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Jonah 1 & 2

The Wideness in God’s Mercy

You probably already know the story from when you were growing up. It was probably called “Jonah and the Whale” or, “A Wale of a Tale” or, something like that. Well, the fact is the Old Testament book of Jonah is not primarily about a whale or, about whether or not there was a fish big enough to swallow a full-grown, adult human being and then hold him in its stomach for three days and three nights. No, Jonah is about a prodigal prophet. It’s an Old Testament version of the parable Jesus told about the prodigal sons and their father in Luke 15. But in this case, Jonah looks like both the younger son who ran away from His father, then squandered his life and, at the same time, Jonah looks like the older prodigal son who refused to rejoice at the return home of his brother. What is this wideness in God’s mercy all about? Why does the grace of God become such a scandal to so many of our hearts and minds? Why do we so often want justice for others, but grace and mercy for ourselves? Join Pastor Jim as he helps us see the real message at the heart of the story of the petulant, prodigal prophet known as Jonah and the way it points forward to the greater Jonah, Jesus Christ.