#DailyDevotion New Locations Won’t Solve Your Problems Without A New Heart
Jonah 1:11-17 11“What should we do with you to make the sea calm down for us?” they asked him. The storm was getting worse and worse. 12“Take me,” he told them, “and throw me into the sea, and the sea will calm down for you. I know I’m the reason this big storm has come upon you.” 13Then the men rowed hard to get the ship to the shore but couldn’t do it; the sea was raging worse and worse against them. 14“Please, LORD,” they cried to the LORD, “Don’t let us perish for taking this man’s life, and don’t charge us with murdering an innocent man, since You, LORD, do as You like.” 15So they took Jonah and threw him into the sea, and it stopped its raging. 16Then the men started to fear the LORD very much, and they offered sacrifices to the LORD and made vows.17The LORD ordered a big fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
The sailors are more honorable than Jonah. He brought this upon them by his sin. Nevertheless they do not want to throw Jonah overboard. True, Jonah does tell them to throw him over and they will ge safe. I don’t think Jonah is really worried about them. I’m thinking he’s guessing he is going to die and that will be the end of it. Eventually the sailors listen to Jonah and pray to his God to not charge his blood to their hands. In the midst of that they toss Jonah and the sea stops raging.
Have you been Jonah? Do you bring chaos into people’s lives by your disobedience, by your sin? If people got rid of you (metaphorically speaking) would their lives suddenly improve. I know we don’t like to think like this. We are indeed good people. We never harm anyone. I believe it was machine gun Kelly as the police surrounded his hotel after he had murdered several people who expressed this exact sentiment. You may not be quite as bad or good as him. But you know what? You have hurt people. You’re not as good as you think. Even if you do outwardly good deeds you may have alternative motives or you pat yourself on the back for them. Of course, you may recognize all the chaos you bring into other people’s lives and while you may not fully enjoy or like it, you don’t regret it enough to stop. You might not even have the power to stop. What then?
Well let’s get back to Jonah. The LORD was not finished with Jonah. He was not going to get away with his disobedience all that easily. The LORD sent a big fish to swallow Jonah and he was inside the fish three days and three nights. Many people because of the prayer he utters there think he alive in the fish. With the LORD anything is possible. I don’t think so. I think he is dead. I think he is dead because he is the sign of Jesus the Messiah. Jesus was in the bellly of the earth for three days and on the third day he was resurrected to eternal life. Jonah not quite that lucky as he isn’t the Messiah but only a sign of the Messiah. He will be vomited alive, onshore by the big fish (whatever kind of big fish that was).
Was Jonah any better for it? Not that we can really tell. He does go and do what the LORD orders. He preaches 40 days and Nivevah is toast! Well the people repent (unlike Jonah) at least for a while. In baptism you however are raised with Christ in newness of life. In Christ you are made a different person. You have been freed from your sin and slavery to it.
Heavenly Father, as we are resurrected to newness of life in Jesus’ baptism, grant us your Holy Spirit so we may live repentant lives and walk in all your ways. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.