The book of Jonah is a story of miracles. Unfortunately, a minor character - the great fish - gets all the press. The miracles of note are the repentance of Nineveh, and, more importantly, the mercy of God. This is the focus of Jonah 3:1-5,10, the First Reading for the Third Sunday after Epiphany in the Year of Mark. It is a text as full of grace as any in the Old Testament. It will be the preacher's delight to announce this grace.
(The following questions have been developed to get at some fundamental concerns of Law and Gospel preaching around the function of the Word. For more about this method, and Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)
1. How does the Word function in the text? The Word functions primarily as Gospel, especially the last verse: "God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them." Even the brief message from Jonah is a signal of grace, for he announces that God's judgment will come in 40 days. There is a 'grace period', as it were.
2. How is the Word not functioning in the text? While God's threatened judgment is certainly part of the story, there is really no word of Law here (i.e. The Word functioning to expose our need for a Savior). Jonah's five word sermon announces the Law, but the Law is not directed at the reader.
3. With whom are you identifying in the text? Since it is always important to identify with those to whom the Word is addressed, we have two choices here. We can identify with Jonah or with the Ninevites. To Jonah the word is "Get up, go, proclaim." To the Ninevites, the word is, "Repent."
4. What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text? The word to Jonah is a classic call to obedience. Jonah is a called prophet of God's people. He has a job to do and God calls him to it. He, of course, famously tries to outrun the Lord in the first go-round, but eventually obeys.
5. What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text? The obvious couplet in this story is judgment/mercy, or the city overthrown/the city saved. God's grace is clear.
6. Exegetical work: From the ancients to modern day, scholars have marveled at the complete repentance of Nineveh. 4th century bishop and scholar, John Chrysostom had this to say: "[The Ninevites] do not know the issue, and yet they do not neglect repentance. They are unacquainted with the method of the lovingkindnesss of God, and they are changed amid uncertainty. They had no other Ninevites to look to, who had repented and been saved. They had not read the prophets or heard the patriarchs, or benefited by counsel, or partaken of instruction, nor had they persuaded themselves that they should altogether propitiate God by repentance. For the threat did not contain this. But they doubted and hesitated about this, and yet they repented with all carefulness." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, OT, vol. XIV, p. 144). For George Robinson, early 20th century commentator, the repentance of the Ninevites is overshadowed by the miracle of God's abundant mercy: "The catholicity of divine grace - this is the chief lesson of this book...It is the Old Testament counterpart to John 3:16, "For God so loved the world." (The Twelve Minor Prophets, p. 90). Modern day scholar, James Limburg, has this to say: "The response of the citizens of this city has been held up as exemplary not only in Judaism. Jesus commended them, 'because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah'... The Midrash on Jonah gives a number of concrete illustrations of Nineveh's repentance. The Koran also holds up the Ninevites as exemplary because of their faith." (The OT Library series, Jonah, pp. 87-88).
7. How does the Crossings community model work with this text? Dana Bjorlin does a nice job of separating this text into two parts: Jonah's mission and God's mission. Clearly, Jonah's mission is incomplete and lacking in every way; God's mission is perfect in every way. See the complete analysis archived under its reference at crossings.org/text-study.
Blessings on your proclamation!
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