Let Them Give Up Their Violence

The book of Jonah is awfully relevant to our situation, especially today. Jonah has been asked to go to the capital of Assyria, the great rising, emerging imperial world power. It  was a violent place. It slaughtered helpless people. Jonah’s response to that is anger. He wants them punished. He is angry at them for their violence. Yet, in one of the great surprises in all of biblical narrative, there’s probably no more surprising turn than what we see in this book. 

God refuses to accept either the violence of Nineveh or the poisonous anger of Jonah. Let’s take a look and see what this text tells us about violence: first, the surprising sources of violence, secondly, the remarkable strategy we should take with violence, and then lastly, the ultimate solution for violence.

This sermon was preached by Rev. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 7, 2001. Series "The Church in the City". Scripture: Jonah 3:1-4:5.

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