Men of the ship try to return to shore and off the stormy sea, Jonah is thrown overboard.

Jonah 1:13-16

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“Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. Therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, “We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.” So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows.” Jonah 1:13-16

The harder the men of the ship tried to row back to shore, the more tumultuous the stormy sea became. They did not want the whole ship to sink because of Jonah, nor did they want innocent blood on their hands, so in the name of the Lord, Jonah was tossed overboard. Afterwards, the stormy seas became calm, but the men of the ship became exceedingly fearful of the Lord and made their sin offerings and vows to the Lord.

The Pharisees and chief priests were the men of the ship, the captains of the Jewish culture and Old Testament laws. They did everything they could to return their “ship” back to the shore of obedience to the ways of Judaism, and away from Jesus Christ. However, the harder they tried to maintain law and order of the Old Testament, the more the sea of people raged against them. This one verse says it all, as spoken by the chief priests, “If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” John 11:48 They decided it was best to throw Jesus overboard to be crucified on the Cross, as they conspired that “…it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” John 11:50

The Pharisees and chief priests did everything they could to intimidate and coerce the Jewish people to return to the safe shore of the Old Testament laws and away from following Jesus Christ. An excellent example of that is what the Pharisees and chief priests did to the blind man whom Jesus healed, as described in John 9:13-41. They claimed that Jesus was not from God because He didn’t go to church/synagogue, “Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” John 9:16 The blind man’s parents testified that he was born blind, but said they did not know Jesus, “His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.” John 9:22 The Pharisees and chief priests hatefully criticized the blind man and said to him, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples.” John 9:28

To be cast out of the synagogue, barred from attending church/synagogue is to be barred from the Jewish culture, basically making a Jewish person without a home in their own country. They lost everything; their job, their home, support of family members, everything. “Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.” Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.” John 9:35-38

The Pharisees, chief priests, and many Jewish people did not want to think of themselves as being sinners in the process of intimidating, coercing, and excommunicating their own people, and conspiring to put to death Jesus Christ. They continued to make animal sacrifices to atone for their sin and to continue with making their vows to God. Our Lord Jesus called them hypocrites, whitewashed, and on the inside being a grave filled with dead people’s bones, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Matthew 23:27-28

We can assess that today’s culture is governed by the entity that gives people what to think, feel, say, and do, and does everything possible to keep their “ship” on that shore. The diagnosis is that in order to keep their ship safely on shore, they discourage belief in God, scoff at the need for Jesus Christ, and oppress the presence of the Holy Spirit. We plan to live for Jesus Christ, who like the healed blind man said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.” John 9:25 Our born-again experience through Jesus Christ is undeniable. We implement that plan by allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us in the process of subduing the flesh within the soggy and wet mire of human sentiments, as described in Zachariah 10:5. We know that plan is successful as we avoid the harsh, mean-spirited, and deceitfully ways of this world.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11