WEBVTT STYLE ::cue { color: #ffffff; } 00:00:01.050 --> 00:00:02.110 Deep holes, 00:00:02.930 --> 00:00:03.870 pits, 00:00:05.090 --> 00:00:08.830 the fish belly and salvation 00:00:09.250 --> 00:00:10.320 in Christ. 00:00:10.930 --> 00:00:12.542 There's so much to 00:00:12.596 --> 00:00:15.466 say about Jonah. 00:00:15.658 --> 00:00:16.922 If you look at popular 00:00:16.986 --> 00:00:18.030 commentaries, 00:00:18.450 --> 00:00:20.474 jonah is given an emotional 00:00:20.522 --> 00:00:24.014 title he's called the 00:00:24.052 --> 00:00:26.070 Nasty Prophet. 00:00:27.290 --> 00:00:29.266 He was mean and offensive. 00:00:29.378 --> 00:00:31.830 He didn't like God's will and 00:00:31.980 --> 00:00:33.382 didn't care for those 00:00:33.436 --> 00:00:35.494 Ninevites. Well, 00:00:35.532 --> 00:00:37.914 this is a new criteria for me to 00:00:37.952 --> 00:00:39.366 consider the validation 00:00:39.478 --> 00:00:40.730 of a prophet. 00:00:41.070 --> 00:00:44.330 Should we now disregard Peter? 00:00:44.750 --> 00:00:46.346 Should we minimize the 00:00:46.368 --> 00:00:48.582 deep hurt of Thomas, 00:00:48.646 --> 00:00:50.086 who was in despair and 00:00:50.208 --> 00:00:51.630 in deep doubt? 00:00:52.210 --> 00:00:53.402 And what of Paul, 00:00:53.466 --> 00:00:54.474 the great apostle? 00:00:54.522 --> 00:00:56.202 He spoke in rather terse 00:00:56.266 --> 00:00:57.886 language concerning the 00:00:57.908 --> 00:01:00.206 circumcision party as recorded 00:01:00.308 --> 00:01:01.630 in Galatians. 00:01:01.970 --> 00:01:04.994 And what of the Lord Christ? 00:01:05.191 --> 00:01:07.070 Do we throw out now passages 00:01:07.150 --> 00:01:08.894 where Jesus speaks in anger 00:01:09.022 --> 00:01:10.142 at the people's, 00:01:10.206 --> 00:01:13.106 unbelief his sadness at the 00:01:13.128 --> 00:01:15.800 death of Lazarus? No, 00:01:16.570 --> 00:01:18.086 these are real, 00:01:18.268 --> 00:01:20.790 unauthetic people who have had 00:01:20.860 --> 00:01:23.542 experiences that bear to 00:01:23.596 --> 00:01:25.350 our own salvation. 00:01:26.090 --> 00:01:27.618 They navigated through the 00:01:27.644 --> 00:01:29.130 difficult challenges of life. 00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:30.458 And as in the case of 00:01:30.464 --> 00:01:31.402 the Lord Christ, 00:01:31.536 --> 00:01:34.202 we are given salvation through 00:01:34.256 --> 00:01:36.410 his act on the cross. 00:01:36.990 --> 00:01:40.330 Jonah was a man of faith. 00:01:40.850 --> 00:01:42.654 This book teaches us about the 00:01:42.692 --> 00:01:45.294 challenges of being a prophet of 00:01:45.332 --> 00:01:47.882 God and points to the ministry 00:01:47.946 --> 00:01:50.350 of Jesus, his death, 00:01:50.690 --> 00:01:52.758 his time in the tomb, 00:01:52.954 --> 00:01:54.930 and the resurrection. 00:01:55.910 --> 00:01:57.710 Jesus alludes to Jonah 00:01:57.790 --> 00:01:58.930 about himself. 00:02:00.150 --> 00:02:02.702 So much is made about Jonah 00:02:02.766 --> 00:02:05.006 and Jesus. I mean, 00:02:05.128 --> 00:02:08.070 how humiliating for the prophet 00:02:08.650 --> 00:02:11.362 go to a foreign land and preach 00:02:11.426 --> 00:02:13.254 God's words of repentance and 00:02:13.292 --> 00:02:15.414 forgiveness and wonderment and 00:02:15.452 --> 00:02:18.110 beauty to a bunch of barbaric 00:02:18.210 --> 00:02:20.870 vagabonds. Those Ninevites. 00:02:20.950 --> 00:02:24.380 Reminds me of a friend, 00:02:24.750 --> 00:02:26.554 a fellow classmate here 00:02:26.592 --> 00:02:27.690 at the seminary, 00:02:28.270 --> 00:02:30.490 a Chicago Cubs fan. 00:02:32.050 --> 00:02:34.046 It was humiliating for him to 00:02:34.068 --> 00:02:36.382 attend the Seminary in St. 00:02:36.436 --> 00:02:37.230 Louis. 00:02:38.850 --> 00:02:40.714 And aside for preparing 00:02:40.762 --> 00:02:42.218 for the Holy Ministry, 00:02:42.394 --> 00:02:44.474 it became his mission to convert 00:02:44.522 --> 00:02:46.510 many to the Cubs. 00:02:47.570 --> 00:02:49.870 He did not succeed. 00:02:51.010 --> 00:02:52.894 Consider now the humiliation of 00:02:52.932 --> 00:02:54.966 Jesus to come in the form 00:02:55.028 --> 00:02:56.520 of a finite man, 00:02:56.970 --> 00:02:58.646 to suffer for humanity and 00:02:58.668 --> 00:02:59.860 die on a cross for 00:03:00.090 --> 00:03:01.802 those who are intentionally 00:03:01.866 --> 00:03:05.040 enemies of God and his will. 00:03:05.810 --> 00:03:07.374 Jesus wants you to see 00:03:07.412 --> 00:03:08.510 that connection. 00:03:08.850 --> 00:03:10.602 Learn that connection. 00:03:10.746 --> 00:03:13.520 Take it to heart. Teach it. 00:03:14.130 --> 00:03:16.394 Consider where Jonah dwelled 00:03:16.522 --> 00:03:18.160 for those three days. 00:03:19.410 --> 00:03:21.306 Not a place of comfort. 00:03:21.498 --> 00:03:23.422 The belly of a great 00:03:23.476 --> 00:03:25.750 fish dark, 00:03:26.410 --> 00:03:27.160 hot, 00:03:27.930 --> 00:03:29.030 cramped, 00:03:29.610 --> 00:03:30.710 smelly, 00:03:31.530 --> 00:03:32.630 lonely, 00:03:33.290 --> 00:03:34.310 fearful. 00:03:34.730 --> 00:03:36.374 I'll stop the description of 00:03:36.412 --> 00:03:38.726 being in the belly of a fish. 00:03:38.918 --> 00:03:40.502 I do this out of consideration 00:03:40.566 --> 00:03:41.686 for those who may suffer 00:03:41.718 --> 00:03:43.130 from claustrophobia. 00:03:44.510 --> 00:03:46.780 This points to Christ. 00:03:47.230 --> 00:03:48.954 For Jesus said, 00:03:49.152 --> 00:03:50.694 an evil and adulterous 00:03:50.742 --> 00:03:52.846 generation seeks after a sign, 00:03:52.948 --> 00:03:56.266 and no sign will be given except 00:03:56.298 --> 00:03:58.554 a sign of the prophet Jonah. 00:03:58.682 --> 00:04:00.894 For as Jonah was three days and 00:04:00.932 --> 00:04:02.314 three nights in the belly 00:04:02.362 --> 00:04:03.781 of the great fish, 00:04:03.946 --> 00:04:05.906 so will a Son of Man be three 00:04:05.928 --> 00:04:07.986 days and three nights in the 00:04:08.007 --> 00:04:11.010 heart of the earth. After 00:04:11.079 --> 00:04:12.958 his death on the cross, 00:04:13.134 --> 00:04:14.578 Jesus body laid in the 00:04:14.584 --> 00:04:16.279 tomb for three days. 00:04:16.649 --> 00:04:17.733 Having said all that, 00:04:17.772 --> 00:04:19.090 there's one key component 00:04:19.170 --> 00:04:21.522 missing in the Jonah Jesus 00:04:21.586 --> 00:04:24.120 event, and that's you, 00:04:25.290 --> 00:04:26.998 those that are studying for the 00:04:27.004 --> 00:04:28.394 Holy ministry here at 00:04:28.432 --> 00:04:29.930 Concordia Seminary. 00:04:30.590 --> 00:04:32.746 I want to talk to you in 00:04:32.768 --> 00:04:35.110 the context of Jonah. 00:04:35.270 --> 00:04:37.690 The poetic text of Jonah, two, 00:04:37.840 --> 00:04:40.654 is a literal how to when 00:04:40.692 --> 00:04:42.409 navigating through tragedy, 00:04:42.570 --> 00:04:44.490 crisis, loss, 00:04:44.650 --> 00:04:46.686 all under the loving embrace of 00:04:46.707 --> 00:04:49.070 Jesus death on the cross and 00:04:49.140 --> 00:04:51.550 called into ministry. 00:04:52.130 --> 00:04:54.290 I do not anticipate anyone here 00:04:54.360 --> 00:04:56.850 being swallowed by a great fish, 00:04:57.190 --> 00:04:58.706 especially in the context of 00:04:58.728 --> 00:05:00.546 going up against a clear plan of 00:05:00.568 --> 00:05:03.266 God to proclaim His Word to a 00:05:03.288 --> 00:05:05.334 people desperate for the good 00:05:05.372 --> 00:05:06.630 news and the need 00:05:06.700 --> 00:05:07.830 for repentance. 00:05:08.650 --> 00:05:10.470 You who seek ministry, 00:05:10.970 --> 00:05:14.822 you're also human and you 00:05:14.876 --> 00:05:16.760 live in a fallen world. 00:05:17.130 --> 00:05:19.990 And your challenges in ministry 00:05:20.150 --> 00:05:21.866 may feel just as difficult 00:05:21.967 --> 00:05:23.610 as that of Jonah. 00:05:23.950 --> 00:05:24.986 And many of you know 00:05:25.008 --> 00:05:25.530 this already, 00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:27.366 but the average person faces 00:05:27.398 --> 00:05:28.860 a crisis that is, 00:05:29.230 --> 00:05:30.750 everything goes sideways, 00:05:31.490 --> 00:05:32.990 everything stops. 00:05:33.490 --> 00:05:35.039 They can do nothing. 00:05:35.650 --> 00:05:38.080 Everyone the average person, 00:05:38.530 --> 00:05:41.039 every five years. 00:05:41.409 --> 00:05:43.193 When I share that statistic, 00:05:43.322 --> 00:05:44.765 some would object and claim that 00:05:44.788 --> 00:05:46.717 it's in fact every three years 00:05:46.884 --> 00:05:49.710 or two. And so this is average. 00:05:50.289 --> 00:05:53.310 You will have loved ones die. 00:05:54.130 --> 00:05:55.734 You will be struck with 00:05:55.772 --> 00:05:57.890 devastating disappointments 00:05:58.050 --> 00:06:00.846 of those closest to you. 00:06:01.028 --> 00:06:02.314 You may feel abandoned 00:06:02.362 --> 00:06:03.994 for the sake and on behalf 00:06:04.042 --> 00:06:05.440 of the word of God. 00:06:06.050 --> 00:06:08.030 You will be challenged. 00:06:08.530 --> 00:06:11.390 But don't be anxious. 00:06:11.970 --> 00:06:13.870 Don't be afraid. 00:06:14.530 --> 00:06:16.990 You will persevere. 00:06:17.410 --> 00:06:19.614 It is often when times are so 00:06:19.652 --> 00:06:21.486 desperate that the Lord God 00:06:21.588 --> 00:06:23.840 does wondrous things. 00:06:24.450 --> 00:06:24.886 Once, 00:06:24.948 --> 00:06:25.906 serving as a chaplain 00:06:25.938 --> 00:06:27.042 in a war zone, 00:06:27.186 --> 00:06:29.878 I experienced that. The heat of 00:06:29.884 --> 00:06:31.442 the Saudi desert in August 00:06:31.506 --> 00:06:33.346 is almost unbearable. 00:06:33.538 --> 00:06:35.446 The refrigeration system and 00:06:35.468 --> 00:06:37.914 HVAC structures sent to us were 00:06:37.952 --> 00:06:39.254 designed for the European 00:06:39.302 --> 00:06:41.242 theater of operation and did not 00:06:41.296 --> 00:06:43.494 work in the blistering Saudi 00:06:43.542 --> 00:06:45.510 desert. The heat, 00:06:45.670 --> 00:06:48.106 the dust were too much for the 00:06:48.128 --> 00:06:50.366 systems and they failed. Now, 00:06:50.388 --> 00:06:51.422 the right equipment did 00:06:51.476 --> 00:06:53.360 eventually catch up to us. 00:06:53.730 --> 00:06:54.874 During our deployment, 00:06:54.922 --> 00:06:57.040 the food was the same, 00:06:57.570 --> 00:06:59.562 prepared and prepackaged, 00:06:59.626 --> 00:07:01.230 stored years and years 00:07:01.300 --> 00:07:03.860 ago and sent to us. 00:07:04.550 --> 00:07:06.830 Tobacco sauce becomes 00:07:06.909 --> 00:07:08.100 your best friend. 00:07:09.909 --> 00:07:13.154 Humor helps as well. Then, 00:07:13.192 --> 00:07:13.602 of course, 00:07:13.656 --> 00:07:15.686 there is fighting boredom in 00:07:15.707 --> 00:07:17.106 addition to the constant threat 00:07:17.138 --> 00:07:18.226 of missile attacks. 00:07:18.258 --> 00:07:20.262 And by the way, years later, 00:07:20.316 --> 00:07:21.014 in a different war, 00:07:21.052 --> 00:07:22.966 I was in Afghanistan and my 00:07:22.988 --> 00:07:24.710 position was rocketed. 00:07:25.530 --> 00:07:28.950 They missed lousy shots. 00:07:30.170 --> 00:07:31.354 In the desert during 00:07:31.392 --> 00:07:32.490 that war long ago, 00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:33.834 we knew we were going 00:07:33.952 --> 00:07:34.854 on a powerful, 00:07:34.902 --> 00:07:36.246 overwhelming offensive. 00:07:36.358 --> 00:07:37.782 It was going to be a massive 00:07:37.846 --> 00:07:40.134 attack force and we did not 00:07:40.192 --> 00:07:42.938 know when anxiety builds. 00:07:43.114 --> 00:07:43.978 As a chaplain, 00:07:43.994 --> 00:07:44.766 you have to come up with 00:07:44.788 --> 00:07:46.874 innovative Bible study sermons, 00:07:47.002 --> 00:07:48.858 create and encourage choirs, 00:07:48.954 --> 00:07:50.554 have events to keep smart 00:07:50.602 --> 00:07:52.480 soldiers from going crazy. 00:07:52.950 --> 00:07:55.010 In this, you are not alone. 00:07:55.670 --> 00:07:56.578 In my case, 00:07:56.664 --> 00:07:59.134 a group of engineers using spare 00:07:59.182 --> 00:08:01.134 wood and on their own initiative 00:08:01.182 --> 00:08:03.950 built an altar for me, a pulpit, 00:08:04.110 --> 00:08:06.694 pews and a cross made out of 00:08:06.732 --> 00:08:07.926 leftover materials such 00:08:07.948 --> 00:08:09.650 as wood and steel. 00:08:09.810 --> 00:08:11.346 They offered the largest covered 00:08:11.378 --> 00:08:12.822 structure in our containment area 00:08:12.876 --> 00:08:15.986 to have church. Although busy, 00:08:16.018 --> 00:08:17.526 loneliness creeps in. 00:08:17.707 --> 00:08:19.169 You are always dirty. 00:08:19.330 --> 00:08:21.610 You learn the value of a shower, 00:08:22.030 --> 00:08:23.850 clean, dry clothes. 00:08:24.590 --> 00:08:26.634 And I got through it. 00:08:26.752 --> 00:08:28.682 And as I reflect back on my time 00:08:28.736 --> 00:08:30.610 in the belly of that fish, 00:08:30.789 --> 00:08:32.234 it was the most productive 00:08:32.282 --> 00:08:34.270 ministry of my 35 years 00:08:34.340 --> 00:08:35.630 as a pastor. 00:08:36.289 --> 00:08:38.842 You will be placed into a pit. 00:08:38.986 --> 00:08:41.309 This cannot be avoided. 00:08:41.730 --> 00:08:43.726 You will be thrown down, 00:08:43.908 --> 00:08:46.090 crushed, devastated, 00:08:46.250 --> 00:08:48.174 where all the tools you have 00:08:48.292 --> 00:08:50.090 intellect, finance, 00:08:50.170 --> 00:08:53.600 health will not get you out. 00:08:54.050 --> 00:08:55.720 It happens to every one. 00:08:56.250 --> 00:08:59.090 Luther had the phrase anfechtung. 00:09:00.090 --> 00:09:01.438 Cut to the heart 00:09:01.604 --> 00:09:04.282 experience. A work of the devil 00:09:04.426 --> 00:09:07.578 in our fallen sinful flesh. 00:09:07.754 --> 00:09:09.294 So what does one do when 00:09:09.332 --> 00:09:11.370 dwelling in the belly of a fish? 00:09:11.530 --> 00:09:12.814 There are things we learn from 00:09:12.852 --> 00:09:15.520 Jonah, who points to Christ. 00:09:15.890 --> 00:09:18.154 Consider the prayer of Jonah. 00:09:18.282 --> 00:09:19.966 I called out to the Lord out of 00:09:19.988 --> 00:09:23.486 my distress, and he answered me. 00:09:23.668 --> 00:09:25.106 Jonah says you don't 00:09:25.178 --> 00:09:26.402 do it alone, 00:09:26.546 --> 00:09:27.846 that through the power of the 00:09:27.868 --> 00:09:29.270 Holy Spirit, our God, 00:09:29.340 --> 00:09:31.094 our gracious and loving God, 00:09:31.212 --> 00:09:32.694 is still with us. 00:09:32.812 --> 00:09:34.646 Even though Jonah was not in 00:09:34.668 --> 00:09:36.870 a good place, he was there. 00:09:37.020 --> 00:09:38.214 So don't deny it 00:09:38.252 --> 00:09:39.658 when you're in an anfechtung or 00:09:39.664 --> 00:09:41.126 in the belly of a fish. 00:09:41.238 --> 00:09:43.226 Do not reason your way out of 00:09:43.248 --> 00:09:45.510 it. Don't self medicate. 00:09:45.670 --> 00:09:47.686 Do not further isolate, 00:09:47.878 --> 00:09:49.402 but acknowledge it. 00:09:49.536 --> 00:09:51.422 Lift it up in prayer to the God 00:09:51.476 --> 00:09:52.894 of all mercy and the 00:09:52.932 --> 00:09:54.298 God of all comfort. 00:09:54.394 --> 00:09:56.990 And Jonah continues I went down 00:09:57.060 --> 00:09:59.194 to the land whose bars closed 00:09:59.242 --> 00:10:01.470 upon me forever, 00:10:02.130 --> 00:10:03.986 yet you brought up my life from 00:10:04.008 --> 00:10:06.580 the pit, O Lord my God, 00:10:06.950 --> 00:10:08.850 when life was fainting away, 00:10:09.000 --> 00:10:10.478 I remembered the Lord, 00:10:10.574 --> 00:10:13.010 and my prayer came to you into 00:10:13.080 --> 00:10:16.338 your holy temple. On place in the 00:10:16.344 --> 00:10:18.786 pit remember you are not alone. 00:10:18.978 --> 00:10:21.270 God goes with you. 00:10:21.420 --> 00:10:23.206 Also think of Godly men who are 00:10:23.228 --> 00:10:24.774 thrown into a pit as well. 00:10:24.892 --> 00:10:27.622 Joseph Genesis Chapter 37. 00:10:27.756 --> 00:10:28.594 Jeremiah, 00:10:28.642 --> 00:10:29.786 as recorded in his book, 00:10:29.808 --> 00:10:31.834 the 38th chapter. Of course, 00:10:31.872 --> 00:10:33.226 there's Daniel. Oh, 00:10:33.248 --> 00:10:34.054 he wasn't alone. 00:10:34.102 --> 00:10:35.750 He had a pride of hungry lions 00:10:35.830 --> 00:10:37.100 to keep him company. 00:10:37.790 --> 00:10:40.814 Daniel also had the shield of 00:10:40.852 --> 00:10:43.440 the Almighty protecting him. 00:10:44.130 --> 00:10:45.390 Horrible pits, 00:10:45.730 --> 00:10:47.418 dark holes of despair, 00:10:47.594 --> 00:10:49.246 suffocating confines in 00:10:49.268 --> 00:10:50.586 the belly of a fish, 00:10:50.698 --> 00:10:53.614 sinful condition, life, drama, 00:10:53.742 --> 00:10:56.590 loss and loneliness and trauma 00:10:56.750 --> 00:11:02.114 point us to Christ and we run to 00:11:02.152 --> 00:11:05.038 him. Jonah points to Christ. 00:11:05.224 --> 00:11:07.126 This is the Easter event of 00:11:07.148 --> 00:11:08.834 the resurrection, Lord. 00:11:08.962 --> 00:11:10.034 He defeated death, 00:11:10.082 --> 00:11:11.554 hell and the grave, 00:11:11.682 --> 00:11:13.026 the pits of despair, 00:11:13.138 --> 00:11:14.434 the prison of the fish 00:11:14.482 --> 00:11:16.440 belly and all things. 00:11:17.450 --> 00:11:18.938 The closing prayer of Jonah is 00:11:18.944 --> 00:11:21.210 an expression then of great joy. 00:11:21.630 --> 00:11:23.734 Those who pay regard to vain 00:11:23.782 --> 00:11:25.914 idols forsake their hope of 00:11:25.952 --> 00:11:28.202 steadfast love. But I, 00:11:28.256 --> 00:11:29.494 with the voice of thanksgiving, 00:11:29.542 --> 00:11:31.486 will sacrifice to you what 00:11:31.508 --> 00:11:33.726 I have vowed I will pay. 00:11:33.908 --> 00:11:36.590 Salvation comes to the Lord. 00:11:37.330 --> 00:11:40.458 We are not alone in our trauma, 00:11:40.554 --> 00:11:43.069 in our loneliness and isolation. 00:11:43.410 --> 00:11:44.206 Remember, 00:11:44.388 --> 00:11:47.040 trauma happens all the time, 00:11:47.410 --> 00:11:49.374 but grace abounds and 00:11:49.412 --> 00:11:50.366 overcomes it. 00:11:50.468 --> 00:11:51.754 We grow from our trauma 00:11:51.802 --> 00:11:53.406 experiences and thus can be of 00:11:53.428 --> 00:11:55.990 great help to others who suffer. 00:11:56.330 --> 00:11:57.698 You bring a healing component 00:11:57.714 --> 00:11:58.498 to trauma. 00:11:58.594 --> 00:11:59.810 The power of the resurrected. 00:12:00.170 --> 00:12:01.946 Christ, received by faith, 00:12:02.058 --> 00:12:04.410 given through the Holy Spirit. 00:12:04.570 --> 00:12:06.394 Be an expert in trauma. 00:12:06.522 --> 00:12:08.394 Learn and acquire skills. 00:12:08.522 --> 00:12:09.742 Even more so 00:12:09.796 --> 00:12:11.690 be a student of God's precious 00:12:11.770 --> 00:12:14.410 word of comfort and consolation, 00:12:14.570 --> 00:12:16.510 even when in a deep pit. 00:12:16.930 --> 00:12:18.320 Take care of your family. 00:12:18.770 --> 00:12:20.000 Take care of yourself. 00:12:20.450 --> 00:12:22.526 Listen to Jonah as even in 00:12:22.548 --> 00:12:24.950 despair, who points to the 00:12:24.980 --> 00:12:26.840 Resurrected Christ. 00:12:27.450 --> 00:12:28.920 In Jesus name. 00:12:29.530 --> 00:12:30.498 Amen.