But the horse was rescued from the reject bin and becomes a legend, and recently the subject of a movie.
One of the main characters in the movie Sea biscuit, is a broken-down, unemployed cowboy named Tom Smith. Millionaire Charles Howard, who is about to engage in a horse racing enterprise, has a campfire interview with Smith, and asks why he bothered rescuing an old, lame horse that was sentenced to death because of a broken leg.
Tom replies, "You don't throw a whole life away just ?cause it's banged up a bit." Every horse is good for something, Tom claims.
And God says that about every person: "You don't just throw away a whole life because it's banged up a bit."1
And so God calls on Jonah to go to Nineveh, a great city in which God says, the inhabitants " do not know their right hand from their left." He is saying, they are ignorant and their . . .
Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.? Jonah 3:9
In the mid 1930's an unlikely horse became a racing sensation. Its name was Sea biscuit and was the perfect hero for the depression era when so many people saw their dreams end up on the scrap pile. Sea biscuit was an undersized underachiever that no one thought could succeed. Just another casualty in a tough and cruel world.
But the horse was rescued from the reject bin and becomes a legend, and recently the subject of a movie.
One of the main characters in the movie Sea biscuit, is a broken-down, unemployed cowboy named Tom Smith. Millionaire Charles Howard, who is about to engage in a horse racing enterprise, has a campfire interview with Smith, and asks why he bothered rescuing an old, lame horse that was sentenced to death because of a broken leg.
Tom replies, "You don't throw a whole life away just ?cause it's banged up a bit." Every horse is good for something, Tom claims.
And God says that about every person: "You don't just throw away a whole life because it's banged up a bit."1
And so God calls on Jonah to go to Nineveh, a great city in which God says, the inhabitants " do not know their right hand from their left." He is saying, they are ignorant and their ignorance is leading them into decadent lifestyles.
So why should God care?
Actually that is Jonah's issue. He would say, "so what? Let them die."
But God's mercy is a whole lot bigger than Jonah's
Nineveh is the capital of Assyria, in what is modern day Syria. The Assyrians and the Jews were enemies. Besides, Assyrians were gentiles and beyond God's interest anyway, or so Jonah would think.
In Jonah's way of thinking, it would be more natural just to see God nuke them all anyway.
That would be Jonah's reply... Just nuke ?em all God! The world is too full of camel jockeys anyway. Who needs them?
Certainly not Jonah.
They were trouble and always would be so they were dispensable.
The book of Jonah is a short story and one of the very best. It stands up there is Ruth and Esther and Job as among the worlds best short stories ever written. It's surprising ending is both humorous and tragic, but leaves open the door to hope.
So in a manner that is both serious and highly whimsical, God tells Jonah to go and preach in Nineveh that God is angry with them and that they should repent of their evil ways.
Jonah's response is to say, why me, Lord?, and to head in the opposite direction. Instead of heading northeast overland, he finds a ship and sets out west for the farthest destination he can imagine: Tarshish, probably in modern Spain.
But God does not give up on Jonah that easily and sends a storm which frightens the sailors. They draw lots and the guilt falls on Jonah, who admits he has angered the God the creator of the land and the seas. The frightened sailors ask what they can do. Jonah says, throw me overboard into God's hands and the storm will subside. Reluctantly they do so and immediately the storm dies down.
Then comes the one part that everyone remembers about Jonah. The Big Fish.
The fish is a bit more than an incidental detail, but not central. God sends the fish which swallows Jonah whole. While in the fish, Jonah repents and asks God for mercy.
God's reply is clear: "Why throw away a whole life just because it's banged up a bit" and has the fish deposit Jonah back on dry land.
God says again to Jonah, "go to Nineveh".
This time, a chastened man, Jonah goes.
He enters Nineveh and in the course of his visit begins preaching God's word of judgment and warning that God is about to destroy the city.
The king hears and is convinced.
He orders the entire city to repent and wear sackcloth as a sign that they got the message.
God sees and is pleased that the word got through to them.
He relents of the judgment and the city is spared.
On the surface of it, that would make the natural ending to the story.
Jonah repents.
Nineveh repents.
God relents.
Story over.
Except that is not the ending.
Theologically, it is not even the main point of the book of Jonah.
It is important, and it frames the issue that the book is dealing with: bigotry and lack of compassion for those different from us.
In the last scene, we see Jonah sitting on a hill overlooking the city.
Is he smiling with pleasure, dancing with joy?
Nope, not a bit.
He is sitting in a home-made shelter, pouting.
He is acting a lot like my four year old grandson when his mom tells him that, no he cannot have another cookie.
We are told Jonah is very angry with God for sparing Nineveh and says, "it would be better to die, than this outcome."
No doubt Jonah was gleefully expecting something resembling the last days of Pompeii to hit Nineveh, but God cancels the event at the last minute.
And in a moment that reveals his soul, he says "I just knew it! That's why I ran away. I knew you were a God who is compassionate and merciful!" I think you need to hear a real sneer of derision in the words "compassionate" and "merciful".
He is calling God a liberal-minded, weak-kneed bleeding heart. Or something to the effect.
Jonah would say "nuke every camel jockey from Baghdad to Tehran!"
He would in today's context. In his context he just says, "let Nineveh burn!"
But God says "no".
And Jonah just says, why me, Lord?
Then God causes a vine to grow up giving Jonah some shade.
Jonah accepts this gladly, but he sticks around in hope of seeing something bad happening to Nineveh.
God causes the vine to die and Jonah again is in despair.
God asks him, "is it good to be angry about the vine's death?"
Jonah says, "you bet it is. I am plenty upset."
The last sentence from God on the subject and the end of the book is to say, very much the way my daughter speaks to Micah when he is pouting... Well Jonah, that's interesting. You are upset over a vine that you did nothing to cultivate or water, but have not an ounce of concern over a great city full of naive and ignorant people.
What makes the story of Jonah all the more interesting to me is how he is portrayed. We know he is quick to judge people he does not understand and it would be easy for us to distance ourselves from him.
But he is uncannily like us, isn't he?
And in most ways, he is not such a bad guy.
Why God chose him, we don't know and are never told.
But he recognizes God's authority over his life and once he is brought to the realization of the predicament he has caused on the ship he admits his guilt and accepts his fate.
In the fish he is touchingly repentant.
Once with his feet on dry land, he proceeds to do what God told him to do.
In other words, Jonah is a normal, God-fearing man who has a lot of characteristics that we would admire.
I dare say, Jonah or his template is welcome in almost any church, school board and if he were running for election, would be a star candidate. He would probably attract plenty of religious endorsement too, for that matter.
He is a good and upstanding man, but a man with a flawed heart.
Back to Sea biscuit, at least the movie version.
Tom, the trainer, hires a second-rate jockey named John "Red" Pollard to ride Sea biscuit. At 5?7", Red is considered too tall to be anything but a bush-league jockey and a bad match for this undersized horse. But Tom notices a mystical connection between Red and Sea biscuit.
Red has another handicap. He is blind in one eye, and he has concealed the handicap fearing that track officials would no longer allow him to race.
During a crucial race at Santa Anita, Red's limited vision allows a competing horse, Rosemont, to overtake Sea biscuit on Red's blind side, costing them the victory.
Tom, trainer, is outraged that the jockey failed to urge Sea biscuit to keep the winning pace. He presses the jockey to explain how he could let this happen. Finally, in a burst of emotion, Red shouts, "Because I'm blind!"
Stung by the loss and betrayal, Tom scornfully urges Mr. Howard to fire Red. To Tom's surprise, Mr. Howard requests that Red remain as his jockey. Dumbfounded, Tom demands a reason. Mr. Howard states, "You don't throw away a whole life just because it's banged up a bit."
And so we leave a sulking Jonah outside of Nineveh.
Jonah is not sulking because God is merciful. In fact he is grateful for God's mercy as long as its directed toward deserving people..... well, like him.
He is upset that God is merciful to the undeserving, like Nineveh.
God has just torn Jonah a new world view.
That hurts for any of us.
It's liberating, but it can be painful.
Something else to remember. When Jonah repented and he headed out to Nineveh, he was chastened but apparently not changed. Real change might or might not come to Jonah. We never find out.
The same thing is sometimes true in our lives.
We are periodically chastened by God and we acknowledge.
But do we allow God to really get inside our hearts and make substantial changes in how we do business?
Or is it, "whoops, sorry about that one"... then back to doing the same old things in the same old way?
If you find some Jonah in yourself, I have some good news.
God is kind to Nineveh and to Jonah.
I suppose a reaction to Jonah is to laugh, cry or just smack him.
But can you hear God saying in the background, "There is no point throwing away a whole life just because its banged up a bit."?
Or maybe we remember the words of Jesus at the worst time in his life.
"Forgive them, Father, they don't know what they are doing"
Do you remember the words to the song, Why Me, Lord?
Why me Lord, what have I ever done
To deserve even one Of the pleasures I've known
Tell me Lord, what did I ever do That was worth loving you
Or the kindness you've shown.
The answer is "nothing, it's just God's nature."
An appropriate response on our part, on the way to real change, is to look at those folks we tend to
sit in judgment over. You know who they are in your life.
Apply to them the same standard you want for yourself.
No point throwing away a person or a whole group of people just because they are banged up a bit, now is there?
Preached January 22, 2006
Dr. Harold McNabb
West Shore Presbyterian Church
Victoria, British Columbia
Notes
1. Seabiscuit (Universal Studios, 2003), written and directed by Gary Ross, based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand;
Resources Consulted
"Jonah", H.L. Ellison, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Frank Gaebelein, Ed. Vol. 7, Zondervan. 1985
Online Resources Consulted
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