Jonah, Joppa, and Peter    January 30, 2022

Joppa Sea port city west and a little north of Jerusalem. It was where the floats brought cedars and other wood from Lebanon that Solomon used to build the temple. (2Chronicles 2:16) The area around Joppa was allotted to the tribe Dan (Joshua 19:46) but was never completely occupied by the tribe. Today it is Joffa and surrounded by Tel Aviv.

**When Jonah fled from the presence of the LORD he left his home area south to Joppa where he bought passage to Tarshish (1:3). The mariners got caught between of Jonah’s disobedience and his chastening by the LORD. It was through Jonah’s exceeding displeasure, his strong anger, and his disobedience the fear of the LORD came upon the mariners.

**Peter went to Joppa to and raised Tabitha from the dead (Acts 9:36-43). (Acts 10) While at Joppa Peter had the vision of the unclean beasts and was told "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common". This led to Peter being called from Joppa to go to Caesarea to meet Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band (a gentile). Cornelius and others accepted the Lord Jesus and were saved, received the Holy Ghost and baptized. 

·        From Joppa Gentile mariners came to know the fear of the LORD

·        From Joppa Gentiles came to know the Lord Jesus Christ

·        Some would call this coincidence, not worthy to be mentioned.

Notice what was Peter's first response to the command to rise, kill and eat In Acts 10:14? ______  _____ ________. Remind you of Jonah when he was first told to arise and go in Jonah 1:2? Note Acts 10:28. Did Jonah believe this? (Jews should not associate with Gentiles)

  Both Jonah and Peter were in a boat caught in a violent storm that was calmed by the LORD/Lord. Coincidence?

·        Jonah 1:15 & Peter: Matthew 8, Matthew 4, Luke 8

Their anger: both men were at odds with the LORD/Lord over how He was going to work.

**Peter's anger over the Lord Jesus; Matthew 26:74, Mark 14:71

·        Peter wanted to stop Christ from going to the cross (Matthew 16:22)

·        Matthew 19:26-28 Peter had forsaken all to follow Jesus. He expected to rule in the kingdom. When Jesus was taken to be crucified Peter was no longer willing to fight and die for Him. I believe he felt he had forsaken all for nothing, "Where is the kingdom? This man is not the Jesus I want?"

**Jonah's anger over the LORD: Jonah 4:1-2

·        Jonah would have dropped everything when called to be a prophet to the Jews. Could he have felt, "I didn't forsake all to be a prophet to these wicked, evil gentiles." You are not the LORD I want.

Jonah was in the presence of the LORD and fled in a ship from his presence.

Peter was in the presence of the risen Lord in John 20 when Jesus left he  then went a fishing (John 21:1-3).

Lets look at another coincidence: Simon, son of Jonas

·        John 1:42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. Simon was surnamed Peter by Jesus (Matthew 16:18; Mark 3:16)

·        John 21:15,16,17: Simon son of Jonas

·        Andrew, Simon Peter's brother was never called son of Jonas only Simon. You also never see Peter, son of Jonas.

Simon was the son of a man called Jonas, he also was of the nature of Jonas the prophet.

Both men were questioned three times

**Jonah's three questions

·        Jonah 1: 8 who are you Jonah

·        Jonah 4:4 is it well for you to be angry with the LORD

·        Jonah 4:9 is well for you to be angry over the gourd

**Peter's three questions

·        John 21:15 Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? lovest thou me more than these? The these: the 153 _______  they had just caught and ate. (John 21:11,13)

·        John 21:16 Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?

·        John 21:17 Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?

**Jonah was a prophet of God; the questions were to get him to deny himself and be the man the LORD called him to be.

**Simon, surnamed Peter, declared Jesus to be the Christ, the son of the living God. (Matthew 16:16-18).  Peter denied Jesus three times and (John 21) Peter went back being to Simon, son of Jonas, a fisher of fish. The questions asked him were to get him to deny himself to acknowledge who Christ called him to be, a fisher of men (feed my sheep)

Both men were more concerned with their comfort than their mission. Jonah the gourd's shade, Peter the fish to fill his belly.

**The contrast between Jonah and Peter

·        Peter wept bitterly after he denied Jesus (Matthew 26:75) and remembered His words. He was grieved when question by Jesus over his love for the Lord. Peter gained the broken spirit and contrite heart and became the apostle to the Jews. Peter's life ended with him giving his all for the cause of Christ in the joy of his salvation.

·        Sadly Jonah ends his book hardhearted and angry. We do not see him with a broken heart over his anger with the LORD, but following lying vanities. We do not know if he repented or died in his anger. I wonder if the joy of his salvation ever returned to Jonah.