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Monday of the Fourth Week after the Epiphany
Today’s Reading: Jonah 1:1-17
Daily Lectionary: Job 1:1-22; John 1:1-18
And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Word of the Lord came to Jonah. And Jonah ran the other way. The Lord said, “Arise, go to Nineveh.” And Jonah rose to flee the Lord’s presence. Jonah even tried hiding in the cargo hold of a ship. But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea. Jonah couldn’t hide. He was hurled overboard. The sea was calm. The men on board worshiped the Lord. And Jonah was in the belly of a great fish.
In Jonah we see both our sin and our Savior. We’re a lot like Jonah. The Word of the Lord says, “Love the Lord with all your heart and soul and mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.” And we go and do the opposite. We love ourselves, just like Jonah. We run away from the Lord’s Word, just like Jonah. Why? Because we’re sinners just like Jonah. And sinners don’t need a little rehab, a spiritual make-over, or a little remodeling. Sinners need to die and rise.
And that’s exactly what happened to Jonah in that great fish. He was buried in the water and the fish spat him out. Death and resurrection. The same is true for you. Your rebellious, self-serving, self-righteous sins and death are buried in water. Christ hurls His mighty wind of the Holy Spirit upon you, throws you into the sea of Baptism, and drowns your old sinful flesh. Like the great fish, Jesus (like the Greek acronym, Icthus) swallows your sin and death and spits you out of the font, alive and well.
For Jesus is your Greater Jonah. Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man was three days and three nights in the belly of the earth. And behold, someone greater than Jonah is here for you. Jesus, the Word of the Lord in human flesh, comes for you in the font, the altar, and the pulpit, bringing His death and resurrection for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
All the earth with joy is sounding: Christ has risen from the dead! He, the greater Jonah, bounding From the grave, His three-day bed, Wins the prize: Death’s demise—Songs of triumph fill the skies. (All the Earth with Joy Is Sounding, LSB 462:1)
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By Higher Things®Today’s Reading: Jonah 1:1-17
Daily Lectionary: Job 1:1-22; John 1:1-18
And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Word of the Lord came to Jonah. And Jonah ran the other way. The Lord said, “Arise, go to Nineveh.” And Jonah rose to flee the Lord’s presence. Jonah even tried hiding in the cargo hold of a ship. But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea. Jonah couldn’t hide. He was hurled overboard. The sea was calm. The men on board worshiped the Lord. And Jonah was in the belly of a great fish.
In Jonah we see both our sin and our Savior. We’re a lot like Jonah. The Word of the Lord says, “Love the Lord with all your heart and soul and mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.” And we go and do the opposite. We love ourselves, just like Jonah. We run away from the Lord’s Word, just like Jonah. Why? Because we’re sinners just like Jonah. And sinners don’t need a little rehab, a spiritual make-over, or a little remodeling. Sinners need to die and rise.
And that’s exactly what happened to Jonah in that great fish. He was buried in the water and the fish spat him out. Death and resurrection. The same is true for you. Your rebellious, self-serving, self-righteous sins and death are buried in water. Christ hurls His mighty wind of the Holy Spirit upon you, throws you into the sea of Baptism, and drowns your old sinful flesh. Like the great fish, Jesus (like the Greek acronym, Icthus) swallows your sin and death and spits you out of the font, alive and well.
For Jesus is your Greater Jonah. Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man was three days and three nights in the belly of the earth. And behold, someone greater than Jonah is here for you. Jesus, the Word of the Lord in human flesh, comes for you in the font, the altar, and the pulpit, bringing His death and resurrection for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
All the earth with joy is sounding: Christ has risen from the dead! He, the greater Jonah, bounding From the grave, His three-day bed, Wins the prize: Death’s demise—Songs of triumph fill the skies. (All the Earth with Joy Is Sounding, LSB 462:1)