Jesus aimed low

I posted about Jonah earlier, wondering why Jesus, who rarely compared himself to another person, would compare himself to Jonah. This morning I have an opportunity to preach about Jonah at church. So I thought I would post my first point ...

You see, the reason why Jesus compared himself to Jonah in chapter 1, when he was in the whale, rather than to Jonah in chapter 3, when he was the conquering evangelist, is that WE are in Jonah chapter 1.

Has God ever told you to do something and you went the exact opposite way? But do you understand that that is our very condition? The human condition is God saying one thing but us buying a ticket to go the other way. And so elsewhere the prophet Isaiah says: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him(self) the iniquity of us all.

If Jesus had only compared himself to the Jonah of chapter 3, there may well be no room for you and me in his saving work on the cross. I don’t know about you but I’ve never gone to a city, spoken a word, and the whole place repents. So Chapter 3 sounds very strange.

But I sure have gone my own way; I sure have felt like I’ve blown it; I sure have felt separated as far as I can be from God. So Chapter 1 sounds very familiar. And it is in that condition that the Lord Jesus says, “I am with you exactly where you are. I had to descend to the very depths in order to save you.” This is the first lesson of Jonah:

Jesus didn't aim high. He aimed low so as to include you and me. There were three people in the belly of that whale: Jonah, you … and Jesus.

Christmas is coming again. We celebrate Christmases year in and year out, but it never occurs to us how absolutely lowly, humbling, simply nasty and grungy it was for the God of the universe to have to descend into the world. There were no Macy's parades, no lights all aglitter, no iPods and Craftsman tools, no new clothing piled under Christmas trees.

Instead of these festive things, take time out to hear a conversation that probably occurred in the Godhead before time began, when the Father said to the Son, "Look, in order for this to work, you’ll have to go to down to the lowest of the low, and die, before you can come back up. Only in that way can you include everybody.” And the Son said, "Yes, that is what I am willing to do."

And so Paul says elsewhere: What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens that he might fill all things…

And all things includes you and me. That is the first reason why Jesus compared himself to Jonah.

Logos2Go

Matthew 12.40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Isaiah 53.6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him(self) the iniquity of us all.

Ephesians 4.9-10 What does he ascended mean except that he also descended to the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens that he might fill all things…”