Should I Not Love That Great City?

Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life

Tim Keller

Religion & Spirituality, Religion, Religion & Spirituality:christianity, Christianity, Spirituality

4.8 • 15K Ratings

🗓️ 2 November 2022

⏱️ 40 minutes

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Summary

As we come to the end of the book of Jonah, we can ask ourselves the question, “What’s this story about?” Who is the protagonist? Who is the antagonist? It’s not Jonah who is the protagonist. It’s not the fish who is the protagonist. It all comes down to this last question in the passage. In the last question, God says, “Should I not have compassion? Should I not love that great city?” This is what the story is about. It’s about God, who is the protagonist, seeking to bring grace and love and mercy to a big city. The antagonists are the religious, moral people who believe in God and who obey his commandments. It’s us. It’s city-disdaining, city-phobic, religious, moral, good people. We’re the antagonists, and God is the protagonist. The book is about God’s love for a big, unbelieving, unjust, violent, pagan city. So, what are we supposed to learn about the city from this book? I suggest we learn three things here: we learn about God’s call to the city, God’s view of the city, and God’s love for the city. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 14, 2001. Series: The Church in the City. Scripture: Jonah 4:1-11. Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Gospel in Life. The book of Jonah can appear at first glance like a simple
0:07.0	fable with an implausible high point, a great fish swells a rebellious profit. But the
0:12.5	story is about so much more. It touches on racial prejudice, toxic nationalism, and the
0:18.2	struggles believers have when it comes to obeying and trusting God. Today on Gospel in Life,
0:23.5	Tim Keller continues exploring the fascinating story of Jonah, the prodigal prophet. Now
0:28.6	here's today's message. Let's take a look at the passage in the bulletin
0:35.8	on which the teaching is based. Jonah chapter 4, this is the end of the book of Jonah, which
0:41.6	we've been looking at for several weeks. Jonah chapter 4 verses 1 to 11. But Jonah was
0:49.4	greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the Lord, oh Lord, is this not what I
0:58.3	said when I was still at home? This is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that
1:04.4	you are a gracious and compassionate God. Slow to anger and the bounding in love, a God who
1:10.4	relents from sending calamity. Now, oh Lord, take away my life, or it is better for me to die
1:16.8	than to live, but the Lord replied, have you any right to be angry? Jonah went out and sat
1:23.1	down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade, and
1:27.6	waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the Lord God provided a vine and made
1:32.2	it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort. And Jonah was
1:37.1	very happy about the vine. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm which chewed the
1:42.6	vine so that it withered, and when the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind,
1:47.4	and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die and said,
1:51.9	it would be better for me to die than to live. But God said to Jonah, you have a right
1:56.7	to be angry about the vine. I do, he said, I am angry enough to die. But the Lord said,
2:05.4	you have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It's
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