The Saved Castaway: Swallowed by Grace or Distractions? (Part III)

Sermon Title: Castaway: Swallowed by Grace or Distractions

Good News Statement: God saves us but we must want to be saved

Preached: Sunday, July 23^rd, 2023, at Dogwood Prairie and Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): Jonah 1:17 – Today’s Scripture reading comes from the Book of Jonah chapter one verse seventeen. In this single verse we are challenged to ask ourselves three questions: 1) Are we being swallowed by distractions?, 2) Are we being swallowed by God’s saving grace?, and 3) How much time do we need before we trust in God’s plan (Jeremiah 29:11)?

Jonah Tries to Run Away from God

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, ² “Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.” ³ But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid his fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

⁴ But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to break up. ⁵ Then the sailors were afraid, and each cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. ⁶ The captain came and said to him, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up; call on your god! Perhaps the god will spare us a thought so that we do not perish.”

⁷ The sailors said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, so that we may know on whose account this calamity has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. ⁸ Then they said to him, “Tell us why this calamity has come upon us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” ⁹ “I am a Hebrew,” he replied. “I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” ¹⁰ Then the men were even more afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them so.

¹¹ Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea was growing more and more tempestuous. ¹² He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great storm has come upon you.” ¹³ Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more stormy against them. ¹⁴ Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, O Lord, we pray, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life. Do not make us guilty of innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” ¹⁵ So they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. ¹⁶ Then the men feared the Lord even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

¹⁷ But the Lord provided a large fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

 

Introduction:

A little girl was drawing a picture of Jonah inside the whale in class…. Her teacher asked her “What’s that?” “It’s Jonah inside the belly of the whale from the Bible,” the little girl answered. The teacher, an atheist, told her “You know that didn’t really happen.” She kept drawing “When I get to heaven I’ll just ask Jonah,” said the little girl. “What if he’s not in heaven?” the teacher admonished. The girl, still drawing, said, “Then you ask him”

For centuries, scholars, historians, scientists, and many others have been arguing or making the case that the story of Jonah being swallowed by a whale is nothing but a myth, a tall-tale, and folklore or even a legend. Let’s be honest, how can a man survive in the belly of a large fish for three days and three nights without food, clean water, and the proper amount of oxygen.

Studies have shown that a healthy person can survive eight to twenty-one days without food, can survive three days without water, and can live three minutes without oxygen. Wilderness guides often refer to the “rule of three,” which says that a person can live three minutes without air, three days without water, and three weeks without food. Setting aside the need for oxygen, it is possible that Jonah could have survived in the belly of a large fish. But taking into account that the average person cannot live without oxygen for longer than three minutes, Jonah should not have survived.

Aside from the human body, Reverend E. Pusey’s 1860 commentary asserts that other factors need to be taken into consideration when thinking about the plausibility of the story of Jonah. He states, “The size and species of the fish, the size of the fish’s larynx and stomach, and the availability of breathable air all need to be accounted for.” Although noting the importance of scientific findings on the story of Jonah, Reverend Pusey goes on to say, “This approach—reading Jonah scientifically—limits the message of Jonah….”

Preoccupation with the big fish, not whale,[1] has had both a positive and negative effect on the interpretation of Jonah in communities of faith. Positively, the great fish had kindled imagination and interest in Jonah as a book. Negatively, however, the great fish has so dominated this interpretation that the discussion of the book has been limited to the question: “Was Jonah really swallowed by that whale?” This question, according to Pusey, has served as a “distraction from God’s Word through the prophet Jonah.”

For those that get hung up on the issue of whether or not this event actually took place, I invite them to look at the deeper meaning of the text. Jonah being swallowed by a large fish is certainly noteworthy but what is life changing is the question that we should be asking ourselves today after reading about Jonah: “Are we being swallowed by God’s saving grace or are we being swallowed by the things that keep us from God?” God saves us but we must want to be saved.

Body:

Last week we looked at Jonah 1:4-16. In these verses, we experienced a great storm and heard the desperate cries of the sailors as they through cargo into the sea to lighten the boat, we learned that Jonah was fast asleep below deck as the captain was urging him to wake up and to pray to his God, and noticed that the sailors, during a period of life and death, had time to cast lots and interrogate Jonah—the very man they welcomed onto their boat in the first place. Then we listened to the sailors discuss what they needed to do to calm the storm, we witnessed Jonah’s plea to be tossed overboard with the other cargo because he finally admitted to his wrongdoings, and we gave praise to the sailors for not wanting to initially take the life of an “innocent” man and instead tried to row to land on their own.

Furthermore, our unbelief turned to belief as the sailors began to have a change of heart. They began to listen to God instead of their gods: “Please, O LORD, we pray…” (1:14). Next, after this prayer, after giving themselves to the will of God, they tossed Jonah overboard into the raging sea and the sea ceased from its raging (1:15). (It appeared that the will of God, in addition to their submission to God, was great enough to overcome the storm in their life.) Finally, the sailors repentance and submission to God brought them restoration and belief in the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land: “Then the men feared (and/or worshipped) the LORD even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows” (1:16).

In verses 4-16, we see several things happening: 1) the sailors are confused about how to calm the storm in their life, 2) Jonah’s willingness to own up to the fact that he is the problem, 3) recognition of Jonah’s almost “sorry” and compromise by the sailors, 4) saving the sinner but struggling to remove the sin, 5) the effects of going against God’s plan, 6) the acceptance of God’s will, 7) a single sacrifice can save many lives, 8) a plea for forgiveness and acceptance by God, 9) the power of prayer and submission to God, and 10) storms are God’s way of offering restoration in your life.  From these verses, I challenged you to remember three words last week that began with the letter ‘s’: storms, sailors, and his Savior.

Storms. Each and every day we encounter a storm that challenges us, that changes us, the makes us cry out to God, “Why God? Why God?”  These storms can be mild or they can be raging with gusty winds and towering waves. From the storms in our life we are called, just like the sailors, to realize that God is not punishing us but is rather finding ways to restore us, to call us back to Him, to motivate us to wake Him up, and to let Him take care of us.

Sailors. The sailors remind us that it is never too late to seek repentance from God. It is never too late to devote your life to Him. It is never too late to pray to Him. It is never too late to see His plan in your life (Jeremiah 29:11). It is never too late to worship Him and make vows to Him. The time has come to seek repentance and allow God to change your life.

The Savior. The Savior is the one who saves our life. The Savior is the one who says to the raging storm, “Be silent! Be calm!” The Savior is the one who whispers in our ear, “Be still. And know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). The Savior is the one who will restore you, rescue you, strengthen you, and establish you (1 Peter 5:10). The Savior is the one who will save your life; but you must want to be saved.

After the sailors toss Jonah overboard, we encounter that famous verse that we all can quote when it comes time to talking about Jonah. Jonah 1:17 states, “But the LORD provided a large fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” From this verse, we are invited to consider three things: 1) The LORD provides, 2) It takes time to be healed, and 3) What have we been swallowed by.

First, the LORD provides: After volunteering himself to be thrown overboard to calm the raging storm, a large fish swallows Jonah. What should be a direct path to his physical death is actually the beginning to his salvation. God provided Jonah a source of salvation—a means to be saved—even after Jonah disobeyed God, ran from God, and used God to pass the buck. Similar to the 1940 film Pinocchio, this large fish provided Jonah a resurrection. Jonah entered this watery tomb and came out new.

In 1940, Walt Disney Studio released a fill based on Carlo Collodi’s 1883 children’s novel titled The Adventures of Pinocchio. It was the second Disney animated feature film, made after the first animated success Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). The plot involves an old Italian woodcarver named Geppetto, who carves a wooden puppet named Pinocchio and wishes that he might be a real boy. The puppet is brought to life by a blue fairy, who informs him that he can become a real boy if he proves himself to be “brave, truthful, and unselfish.” The key character of Jiminy Cricket, who takes the role of Pinocchio’s conscience, attempts to guide Pinocchio in matters of right and wrong. Pinocchio’s efforts to become a real boy involve encounters with a host of unsavory characters, representing the temptations and consequences of wrongdoing.

Geppetto, finds himself while searching for Pinocchio, sitting on and fishing from the railing of his boat which lays useless in the belly of the whale, has given up. He sees no hope. The light at the end of the tunnel has gone dim. But then, Pinocchio comes to the rescue, sacrificing himself. He bravely starts a fire on the useless boat in the belly of the whale and the smoke causes the whale to sneeze them out. They travel to safety after out swimming the whale. In the belly of the whale, Geppetto and Pinocchio are saved and provided a way out. They are resurrected and Pinocchio becomes a real boy for us bravery.

In the same way, God provides us with means to our own resurrection. He may not provide a large fish or even a whale, but He does provide for us in ways that catch our attention. Philippians 4:19 and Matthew 6:31-32 assert that God promises to provide what we need. Matthew 25:35-36 states, “[F]or I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” God provides us with food, with drink, with shelter, with clothing, with His presence and so much more. God provided Jonah, just like He provides us, with what we need to remember that He is in our life taking care of us, helping us to become resurrected.

God also provides us with rest. Again Matthew shares, “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). The LORD knows when we are tired, when we are weary, and when our yoke is heavy and filled with burdens. He knows when we need to rest on the everlasting arms of Jesus. Along those same lines, God provides us with peace. God provides us with ability to have peace in any situation (Philippians 4:7 and Romans 5:1). He guards our hearts and minds and leads us into paths of righteousness while His “rod and staff” bring us comfort (Psalm 23). And He gives us confidence when we’re uncertain and satisfies our longing souls.

Furthermore, we are reminded in Proverbs 20:24 that God provides us direction: “All our steps are ordered by the Lord…” In 2 Corinthians 9:8, Paul tells us that God gives us grace, “And God is able to provide you with every grace in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). The Psalmist informs us that God provides us with help when we are hurting: Psalm 34:17-18 shares, “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Lastly, God always provides us with a way to outrun temptation. Paul writes to the people of Corinth, “No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Needless to say, if we only focus on whether or not Jonah could have possibly survived in the belly of the large fish, we miss the opportunity to know that God provides for us on many different levels. Every time God provides for us, we are saved. Every time God provides for us, we are healed. Every time God provides for us, we are given a new life, a new start, and a new resurrection. If God can provide Jonah, a rebel against God’s plan and a disobedient prophet, a means to be saved, then I believe God can do the same for you. But do you want God to provide for you? Are you letting God to provide for you?

 Second, it takes time to be healed. Our text tells us that Jonah was in the belly of the large fish for three days and three nights. The longest sleepover I had as a kid lasted just two days and two nights; and by the end of the second night I was ready to go home. I was ready to get out of there. I was ready to experience freedom. I can’t imagine what Jonah must have been going through during those three days and three nights. However, based on what follows this verse, we know that Jonah was experiencing moments of discernment, contemplation, and engaging in deep prayer: Jonah was on the verge of being healed.

In 2018, during my senior year of undergrad at Augustana College, I went through two surgeries just weeks before I was getting on a plane to go to California for a Band Tour. I had my appendix removed then a week later I was in the hospital with a bowel obstruction. I was in the hospital for a total of eight days: two for my appendix and six for my bowel obstruction. During those eight days, all I could think about was being healed. What I realize today but didn’t back then in 2018, is that healing takes time: healing operates on God’s timetable. As Peter notes in his first epistle, “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10). Healing takes time.

It took Jonah three days before he was healed. In Biblical language, three is significant: it represents divine wholeness, completeness, and perfection. Noah had three sons (Genesis 6:10), Job had three daughters (Job 1:2), the Ark of the Covenant contained three sacred objects—the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant (Hebrews 9:4), Paul experienced three shipwrecks (2 Corinthians 11:28) and prayed three times to the Lord for the removal of his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7-8), Daniel had three friends (Daniel 1:3-5), Peter denies Jesus three times in the courtyard, Jesus predicts his death and resurrection three times, and Jesus is raised from the dead on the third day. Three is not just a number: it is a way of life, a means to being made whole and complete in the sight of the LORD. Healing takes time.

In three days and three nights, Jonah was made whole: he was restored, supported, strengthened, and re-established as a faithful believer in God. In three days, Jonah’s life was changed. In three days, Jonah found hope. In three days, Jonah was able to leave his watery-death, his watery-tomb, and become resurrected. Before we are healed, made whole and complete, we must suffer a little while. God needs us to experience suffering and pain so that our resurrection will be more glorious and grace-filled. Jesus walked out of the tomb three days later proving that death would never have the last word; that there is healing to be received by all people. But are you seeking to be healed? Are you allowing god to heal you on His timetable?

Third, swallowed by saving grace or distraction.[2] The final takeaway from this verse is the following question, “What are you being swallowed by today?” On the outset, Jonah being swallowed by the large fish is viewed as God’s willingness to not only provide for Jonah but to also save Jonah. In life, we all need to be saved by “a large fish.” We all need to be swallowed up a Godly sent large fish so that we can re-center ourselves, find ways to turn our unbeliefs into beliefs, to be alone with God, to pray to God, to hear God without the chaos and the noise of the everyday, to realize that by God’s grace we have been saved, and to accept the fact that we need to be restored and resurrected before we can fully become who God is calling us to be.

In a way, being swallowed up provides us with the opportunity start again, to catch a fresh vision, to change directions, and to begin a new phase of your life’s journey. But that requires knowing where you are. It requires taking time to honestly admit your present condition. It means facing the music, standing alone inside the fish and coming to terms with whatever needs attention, nosing around in the seaweed for a match. Before you find your way out, you must determine where you are. Only once that is accomplished are you ready to start (or restart) your journey.  So being swallowed up is not all that bad, especially when it comes to being saved by the grace and love of God. We all need to be swallowed by the saving grace of God.

However, being swallowed by a “large fish” also has its down falls. Some say that the large fish in Jonah is a metaphor for the things that take you away from God. Some have said that Jonah being swallowed by the large fish was Satan’s attempt to keep Jonah from God. In this view, we all have been or are currently being swallowed by something in our life that keeps us from experiencing the saving grace of God. Maybe the news is distracting you; maybe work is distracting you; maybe technology is distracting you (my phone, every Sunday, reports the average amount of time each day that I am on my phone); maybe not listening to God is distracting you; and maybe fulfilling your own wants before accomplishing the needs of the LORD is distracting you. Every day you face distractions. Every day you experience something that is keeping you from God.

Our lives are filled with distractions—with things and temptations that are seeking to swallow us up. Instead of allowing yourself to be swallowed up by what distracts you from God, spend time in prayer this week asking God to bring you more guidance, spend time reading scripture and allowing God to speak to you through His words, spend time listening to Him rather than ignoring Him, and spend more time accepting His will for your life. Don’t be swallowed up by distractions but be swallowed up by God’s grace. What are you being swallowed up by today?

Conclusion:

In conclusion, Jonah 1:17 is more than a verse we use to describe the events and character of Jonah with: it is more than a collection of letters and words that have been  argued as a mythical story. Rather, Jonah 1:17 is a verse that leads us closer to God, that offers us salvation and grace, that grants us time to be alone with God, that heals us and restores us, and which reminds us that we must suffer a little while before we are made whole and complete. Jonah 1:17 is our saving grace—or opportunity to be swallowed by God’s will.

Tucked in the words of Jonah 1:17, we are reminded that we can be made whole and complete, that He provides for us, that it takes time be healed, and that we have a choice to either be swallowed by God’s saving grace or to be swallowed by the many distractions that keep us from God. This week, allow yourself to be alone with God—set aside the distractions and pray to Him. Let him enter your life, let Him live in your heart, let His voice be heard, and most importantly, let Him save you, restore you, and resurrect you.

I leave you with these words from Edward Hopper’s 1871 poem titled “Jesus, Savior Pilot Me”: “Jesus, Savior, pilot me, Over life’s tempestuous sea: Unknown waves before me roll, Hiding rocks and treacherous shoal; Chart and compass come from Thee– Jesus, Savior, pilot me!….As a mother stills her child, Thou canst hush the ocean wild; Boisterous waves obey Thy will When Thou say’st to them, “Be still!” Wondrous Sovereign of the sea, Jesus, Savior, pilot me!… When at last I near the shore, And the fearful breakers roar ‘Twixt me and the peaceful rest– Then, while leaning on Thy breast, May I hear Thee say to me, ‘Fear not– I will pilot thee!’” I will pilot thee to experience provisions, healing, and saving grace.

Let it be so…

 

Closing Prayer:

Let Us Pray…Dear Saving God, swallow us up today by your grace, your love, and your healing. Guide us today to your provisions, to your care, and your support. O God, heal us of our sins. O God, make us whole and complete in your love and blessings. O God, lead us away from what distracts us from you. And God, nurture our spirits so that we may be resurrected and made new in your image. All honor and glory is yours, now and forever, amen.

 

Benediction:

This week, may you be blessed by God’s saving grace. May you be blessed by His light and love. And may you be blessed as you allow God to heal you and make you whole. Spend time with God this week and let God work in your life. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, go out into the world knowing that you have been saved by God. And all of God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen

 

 

[1] Hebrew has “big fish,” not whale, according to James Bruckner

[2] Leviticus 18:25-28 and 20:22, the residents are spewed out of the land. In Isaiah 28:4 Ephraim is swallowed in judgment like a ripe fig. In Jeremiah 51:34, Jerusalem is swallowed, digested, and vomited out by Babylon. In Jonah, the metaphor of being swallowed and vomited is turned on its head. Both the swallowing and the vomiting are Jonah’s salvation and deliverance.