the Gospel of the second chance, of a third chance, of the hundredth chance

In Chapter one of Jonah, Jonah is instructed by God to go to Nineveh and tell them that God is displeased with their wickedness.

As most of us know, Jonah decides to do exactly the opposite of that, and instead buys a ticket on the first boat out of Joppa to get as far away from God’s directions as he can.

Why did he do that? Maybe he was afraid? Or it may have been for some more nationalistic reason. Nineveh was an important city in the Assyrian Empire, possibly its capital, and at the time of Jeroboam the second Israel was prospering and the only real threat was the Assyrian Empire.

Jonah may have thought that by not preaching to Nineveh, God would be forced to seek justice for Israel and destroy the city, thus lessening the Assyrian threat to his people.

Whatever Jonah’s reason was, he ran. But when a prophetic call comes to a person, it involves a commission which cannot be avoided.


As most of us know, Jonah was on a boat, which was caught in a very bad storm, and his shipmates threw him into the sea to calm the storm. Once Jonah was thrown overboard, he is swallowed up by a big fish. After spending several days in the belly of the fish, stubborn ole Jonah decides it might be a good time to seek God. Jonah prays to God and promises that if God will deliver him from the belly of the fish, Jonah in turn will do what God has asked him to do.

God responded to Jonah's prayer of repentance, and the Bible tells us that he was vomited up onto dry land. Jonah was delivered from the mouth of the fish, brought up out of the water in an almost baptismal-like experience. We aren't told exactly where Jonah was vomited up, but what we do know is that he started off in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is about 500 miles from Nineveh. That would be a substantial journey today, but when he would have been traveling on foot or on an animal it would have taken a very long time. Certainly weeks.

So, God tries again with Jonah. What a word of grace and challenge all rolled into one! "Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, 'Arise, go to Nineveh . . .'"

Were there ever any kinder words written anywhere? "And the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time."

Notice that God never lets up and never gives up on Jonah. Grace and challenge, forgiveness and responsibility are intertwined.

Jonah gets the message, and he does as he is told this time. He sets out on the three day journey to Nineveh.
Wait a minute, three day journey? It's a bit closer than 500 miles away isn't it?
So even though he was trying to run from Nineveh, Jonah ended up closer to Nineveh than he had been when he started. God wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh, and when he resisted he ended up closer than when he started. God worked with the disobedient Jonah, and Jonah's call to preach in Nineveh was as much for Jonah's sake as for the people of Nineveh.

For the first time on his journey, Jonah is willingly on his way to Nineveh.
Jonah walked into the city as far as he could go in one day. Then he preached a five word sermon. Forty--days--more--Nineveh--destroyed.

Now, let’s take a look back at chapter one of Jonah and read again the message that God gave to Jonah to deliver to Nineveh. Chapter one, verse 2 says “Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.”

I don’t read anything there about God destroying Nineveh in forty days if they didn’t repent from their wickedness…It sounds to me like Jonah took God’s words and twisted them around a little bit in his own wishful thinking.

Jonah had an incredible response to his preaching. The entire city repented. Everyone, including the King of Nineveh responded and a fast was declared. The king declared a fast across the land, which included every person and animal. No one could eat or drink, but they were to be covered in sackcloth and ordered to cry mightily unto God, and “…who knows? God may decide to spare them and let them not perish…”

But I'll tell you who knew...Jonah knew. Jonah knew that if God was merciful enough to give him, a sinner, a second chance, that God would indeed spare this sinful nation. Jonah knew that the God of his people, the God that had spared Israel on multiple occasions, was big enough, and gracious enough to spare even the city of his enemies…Nineveh.

On New Year's Day, 1929, Georgia Tech played the University of California in the Rose Bowl. During the first half of the game a player by the name of Roy Riegels recovered a fumble for California on his own thirty-five yard line. In evading some of the Georgia Tech tacklers, Riegels became confused. He started running sixty-five yards in the wrong direction. One of his teammates, Benny Lom, outran him and tackled him on the one yard line just before Riegels was about to score for Georgia Tech. Then, on the next play, when California attempted to punt out of its end zone, Tech blocked the kick and scored a safety, which was the ultimate margin of victory.
That strange play came near the end of the first half. Everyone watching the game was asking the same question: "What will coach Nibbs Price do with Roy Riegels in the second half?" The players filed off the field and trudged into the dressing room. They sat down on the benches and on the floor. All but Riegels. He pulled his blanket around his shoulders, and sat down in a corner, put his face in his hands, and wept like a baby.

A coach usually has a great deal to say to his team during half-time. That afternoon coach Price was quiet. No doubt he was trying to decide what to do with Riegels. Then the timekeeper came in and announced that there were three minutes before playing time. Coach Price looked at the team and said simply, "Men, the same team that started the first half will start the second."
The players got up and started out. All but Roy Riegels. He didn't budge. The coach looked back and called to him again. Still Riegels didn't move. Coach Price walked over to Riegels and said, "Roy, didn't you hear me? The same team that started the first half will start the second." Roy Riegels looked up and his cheeks were wet with tears.
"Coach," he said, "I can't do it. I've disgraced you. I've disgraced the University of California. I've disgraced myself. I couldn't face that crowd to save my life."
Then Coach Nibbs Price put his hand on Riegels shoulder and said, "Roy, get up and go on back. The game is only half over."
Roy Riegels did go back, and those Tech players testified that they had seldom seen a man play as Roy Riegels did in that second half.

When I read that story, deep inside I said, "What a coach!" When I read the stories of Peter and Jonah and the stories of a thousand men and women like them, I say, "What a God!"

We take the ball and we run in the wrong direction. We stumble and fall. We're so ashamed of ourselves that we never want to try again. And God comes and in the person of Jesus Christ puts a nail-printed hand on our shoulder and says, "Get up; go on back. The game is only half over."

That's the good news of the grace of God. That's the good news of the forgiveness of sins. That's the Gospel of the second chance, of a third chance, of the hundredth chance.

I’d like to challenge you with a quote from Rabbi David Saperstein:

“If God does not love everybody, then there can be no love for anybody. If God is not gracious toward all, there can be grace for none.”

Amen.

Hear this benediction:

Go, secure in the steadfast love of God
rejoicing in the call of Jesus Christ
strong in the power of the Holy Spirit.