But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.-Jonah 1:3
A few words ideas to keep in mind: First, in the beginning of verse three Jonah flees from the presence of the Lord. At the end of verse three Jonah flees from the presence of the Lord. In the middle of verse three he goes DOWN to Joppa and then he also goes down into the ship. Away from the presence of the Lord and away from the presence of the Lord, and the middle makes that primary point that Jonah is going down and then down again. He goes down to Joppa and down into the ship, and then he goes down into the belly of this creature. Down into the city; down into the ship, and down into Sheol. This is the progression of death; the progression of disobedience.
At our table today, Jesus offers you a progression of faithfulness. He was faithful by not abandoning His Father. He took on Jerusalem and proclaimed the gospel of peace and reconciliation. And at the end, after going down for three days, He came up in His resurrection and up into the right hand of God where He sits ruling and reigning.
