1 ARE YOU WILLINGTO CHEER WHEN GOD BLESSES ANOTHER PERSON?

(9/18/11)

SCRIPTURES: Jonah 3:10-4:11 & Matthew 20: 1-16 KEY CONCEPTS: Gods grace & mercy are far greater than humanitys sin & even the ability of disciples of Christ to appreciate for themselves & for others deemed undeserving. HEBREW READING JONAH 3:10-4:11: If weve ever heard of the prophet, Jonah, is was probably in relation to Jonah being swallowed by a big fish & although thats a great storyits not one well discuss today. By way of background, the entire story of Jonah was told in traditional folktale style as a prose narrative about Jonah himself. Jonah, a recalcitrant prophet tried to flee from God & his mission. He reluctantly goes to Nineveh, speaks harsh words of warning & then sulks when the people of the town repent. The person Jonah was based on an obscure Galilean prophet who counseled Jeroboam II (788-747 BCE). The 4 short chapters of this book contain folktale, fable, satire & allegory. Key points include: A disobedient prophet (Jonah) The ironic conversion of foreigners to faith in God The breadth of Gods saving love & grace

The dominant themes of this book are repentance & deliverance. This book skillfully calls Israel (& its current readers) to repentance & reminds us of Gods extravagant mercy & forgiveness. CONTEMPORARY APPLICATION: So, what might we learn from this ancient story? In the final verses of this short book, God exposes Jonahs egotism & selfishness. Jonah is angry & embarrassed because his words (or destruction) will not come true & he will be judged as a false prophet. Unlike God, Jonah is more concerned for his own credibility than for the lives of thousands of non-Jews. Jonah is like a pouty child! Just look at the text! 1. People repent (3:6-9) 2. God showed mercy (3:10) 3. Jonah is angered by Gods mercy toward the people (4:1-3) 4. Jonah is it right for you to be angry? (4:4) 5. Jonah sits outside the city to see if God will change Gods mind & still destroy it. God sends a bush to shade Jonah (& hes very glad) & happy about the bush (4:5-6) 6. God sends a worm to eat the bush (4:7) which angers Jonah all over again (4: 8-9) 7. Punch line: Jonah, is it right for you to be angry about this bush? Jonah says yes. And God then drives the real point home. You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor & which you did not grow; it came into being in a night & perished in a night. AND should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 people who dont know their right hand from their left hand, & also many animals? (4:9-11) KEY LESSONS FROM JONAH: (1) God can use even disobedient people to bring about Gods larger plan. (2) (2) Gods mercy, forgiveness & love are far greater than anything we can imagine. (3) (3) AND it is so great that we as disciples of Christ may often question another persons RIGHT to have God work on their behalf. (4) Sometimes were more concerned about our creature comforts (i.e. natures caring

for us, a shade tree, etc.) instead of other people who are ALSO created in Gods image (5) This passage clearly states that God was interested not only in the human beings but also the animals of Nineveh how about that? TRANSITION: In addition to this Hebrew reading, we also find a similar story in todays Gospel reading in the story of The Laborers in the Vineyard. GOSPEL READING MATTHEW 20: 1-16: This story is unique to the book of Matthew & challenges the conventional views of just rewards. Workers were recruited at 6 AM; 9 AM; Noon; 3 PM & 5 PM. The work day ended at 6 PM & the daily wage of a denarius was enough money to provide one days worth of food for a family. Every worker, regardless of how long/short they worked, received a days pay. Those workers hired at 6 AM complained because the landowner paid every person the same amount. I note 3 key phrases for consideration: 1. Made them equal to us (v. 12). This phrase presumes that justice requires distributing societys goods in proportion to status & merit. This is a common economic reality; but this story demonstrates that the dominion/ reign of God is NOT like any earthly economic system. 2. Allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me (v.15) This is NOT a general statement of economic rights, but rather an assertion of permission to exceed conventional expectation when dealing with men, women & children who are created in the very image & likeness of God. INSIGHT: Also, I submit this second meaning for those of us who have chosen to be disciples of Christ hear this phrase again. You have chosen to submit & surrender your life to me to follow the life, teachings & call of Jesus Christ. In essence, you belong to me. Therefore, I am I not allowed to do with YOU as I choose? You belong to me, therefore, how you spend your life, how you spend your money, how you spend your time are ALL connected to me! 3. Or are you envious because I am generous? The landlord hits the nail on the head because the complaint comes in this story because those who were grumbling were motivated by greed, by jealousy & by ego. They felt like they were better than the others & deserved better treatment & payment. CLOSING: Sowhere do you find yourself in each of these stories today? Are you more like Jonah & the early morning day laborers? Do you feel resentful when someone gets something you wanted for yourself? Do you keep score & blame God is someone who is less holy than you gets something that you perceive you deserve? Do you spend much of your time grumbling, murmuring & complaining.finding fault with others whom God loves as much as God loves you?! Can you sincerely cheer when someone else catches a break & has something good happen in his/her life? Do you see yourself as God sees you as well as seeing other people as God sees them?