General Intro to Commemorations of Old Testament: The introduction of Old Testament saints into the cycle of commemorations in The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is most welcome because it is most Biblical. We may not think of the Old Testament worthies as “Saint”, but think again! Hebrews 11 has been called the “hall of heroes”, or I call it the roll-call of the saints in Christ and all of them as recorded in the Old Testament! In the Eastern Orthodox Church, they put “St.” in front of the OT saints, so: St. Jonah! It is these saints who first cheer us on and encourage us saints in Christ Jesus to persevere, as recorded in Hebrews 12, the crescendo of the roll-call:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Lord God, heavenly Father, through the prophet Jonah, You continued the prophetic pattern of teaching Your people the true faith and demonstrating through miracles Your presence in creation to heal it of its brokenness. Grant that Your Church may see in Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the final end-times prophet whose teaching and miracles continue in Your Church through the healing medicine of the Gospel and the Sacraments; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
About Jonah:
A singular prophet among the many in the Old Testament, Jonah the son of Amittai was born about an hour’s walk from the town of Nazareth. The focus of his prophetic ministry was the call to preach at Nineveh, the capital of pagan Assyria(Jonah 1:2). His reluctance to respond and God’s insistence that His call be heeded is the story of the book that bears Jonah’s name. Although the swallowing and disgorging of Jonah by the great fish is the most remembered detail of his life, it is addressed in only three verses of the book (Jonah1:17; 2:1, 10). Throughout the book, the important theme is how God deals compassionately with sinners. Jonah’s three-day sojourn in the belly of the fish is mentioned by Jesus as a sign of His own death, burial, and resurrection (Matthew12:39-41). (From The Treasury of Daily Prayer, published by Concordia Publishing House)
Reflection:
Many years ago, when I first read Jonah on my own, no longer in Sunday School, I was amazed by it! Now if you have not read it (it’s short, more like a short story), this is a spoiler alert. Just skip the rest of the reflection! Read/re-read Jonah and come back for the reflection.
Did you read/re-read Jonah? Notice that in chapters 1-3, we are not told why Jonah runs away when the Lord called him to preach to the great capital of the Assyrian Empire, Ninevah. Oh, Jonah was reluctant prophet, we were taught. Yes, he was, but reluctance is the result, not the cause. We are not told why he was reluctant.
When Ninevah, from the King down, repents, the Lord forgives and changes His mind about His judgment towards them. The Lord takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from their evil to the Lord and live (see Ezekiel 33:11). So Jonah, after Ninevah’s repentance unto life in the Lord’s grace, parks himself outside of the great city and we are told he is angry. Dr. Reed Lessing (professor OT, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, in his commentary Jonah), points out that the 4 times the word anger appears (really: infuriated),it is in the last chapter and it’s subject is Jonah! Why was he angry? Finally, after all the action in the first 3 chapters we find out that his anger is coupled with the reason why he fled to Tarshish and away from the Lord’s call, from Dr. Reed’s translation: “For this reason I previously fled toward Tarshish because I knew you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abounding in loyal love, and changing your verdict about evil.” Jonah fled because of God’s grace! He fled because He did not destroy the Gentile Assyrians! Jonah’s true confession of the Faith (“…you are a gracious and merciful God, etc.) becomes in Jonah’s heart and mouth his accusation against the Lord! Is your evil because I myself am good? (see Matthew 20:1: literal translation of the second question!). Yes. Ask any congregation, ‘do you want to grow?’ and the answer is yes. But I would maintain we may not want this to happen to the point of those people joining who don’t deserve it like we do who have “…borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat” (Matthew 20: 12) and they receive the same, even the most wicked and at the 11th hour: the Lord’s free gift of grace to all who hunger and thirst, and repent and turn to the Lord (see Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, Matthew 20: 1-16/ Matthew 20 ). From Dr. Lessing’s commentary:
We simply stand under God’s overflowing grace like rain, allowing its cool refreshment to fill our dry cracks. Then we pick up the bucket and dump it on someone else. Grace flows from Yahweh not on those who attempt to earn it, but on those who confess their need for it. The Spirit-empowered response is then to share it. But Jonah is like the angry older brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:28-30): he views God’s lavish welcome for undeserving sinners who repent as an insult to his “deserving” self. The prophet has yet to embrace the Law and Gospel character of God expressed in James 2:13: “For judgment is without mercy to one who has not shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
One last thought: Jonah ran away twice. The Lord never runs away and He sought Jonah twice. Blessed Jonah’s Day
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