Bigger Than The Fish

So, everyone knows the story of Jonah. It's known by little children and people who have never been to church, it's so famous. Why is it so well-known? Because of the great fish. Jonah was swallowed by a large fish, and lived to tell the tale(no pun intended).

There's an old comedy routine about being the first guy to see Jonah. Most of his clothes and hair are gone from the acids in the fish's stomach. His skin has been bleached white by those same acids. The incredible stench of fish guts permeates the air. Bits of seaweed are stuck in his mouth and ears. He walks forward and says , Repent!

Think about being swallowed by a large fish, and living. What a miracle! Later, when Jonah was pouting, God did another miracle. He planted a vine that grew large enough in one day to provide shade for Jonah. Then he caused a worm to eat the plant and kill it, another miracle!(There are about three sermons about the whole worm thing).

But the biggest miracle isn't the one we talk about. The Ninevites believed in God. One hundred twenty thousand people, from the greatest to the least, believed. They fasted, and repented from their sins, and believed.

Imagine a man of God walking into New York, Tokyo or London today, and everyone in the city believing. A whole city repenting. But we only want to talk about whether it was a fish or whale.

They believed in God.