – understand Jonah as a satire full of holy wisdom, a God-given short story. One scholar was surely correct in noting that Jonah’s “message of God’s universal concern is borne along by the irony of a petulant prophet who is disappointed by the success of his preaching” (E. J. Crowley, p. 994, NEB Oxford Study Edition).

The mere existence of the Book of Jonah is a teaching. Four hundred years before Jesus, the Bible world debated harsh issues of immediate relevance. What about the wicked ones who had oppressed God’s people, oppressed, deported, imprisoned? Some said “They are worthless. We are the only ones who count.” This view is that of Ezra, Ezra priest/preacher/scribe. Ezra looked at history and said “We must be very strict if we are to be faithful.” Others said “The Creator is Lord of all and all includes pagans and sinners.”

The author of Jonah represents the second approach. Jonah urges that “All are to be offered faith by open-hearted believers.” The significant point is this: two positions are side by side in the Bible and this relationship has meaning. There is a place for disagreement; there is a place for variety. There is a place of cooperation where liberals and conservatives are united in response to a living, loving God. We must be faith-filled and aware of tradition – we must share in a way that is humble, welcoming, and eager to see the Kingdom grow.

As I have suggested, the Book of Jonah says something just by being in the Bible library. However, it also says much in the course of its rapid-fire story-telling. I invite you to explore Jonah the Book, Jonah the theology, Jonah the delight. The NEB text of Jonah is included in this Oak Tree for your use.

The action begins with God. He says “Go” and Jonah says “No.” The call is to go to the brutal capital of a warrior race responsible for atrocities throughout the Middle East. “Go see Saddam Hussein” would be a modern equivalent. “No, I’m offer to Spain” is the reply – “to Tarshish out of the reach of the Lord.”

Ah, “but the Lord let loose a hurricane . . .” This is not just ancient meteorology, this is an invitation for us all to look at our lives. A disaster may be a guidance, a “no” may be the key to a better door. God can and does arrange life – we are happy to assent to this in poetic language and with reference to comforting themes – He “paints the wayside flower, he lights the evening star.” The point is to know that God is with us always, in every moment without exception.

As another scholar reminds us, “The sailors on the ship are represented as warm-hearted men who are appalled at the idea of having to throw Jonah into the sea, though they had every reason to blame him for the storm and to resent his presence on board” (G. A. F. Knight, Ruth and Jonah, p. 62). Sometimes we need to listen hard to those outside the Church: they may be calling us to live up to our own standards. I am sure that this is the case when it is a matter of treating others as we would like to be treated. There is never too much mercy, love, and understanding in any area of human life.

And what of the famous “whale?" Despite its prominence in popular chuckling about Bible stories, there is no “whale” in Jonah. There is a Greek word used long ago to translate the Hebrew for “fish.” The Greek word is KETOS or “monster.” Ketos is classical Greek and is used for any of the less familiar “denizens of the deep” – seals, whales, sharks, and even Mediterranean tuna. We need to know what our Bible says first-hand.

Jonah needs to explore his faith. As soon as Jonah has created his psalm, he goes free. Here again is something for you and me today. When we pray, we get free of isolation, weakness, ignorance. When we praise God we grow in understanding, gratitude, religious vision. We need to give time and creativity to our prayers. Write a psalm, share your faith in a poem – perhaps use the disciplined structure of the Japanese haiku.

Finally, Jonah is off to Nineveh. The city is presented as being enormous beyond all thought – fifty miles across, LA without the freeways. His work is finished when Jonah has gone only a third of the way into Nineveh.

Having converted the pagans, Jonah is embittered. He knew that God would be too nice! The story continues and the satire expands. Jonah’s sheltering gourd vine withers, the hot wind of Mesopotamia blasts him. Jonah is sorry for himself – and for no one else. God has the last word: “Should I not be sorry for the great city of Nineveh . . .?”

In the end, the challenge of Jonah is not a matter of literature. Serious issues fill Jonah and their importance is very direct. Who is God for us? Is God a cozy idol or is God a morally demanding Lord whose call is to love our enemies and to do good to those who hate us? Is God at home in Church but uncomfortable dealing with wages and weapons and justice? Is God just for others or does He have a plan, a purpose; a will for each of us?

Jesus is God’s answers to all our Bible questions. Jesus is God with us, a strong Lord saying “Do not be afraid”. Jesus is on the Cross yet Paradise is his gift and forgiveness his offer. Jesus heals body, mind and spirit regardless of race, class, gender or whatever else defines and limits. He is the eternal Son of the Living God.

I am glad that Jonah prepares us for so much of the ministry of Jesus. I am glad that there is so much to study and learn in this remarkable story. I urge us all to take Jonah home – and, even more, to take Jonah to heart.

The Rev'd James E. Furman