Tuesday, April 23, 2013

April 21, 2013 | Jonah 2:1-10 - Salvation is From the Lord: Why I Stand Amazed

The third part of our verse-by-verse exposition of Jonah.

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish, and he said,
“I called out of my distress to the Lord,
And He answered me.
I cried for help from the depth of Sheol;
You heard my voice.
“For You had cast me into the deep,
Into the heart of the seas,
And the current engulfed me.
All Your breakers and billows passed over me.
“So I said, ‘I have been expelled from Your sight.
Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.’
“Water encompassed me to the point of death.
The great deep engulfed me,
Weeds were wrapped around my head.
“I descended to the roots of the mountains.
The earth with its bars was around me forever,
But You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God.
“While I was fainting away,
I remembered the Lord,
And my prayer came to You,
Into Your holy temple.
“Those who regard vain idols
Forsake their faithfulness,
But I will sacrifice to You
With the voice of thanksgiving.
That which I have vowed I will pay.
Salvation is from the Lord.”
10 Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.





Audio
Notes


April 7, 2013 | Jonah 1:1-3 - You Can Run But Not Hide: Why That is Really Good News
April 14, 2013 | Jonah 1:4-17 - Grace Goes Both Ways You Know: Why that is Really Really Good News
April 21, 2013 | Jonah 2:1-10 - Salvation is From the Lord: Why I Stand Amazed





For more:
Simul justus et peccator: Luther & the Heart of the Gospel
I Hear You: A Sermon Illustration
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Historical?
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Midrash?
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Allegorical?
Holman Dictionary on Jonah
Bibledex on Jonah
VeggieTales and Jonah 

Monday, April 22, 2013

April 14, 2013 | Jonah 1:4-17 - Grace Goes Both Ways You Know: Why that is Really Really Good News

We continue our series on Jonah by examining verses 4-17 of chapter 1.

The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep. So the captain approached him and said, “How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.”
Each man said to his mate, “Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us.” So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.”
10 Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, “How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. 11 So they said to him, “What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?”—for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.” 13 However, the men rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them. 14 Then they called on the Lord and said, “We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased.”
15 So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.




Audio
Notes


April 7, 2013 | Jonah 1:1-3 - You Can Run But Not Hide: Why That is Really Good News
April 14, 2013 | Jonah 1:4-17 - Grace Goes Both Ways You Know: Why that is Really Really Good News


For more:
Simul justus et peccator: Luther & the Heart of the Gospel
I Hear You: A Sermon Illustration
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Historical?
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Midrash?
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Allegorical?
Holman Dictionary on Jonah
Bibledex on Jonah
VeggieTales and Jonah  

Friday, April 19, 2013

Simul justus et peccator: Luther & the Heart of the Gospel

Sunday we will be examining Jonah 2 which is a psalm of thanksgiving and repentance. Jonah is a believer who has rebelled. Nonetheless, God's grace reaches him even at the bottom of the sea. This is good news. I am a firm believer in Jesus Christ and yet I find myself always failing. Though I seek the glory of Christ and daily fight to live a holy life, I find myself oftentimes losing. So what hope do I have?

The answer to this question is found in Martin Luther's coined phrase simul justus et peccator (that is, "Simultaneously righteous & a sinner). What Luther meant by that is explained by Dr. RC Sproul in the video below. In short, if you can understand this concept you can understand the gospel.


What Does "Simul Justus et Peccator" Mean? from Ligonier Ministries on Vimeo.



For more:
I Hear You: A Sermon Illustration
April 7, 2013 | John 1:1-3 - You Can Run But Not Hide: Why That is Really Good News
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Historical?
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Midrash?
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Allegorical?
Holman Dictionary on Jonah
Bibledex on Jonah
VeggieTales and Jonah  

Thursday, April 18, 2013

March 3, 2013 | God Pursues Sinners

In the second sermon introducing the subject of church discipline, we discuss that God loves sinners and thus pursues them. Do we?




Audio
Notes


January 27, 2013 | Matthew 17:24-27 - We Are Free Indeed: The Glorious Truth of the Gospel
Matthew 18:1-4 | Children Only: The Secret to being great in the Kingdom of God
February 17, 2013 | Matthew 18:5-14 - Primum Non Nocere: The Kingdom & the Treatment of Children
February 24, 2013 | God Hates Sin
 

I Hear You: A Sermon Illustration

Sunday we will continue our walk through Jonah by examining 2:1-10. There Jonah cries from the belly of the great sea monster a psalm of repentance and thanksgiving. The promise of this great chapter (my favorite in the book) is that God hears us.

That truth reminds me of the following scene from September 14, 2001 - three days after the horrific terrorist attacks on 9/11. What then-President George W. Bush had to say to the workers is similar to what God says to us as we pray and repent: I hear you.




For more:
April 7, 2013 | John 1:1-3 - You Can Run But Not Hide: Why That is Really Good News

How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Historical?
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Midrash?
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Allegorical?
Holman Dictionary on Jonah
Bibledex on Jonah
VeggieTales and Jonah  

April 7, 2013 | John 1:1-3 - You Can Run But Not Hide: Why That is Really Good News

We have begun a new series walking verse-by-verse through the Book of Jonah. We begin by examining the first three verses with the important and precious truth, we can run but we cannot hide from God.

The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.




Audio
Notes


For more:
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Historical?
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Midrash?
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Allegorical?
Holman Dictionary on Jonah
Bibledex on Jonah
VeggieTales and Jonah 

March 31, 2013 | Zechariah 3:1-10 - Say Yes to the Dress: The Gospel, the Empty Tomb, And What Not to Wear | Easter 2013

For Resurrection Sunday this year we turned to a unique passage in an often ignored book of the Bible Zechariah. I believe this is a wonderful picture of the gospel that we ought to turn to often.

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.” Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the Lord was standing by.
 
And the angel of the Lord admonished Joshua, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘If you will walk in My ways and if you will perform My service, then you will also govern My house and also have charge of My courts, and I will grant you free access among these who are standing here.

Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you—indeed they are men who are a symbol, for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch. For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. 10 ‘In that day,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.’”




Audio
Notes


Previous Easter Sermons:
April 24, 2011 | Romasn 6:1-14 - Three Wooden Powerlines: Why the Cross & Resurrection Transacts and Transforms (Easter 2011)
April 4, 2010 - Mark 15:1-15: I Am Barabbas and So Are You (Easter 2010) 
Easter 2009 Message - John 20:19-31 - From Doubting Thomas to Eternal Life - audio
Easter 2009 Message - John 20:19-31 - From Doubting Thomas to Eternal Life - notes


For more:
Its Friday, But Sunday's Coming
God's Wonderful Surprise: The Glorious Resurrection
 "In Christ Alone" by Keith & Kristyn Getty
The Miracle of the New Creation: CS Lewis on the Resurrection

Friday, April 12, 2013

March 24, 2013 | Charge That To My Account: The Message of Philemon

Jesus finishes his discourse in Matthew 18 discussing forgiveness. I thought it would be helpful to see another passage on the topic and so we looked at the book of Philemon.

1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker, and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.


I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake. For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.


Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—

10 I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment, 11 who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me. 12 I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart, 13 whom I wished to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel; 14 but without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will.  
15 For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

17 If then you regard me a partner, accept him as you would me. 18 But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account; 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand, I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well). 20 Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

21 Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say.

22 At the same time also prepare me a lodging, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given to you.

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, 24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers.
 
25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.






Audio
Notes


January 27, 2013 | Matthew 17:24-27 - We Are Free Indeed: The Glorious Truth of the Gospel
Matthew 18:1-4 | Children Only: The Secret to being great in the Kingdom of God
February 17, 2013 | Matthew 18:5-14 - Primum Non Nocere: The Kingdom & the Treatment of Children
February 24, 2013 | God Hates Sin
March 3, 2013 | God Pursues Sinners (Audio, Notes)
March 10, 2013 | Matthew 18:15-20 - This Will Hurt Me More Than It Will Hurt You: The Kingdom & the Discipline of Children
Matthew 17, 2013 | Matthew 18:21-35 _ Forgive As Much As You Have Been Forgiven By God in Christ


For more:
Mark Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not
Songs on Forgiveness
Mark Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is
Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not
"The Truth About Forgiveness" by John MacArthur
November 13, 2011 | Psalm 51: The Lord is My Salvation
June 13, 2010 - Matthew 6:14-15 - The Forgiven Forgive: The Inseparable Reality of the Gospel of Forgiveness
Some Light Reading: Books on Prayer and Forgiveness
Wax on Forgiveness
Colson on Forgiveness
"Forgive Them, For They Know Not What They Do" - A Lesson on Forgiveness 

Monday, April 8, 2013

How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Allegorical?

We have already seen that interpreting can be quit difficult. In previous posts, we have shown that elements of Jonah might be considered midrash while at the same time affirming that Jonah is historical. But we must go a step further. Liberals have been quick to label Jonah myth without hesitation. After all, their understanding of Scripture is that it includes spiritual truth even though it is actually true. Conservatives have responded by affirming, rightly, the inerrancy of Scripture and at times fail to see the bigger picture of a given text. Affirming the historicity of Jonah, I believe, isn't enough. Our goal must be to understand Jonah as the original writer intended us to. This leads to our final point. Yes Jonah is historical, but it is also allegorical.

Before moving on, by allegorical, I do not mean mythical. To affirm that something is allegorical is not to deny that Jonah chronicles real events. It does, as we argued before. However, I believe the writer, seeing the history, wrote the book to tell the nation of Israel something. Thus, through historic allegory, the author is able to more powerfully promote a message that his readers needed to heed.

There are two reasons for this conclusion.

First, it is common for events in Scripture to be both historical & allegorical/parabolic. Consider the first four chapters of Matthew for example. In these opening chapters, Matthew makes the argument that Jesus is the fulfillment of Israel. Herod becomes like Pharaoh who seeks to destroy the male infants. Christ is like Moses in that He is spared. Furthermore, Jesus must flee to Egypt, like Israel before Him, and later returned to the promised land. Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River (the same river Israel crossed in Joshua) which corresponds to the Jews' baptism at the Red Sea. Immediately following the Red Sea miracle, the Jews march into the wilderness where they are tempted for forty years. Immediately after being baptized by John, Jesus marches directly into the wilderness where He is tempted for forty days. The temptations He faced are the same that Israel faced. Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy following each temptation, not because that was His favorite book, but because He was telling Satan that He had read this story before only this time it will end differently. Jesus fulfills Israel.

All of this is not to say that the actual events did not take place. They did! Jesus really was born of a virgin. He really had to flea to Egypt. He really was visited by Magi. He really was baptized in the Jordan River. He really was tempted in the wilderness. But these historical facts are not the only purpose that Matthew has. He is not just a historian, he is also a preacher.

Consider in a slightly different context the book of Revelation. It is true that Revelation is prophetic and eschatological (that is, it regards the end times). However, remember that it was written to seven literal churches who all needed the message found in the book. Thus I believe that though they interpreted it as prophetic, they also saw a present purpose in it. When they read about the seven hills of Babylon (Revelation 17:9) the original readers would have read "Rome."

Secondly, the story of Jonah corresponds with the story of Israel. Jonah's sin corresponds with Israel's disobedience. Jonah's judgment corresponds with Israel's. Jonah's act of repentance corresponds with Israel's. His deliverance mirrors that of Israel's.

At the very least we can say that Jonah is about a prophet who refused to preach grace to the Gentiles. Strangely enough that is what Israel refused to do during most of their history. Jonah, like Israel, was tribalistic & nationalistic refusing to be a light among the nations. This divine calling for Israel is found throughout Scripture. In Genesis 1-2, God is the Creator of all creation including man. He is the God of all nations, tribes, and languages. Thus He is a universal God. In Genesis 12, God chooses Abraham, not to isolated Himself among one race of people, but that through them the world might worship Him. This is why God hardens Pharaoh's heart in Exodus. Through such a sovereign act, God ensures that the nations will hear about the God of the Jews delivering the slaves out of the hand of Pharaoh through mighty acts and deeds. God's purpose was universal, not just national.

Much of the Old Testament is the struggle of Israel to be a light among the nations when they always end up allowing the nations to be a light unto them. This is why God disperses the Jews during the Babylonian captivity. Instead of being a light among they nations, they had become like the nations and so God dispersed them since they looked no different from the Gentiles.

The story of Jonah is allegorically connected with the Babylonian captivity. Assuming that the book of Jonah was written after the captivity of the Jews, the author's purpose is likely to warn his readers not to be like Jonah personally and collectively. Note the connection between the story of Jonah, particularly that of the sea monster, and this warning from Jeremiah regarding Babylon:

Jeremiah 51:34, 44-45Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured me and crushed me, He has set me down like an empty vessel; He has swallowed me like a monster, He has filled his stomach with my delicacies; He has washed me away. . . .“I will punish Bel in Babylon, And I will make what he has swallowed come out of his mouth; And the nations will no longer stream to him. Even the wall of Babylon has fallen down! “Come forth from her midst, My people, And each of you save yourselves From the fierce anger of the Lord.

Swalloed me like a monster? That is striking language in light of Jonah. I will make what he has swallowed come out of his mouth? Again, this reminds us of the historic tale of Jonah and the unknown marine animal.

This is all to say that we must allow Scripture to be Scripture and adopt its purpose as our own. It is not enough, I believe, to say that Jonah is historical or an example of Hebrew midrash. There is an allegorical purpose here. The writer wants us to know about Jonah and in it we are given rich insight into the heart of God. At the same time, however, it is a warning to believers. We have been called, by God, to be light. Don't run!


For more:
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Historical?
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Midrash?
Holman Dictionary on Jonah
Bibledex on Jonah
VeggieTales and Jonah 

How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Historical?

How to interpret and understand Jonah is troublesome. Many come to its four chapters wanting to believe its teachings, but struggle with its content. Obviously this is rooted in our post-englightened minds where all miracles are suspect and all ancient documents are treated as mythical. Therefore, when coming to the book of Jonah, not only is it helpful to consider that the book is a form of Hebrew midrash (see that here), we must really begin, I believe, with the conviction that the book of Jonah records historic events.

Here is why I believe Jonah is a historic books and ought to be interpretted as such:

  1. Jonah begins (Jonah 1:1) with the same verb common in narratives. The King James Version often translates this as it came to pass and is common in narratives. See, for example, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, Esther, and Nehemiah.
  2.  Jonah was a real, historical prophet. We know this from 2 Kings 14:25 which says, [Jeroboam II] restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher.
  3. The places recorded in Jonah are actual locations. Ninevah, Tarshish, and Joppa.
  4. Jesus considered the prophet and the events recorded as historical. Consider the following passages:
    1. Matthew 12:38-41Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
    2. Matthew 16:4 - An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.
    3. Luke 11:29-30 - As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
  5. The authors of 3 Maccabees and Tobit as well as the first century Jewish historian, Josephus, all regarded Jonah was historical.
    1. 3 Maccabees 6:8 - And Jonah, wasting away in the belly of a huge, sea-born monster, you, Father, watched over and restored unharmed to all his family.  
    2. Tobit 14:4Go into Media my son, for I surely believe those things which Jonas the prophet spake of Nineve, that it shall be overthrown; and that for a time peace shall rather be in Media; and that our brethren shall lie scattered in the earth from that good land: and Jerusalem shall be desolate, and the house of God in it shall be burned, and shall be desolate for a time.
    3. Tobit 14:8 - And now, my son, depart out of Nineve, because that those things which the prophet Jonas spake shall surely come to pass.  
    4. Josephus Book9, Chapter 10   - Now I cannot but think it necessary for me, who have promised to give an accurate account of our affairs, to describe the actions of this prophet, so far as I have found them written down in the Hebrew books. Jonah had been commanded by God to go to the kingdom of Nineveh; and when he was there, to publish it in that city, how it should lose the dominion it had over the nations. But he went not, out of fear; nay, he ran away from God to the city of Joppa, and finding a ship there, he went into it, and sailed to Tarsus, in Cilicia (19) and upon the rise of a most terrible storm, which was so great that the ship was in danger of sinking, the mariners, the master, and the pilot himself, made prayers and vows, in case they escaped the sea: but Jonah lay still and covered [in the ship,] without imitating any thing that the others did; but as the waves grew greater, and the sea became more violent by the winds, they suspected, as is usual in such cases, that some one of the persons that sailed with them was the occasion of this storm, and agreed to discover by lot which of them it was. When they had cast lots, (20) the lot fell upon the prophet; and when they asked him whence he came, and what he had done? he replied, that he was a Hebrew by nation, and a prophet of Almighty God; and he persuaded them to cast him into the sea, if they would escape the danger they were in, for that he was the occasion of the storm which was upon them. Now at the first they dare not do so, as esteeming it a wicked thing to cast a man who was a stranger, and who had committed his life to them, into such manifest perdition; but at last, when their misfortune overbore them, and the ship was just going to be drowned, and when they were animated to do it by the prophet himself, and by the fear concerning their own safety, they cast him into the sea; upon which the sea became calm. It is also reported that Jonah was swallowed down by a whale, and that when he had been there three days, and as many nights, he was vomited out upon the Euxine Sea, and this alive, and without any hurt upon his body; and there, on his prayer to God, he obtained pardon for his sins, and went to the city Nineveh, where he stood so as to be heard, and preached, that in a very little time they should lose the dominion of Asia. And when he had published this, he returned. Now I have given this account about him as I found it written [in our books.]
  6. The story teaches truths about God’s sovereignty & providence over creation that make no sense unless the events actually took place.
    1. 1:4, 15 – Sovereignty over the storm.
    2. 1:17 – Sovereignty over the fish.
    3.  4:6 – Sovereignty over the plant.
    4.  4:7 – Sovereignty over the worm.
    5.  4:8 – Sovereignty over the east wind
    6.  Sovereignty of God over the salvation of man. God has determined to save Ninevah & saw to it that it was accomplished.
  7.  Historic Circumstances make Jonah make sense.
    1. Israel, the northern state, was in the midst of political peace. 
    2. Assyria was weak, engaged in conflicts w/ the Arameans.
    3. There was a widespread famine, numerous revolves throughout the Assyrian empire, an a strange solar eclipse.
    4.  Such a stack of events give credence of the Ninevites responding so willingly to the message of Jonah.
  8. Rejecting Jonah's historicity has dangerous implications. Although there is certainly some allegorical meaning in the book (could the swallowing of the fish correspond to Israel's Babylonian Captivity, for example), to outright reject the book as history is dangerous. The slippery slope argument is valid. If first Jonah, then what? Are we to interpret the rest of Scripture we do not like as myth?

For more:
How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Midrash?
Holman Dictionary on Jonah
Bibledex on Jonah
VeggieTales and Jonah 

How Are We to Understand Jonah: As Midrash?

What are we to make of Jonah? Sunday we began a new sermon series walking verse-by-verse through this wonderful, though admittedly strange, book. After all, it is a narrative in the midst of prophecy and includes only half a verse of actual prophecy. Some consider this book to be a myth or legend. Others consider it to be parabolic. Such persons, including many scholars, refuse to believe there is much actual history here.

One attractive option is to treat Jonah as a Hebrew midrash. A midrash is a creative commentary on a text of Scripture. In other words, a midrash can be a story used to illustrate a text or lesson of Scripture. Those who make this argument point to Jonah 4:2:

[Jonah] prayed to the Lord and said, “Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.

 Compare this verse to two others:

Exodus 34:6-7 - Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

The similarity between Exodus 34:6-7 and Jonah 4:2 should be immediately obvious. Both describe God as compassionate and forgiving. So could the story of Jonah illustrate just how gracious God is? God is so loving He would even send a reluctant prophet to the Ninevites!

Consider also Jeremiah 18:7-8:

At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it.

Note here the theme of God relenting calamity on any nation that repents. That is exactly what Nineveh did. The language of Jonah 4:2 and Jeremiah 18:7-8 mirror each other. Therefore some see Jonah as a type of parable, or midrash, used to illustrates Jeremiah's point.

So is Jonah Midrash? I certainly think there is something to it. Here midrash could be confused or compared with a parable - a term we are more familiar with. Parable's were frequently used by Jesus an so long as we avoid some dangers, I think this might be a helpful interpretation. Certainly there is nothing new in Jonah, although the original readers were likely shocked by its content and implications.

But to say that Jonah is just another example of Hebrew midrash is over simplistic as we shall see.


For more:
Holman Dictionary on Jonah
Bibledex on Jonah
VeggieTales and Jonah


Friday, April 5, 2013

Matthew 17, 2013 | Matthew 18:21-35 _ Forgive As Much As You Have Been Forgiven By God in Christ

The final passage in Jesus' great discourse on being children in the Kingdom regarding forgiveness. Here are the sermon, notes, and links.

21 Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. 26 So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ 27 And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ 30 But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. 31 So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. 32 Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ 34 And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. 35 My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”





Audio
Notes


January 27, 2013 | Matthew 17:24-27 - We Are Free Indeed: The Glorious Truth of the Gospel
Matthew 18:1-4 | Children Only: The Secret to being great in the Kingdom of God
February 17, 2013 | Matthew 18:5-14 - Primum Non Nocere: The Kingdom & the Treatment of Children
February 24, 2013 | God Hates Sin


For more:
Mark Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not
Songs on Forgiveness
Mark Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is
Driscoll on What Forgiveness Is Not
"The Truth About Forgiveness" by John MacArthur
November 13, 2011 | Psalm 51: The Lord is My Salvation
June 13, 2010 - Matthew 6:14-15 - The Forgiven Forgive: The Inseparable Reality of the Gospel of Forgiveness
Some Light Reading: Books on Prayer and Forgiveness
Wax on Forgiveness
Colson on Forgiveness
"Forgive Them, For They Know Not What They Do" - A Lesson on Forgiveness 

March 10, 2013 | Matthew 18:15-20 - This Will Hurt Me More Than It Will Hurt You: The Kingdom & the Discipline of Children

Last month we finished our walk through Jesus' great discourse on being children in the Kingdom of God. One of the often overlooked aspects of His teaching is that we are to be disciplined as children. This, in short, involves the church. Here is the sermon based on that passage in Matthew 18:15-20.

15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16 But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

19 “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. 20 For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”





Audio
Notes

January 27, 2013 | Matthew 17:24-27 - We Are Free Indeed: The Glorious Truth of the Gospel
Matthew 18:1-4 | Children Only: The Secret to being great in the Kingdom of God
February 17, 2013 | Matthew 18:5-14 - Primum Non Nocere: The Kingdom & the Treatment of Children
February 24, 2013 | God Hates Sin
 

For more:
Leeman on the Five Purposes of Church Discipline