Sermon – 01-21-24 – Epiphany 3 – Cycle B
Scripture: Jonah 3: 1-5, 10 and Jonah 4:1-11
Sermon Title: “Why Should We Love Foreigners?

For starters, unless we have American Indian blood in ourselves, we are foreigners. Our ancestors came from somewhere else. The real reason this word came to my mind is because I studied the Jonah passage from my Contemporary English Version Bible. In Jonah 4:2b, Jonah is saying to God, “You are a kind and merciful God, and you are very patient. You always show love, and you don’t like to punish anyone, not even foreigners.”

Quickly this title came to my mind and I typed it for Geri to include in the bulletin. Later, I realized that no other translation of the Bible had added the phrase about foreigners. Now I had a problem. Should I check if Geri did not print the bulletins yet? Well, one moment led to one hour, to one day while I paid attention to many other things and I did not change the title to give up the word “foreigner.”

So I said to God, “I guess you and I are stuck with this word. What are you and I going to do about this word? Will some people be hurt? Will people think I am making a political statement? “Oh, God,” I say as I type, “What will you give me for this sermon?” So God said, “Just start telling the story of Jonah!” “Okay,” I say.

People, are you fascinated by the story of Jonah? You may only know the part where Jonah is in the belly of a big fish. I grew up calling it a whale. But then some theologians, and perhaps scientists, informed us that it probably was not this animal mammal called a whale. We should call it a big fish. So obedient as we are, we now call it a big fish. How did Jonah get into the big fish? He was running away from God! That is how he got into the big fish. He does not run straight into the open mouth. He has some help. Frightened sailors throw him into the water to save themselves.

It goes like this. God tells Jonah to go to a wicked city called Ninevah, a foreign city, the capital city of Assyria, a hated enemy of Israel. Assyria is not only foreign to Israel, Assyria is an enemy of Israel. This is no small task God expects of Jonah. This is a huge task, a scary task, a physically demanding task. It takes three days to walk through the city of Ninevah. It is not a joy trip where people are going to be smiling and welcoming. Jonah would be in enemy territory preaching, “Forty days more, and Ninevah shall be overthrown.”

Jonah does not go to Ninevah. He pulls some money out of his pocket, pays for a boat trip to Tarshish in Spain, the opposite direction from Ninevah. Of course, Jonah cannot hide from God. God knows everything! God sends a terrible storm to surround the boat. The sailors wonder what or who is responsible for this focused storm. They ask their gods to solve the mystery and tell them who is causing all of this disaster which is about to break the boat.

Their gods lead them to Jonah who is actually sleeping below deck. The sailors wake Jonah who confesses that he is the problem; that he is running away from God. Jonah shouts, ‘Throw me overboard so that all of you may be saved!” The sailors are afraid to do this. They are afraid that God will punish themselves for causing the death of Jonah. But finally they don’t know what else to do and they pray to Jonah’s God, our God, that he will not punish them.

Overboard goes Jonah into the turbulent storm, straight into the mouth of a big fish. Jonah finds himself in the belly of the big fish in short order. But he was there for three days and three nights!

Then, Jonah appeals to God’s mercy! Take note – God’s mercy. Jonah prays from inside this cavern – the belly. Chapter 2 of Jonah is Jonah’s prayer to God. It seems as though he is thanking God for saving him while he is still in the belly of the fish. It is thanking in advance based on faith. It seems sort of like paying for work done before the work is done.

Anyway, God tells the fish to spew Jonah out on land. The fish does. Not for a moment should we think that Jonah is off the hook. Immediately, God repeats the same command to Jonah, “Go to Ninevah!” This time Jonah trudges grudgingly off to the big city but only goes a day’s walk. He proclaims with pleasure, “Forty days from now, Ninevah will be destroyed!” Remember, Jonah does not like these people, these foreigners, these enemies.

Much to Jonah’s chagrin, the people repent and turn to God! The king over Ninevah leads this repentance by wearing sackcloth and sitting in dust. He orders everyone in Ninevah to do likewise. God notices and with his great mercy, he does not destroy Ninevah. Jonah has an angry monologue with God which includes the words, “You are a kind and merciful God, and you are very patient. You always show love and you don’t like to punish anyone, not even foreigners.”

God reminds Jonah that God has saved more than a hundred twenty thousand people from sinning themselves into destruction. Jonah shall be thankful about these people and not be consumed by self-pity. In fact, God saves Jonah so Jonah can be part of saving a whole city of people from their sinful destructive attitudes and behavior. When you read Jonah for yourself, you will find an episode of a big, green plant which God provides for Jonah to be shaded from the sun but God takes it away after one day. Of course, this angers Jonah but God is trying to have Jonah understand that one person should not think he is more important than one hundred twenty thousand people, even if they are enemies. Eventually, Jesus is the one person who will save more than millions by being in the earth over three days.

As we move into the gospel lesson where Jesus is the main character, we find Jesus calling people to repent. Now Jesus gets busy calling disciples who in turn shall call people to be part of this big new movement that is built on mercy, forgiveness, and love. These new disciples do not run away from Jesus, but, instead, run toward Jesus to be his followers in the ministry of people; calling people to be embraced and sheltered under the great umbrella of mercy and love

Jonah was temporarily sheltered by a big plant that God caused to live for a day. This umbrella of Jesus is everlasting. And take note that the umbrella is not a building. The umbrella is a roof without sides. We are to “move out” in order to “invite in.” We shall invite the enemies as well as the friends. We shall not filter the intake. Every person on earth shall be welcome under this shelter of mercy. Let us not be startled by the sparks of joy that accompany mercy. Amen