Third Sunday After Epiphany

1. { The First Half of The Church Calendar }

2. ADVENT ~ Week 1
The Third Sunday After The
January 21, 2018

3. JesusFishWithCross
-Mark1:14-20-
byGeorgeWalsh(2005)

4. IXTHUSDOOR
-Mark1:14-20-
BriteDivinitySchool,Texas
Jesus * Christ * God’s * Son * Savior

5. ProphetJonahBeforeThe
WallsofNinevah
-Jonah3:1-5,10-
byRembrandt,Austria(1655)

6. Perfect Light of revelation,
as you shone in the life of Jesus,
whose epiphany we celebrate,
so shine in us and through us,
that we may become beacons
of truth and compassion,
enlightening all creation
with deeds of justice and mercy. Amen.
A Prayer For The Epiphany

7. ADVENT ~ Week 1
The Third Sunday After The
January 21, 2018

8. Brian Zahnd
“You cannot un-know what you know
and be true to yourself.”

9. Taking the Bible SERIOUSLY
doesn’t necessarily mean
Reading all its stories LITERALLY
Jared Byas: The Bible For Normal People Podcast

10. Taking the Bible SERIOUSLY
doesn’t necessarily mean
Reading all its stories LITERALLY
We need to take the text as it is and let it speak
as it chooses to (following the evidence where it
leads), and not as we wish/assume it to…
Jared Byas: The Bible For Normal People Podcast

11. A Couple Introductory Conclusions
1. I USED TO READ JONAH AS LITERAL HISTORY
- Based on what I’ve studied/learned, I no longer do;
in the process I’ve come to love/respect it even more!

12. A Couple Introductory Conclusions
2. YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY FREE TO DISAGREE ON THIS
- The lessons we’ll explore today don’t rest on whether
or not we view this text as “parable/parody” or as
“literal” accounts of “actual historical events”
1. I USED TO READ JONAH AS LITERAL HISTORY
- Based on what I’ve studied/learned, I no longer do;
in the process I’ve come to love/respect it even more!

13. 1. JONAH IS PARABLE/PARODY, NOT “HISTORY”
- Contains no dates/king’s name/mention of Assyria
(Ninevah was the capital city); far less historical
data than other prophets; more “Once upon a time…”
- Jonah only has one other mention in the OT
- Theme of irony (e.g. Amittai; conversion/deconversion)
- Lots of Hebrew linguistic devices and a heavy use
of hyperbole/exaggeration/parody/repetition
Three Key Points to Understanding Jonah

14. 2. JONAH IS A PARABLE/PARODY ABOUT ISRAEL
- Calling to obedience; rebellion/disobedience
- Babylonian exile/self-exile; the whale/return
- Redemption/grumbling: exodus/desert; fish/Ninevah
- Ch.2 = pastiche of numerous Psalms stitched together
Three Key Points to Understanding Jonah

15. 3. JONAH IS A STORY OF REPEATED DESCENT
- “He went down to Joppa…” (1:3)
- “…down into the hold of the ship…” (1:5)
- “…threw him into the sea…” (1:15)
- “I went down to the land…” (2:6)
Three Key Points to Understanding Jonah

16. ~ Telling The Story of Jonah ~

17. 1. GOD IS WITH YOU IN THE DEPTHS
- Whether self-inflicted or through no fault of your own
Encouragement from Jonah’s Story

18. 1. GOD IS WITH YOU IN THE DEPTHS
- Whether self-inflicted or through no fault of your own
Encouragement from Jonah’s Story
2. GOD LOVES AMIDST DISOBEDIENCE/REPENTANCE
- Israel/Jonah; Assyria/Ninevah; Church/you & me

19. 1. GOD IS WITH YOU IN THE DEPTHS
- Whether self-inflicted or through no fault of your own
Encouragement from Jonah’s Story
3. GOD REALLY DOES LOOK LIKE JESUS
- Jonah 4:2, 11
2. GOD LOVES AMIDST DISOBEDIENCE/REPENTANCE
- Israel/Jonah; Assyria/Ninevah; Church/you & me

20. …for I knew that You are
a gracious God and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding
in steadfast love, and ready
to relent from punishing.
Jonah 4:2

21. And should I not be concerned
about Ninevah, that great city,
in which there are more than
a hundred and twenty thousand
persons who do not know their
right hand from their left,
and also many animals?
Jonah 4:11

22. 1. GOD IS WITH YOU IN THE DEPTHS
- Whether self-inflicted or through no fault of your own
Encouragement from Jonah’s Story
3. GOD REALLY DOES LOOK LIKE JESUS
- Jonah 4:2, 11
4. GOD LOVES OUR ENEMIES & THE VULNERABLE
- Who are our “Ninevites”? What is our “Ninevah”?
2. GOD LOVES AMIDST DISOBEDIENCE/REPENTANCE
- Israel/Jonah; Assyria/Ninevah; Church/you & me

23. "A Jonah lurks in every Christian heart,
whimpering his insidious message of smug
prejudice, empty traditionalism, and exclusive
solidarity. He that has ears to hear, let him hear
and allow the saving love of God which has been
outpoured in his own heart to remold his
thinking and social orientation."
Leslie C. Allen (1976)

24. God of the prophets,
you call us from evil to serve you.
Fulfill in us your commonwealth of justice and joy,
that the light of your presence
may be revealed to all nations,
to the glory of Jesus' name.
Amen.
A Closing Prayer

25. Hear, O Israel:
the Lord our God, the Lord is one;
you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your mind,
and with all your strength.’
And, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
There is no other commandment
greater than these.
Mark 12