Right now, we are immersed in baptism stories for our daily readings at chapel. We started with Jesus' baptism, and yesterday we had John 4. Coincidentally we also happen to have just begun studying Jonah on Thursday mornings. Through the years we have gone through the story of Jonah, discussing the connections to baptism, and how he was thrown into the water and then saved alive. We have looked at the references in the Gospels, where Jesus talks about the "sign of Jonah" and how it shows the death and resurrection that are in baptism (Romans 6).
Pastor's emphasis this week has been on how baptism gives Christ. He keeps pointing out that we cannot pit "baptism saves" against "Jesus saves" because Jesus IS the very content of the water.
So we're talking about Jonah, right? He doesn't believe in God's mercy; he doesn't want the Ninevites to hear God's word because then they might repent and then God would go and forgive them. So he runs away. Then he is thrown overboard to drown in the sea. Why did he not die in the condemnation he earned for his unbelief?
The fish!
He was IN the FISH.
That's what saved him.
And the fish later became a symbol of Whom?
Isn't that cool?
It's almost like the Author of the Bible knew what was coming up as history unfolded through the years.
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