My first sermon: Jesus and Jonah May 30th 2012
I was raised as an atheist and the myth of Jonah and the whale as written in the Bible seemed absurd to me. I did not understand or respect the idea of prophecy. Even now I don't feel I understand it and I have been a Christian since I was 18, twenty seven years ago. Jonah was ordered by God to spread the word to his people's enemies? What god would do that? And so those enemies conquered the Jewish peoples. That seemed like an own goal. And also Jonah is swallowed by a whale? Spat out on land? A crew drew lots and the Jewish guy is thrown overboard. It sounds made up.
I have heard sermons on Jonah. One sermon noted that Jonah was not swallowed by a whale, according to the Bible, but a fish. Whales are mammals and fish are not. But fundamental to the Bible, and oblivious to those who feel evolutionary theory somehow disproves the Bible, is that the Bible is the word of God, compiled from the writings of inspired people. Their understandings are not those of us today. They did not write about sea creatures with an understanding of the distinction between mammals and fish. They did not know what a whale was. It doesn't add to the story, it still sounds ridiculous. One 19th century scientist decided it wasn't a whale which swallowed Jonah, as that was biologically too hard .. but possibly a great white shark. Some Great White Sharks have been found with whole bodies. And still the story sounds silly.

Assume for a moment there was a person named Jonah who preached to those in Ninevah and secured their temporary devotion to God so that Jerusalem was sacked. What does the fish swallowing aspect mean? Without witnesses to the event, in the modern sense, could the writers of the day be referring to a person who survived at sea and ended on shore? And not even Jonah would have known precisely how he survived. That would make sense with someone with modern sensibilities and the Bible would not have a single word changed or inferred. But maybe God summoned a big fish which swallowed Jonah.

The story of Jonah was powerful and put into perspective why God trashed the promised land he had given his people. But the story of Jonah includes that interlude where he is swallowed by a great fish. Its interpretation is vague and challenging for the modern believer. And there is more. Jesus referred to Jonah's time in the great fish. Unlike Jonah, Jesus's death and resurrection is public. There are witnesses and eyewitness accounts that puts what Jesus did beyond doubt. Jesus died after being crucified. Jesus rose from the dead. Put in its proper perspective, why doubt the element of the story of Jonah and the fish?

In isolation, these acts of God seem strange. Why must Jonah be captured for three days and nights outside of mortal boundary? Why would Jesus copy it? It seems strange that Jesus would steal the story and change it for his own end. More likely, Jesus copied that story. What needs to be remembered is that God has authority .. but that his people don't always know or understand what he is telling them. Jonah's claim would not be so profound if the Assyrians didn't trash Israel. Jesus' sacrifice would not have been so meaningful had he not risen after. Jonah did not respond well to God's call. Jesus' disciples didn't understand what Jesus was telling them. There is considerable evidence that the disciples were trying to get Jesus to lead an army and assume power. And so Judas leads Jesus' enemies to him. Peter no longer feels safe in his presence, and acts as if the crucifixion is a loss.

Jonah was right to swing the Assyrians into faith in God. Jesus' crucifixion was a crushing victory. But popular feeling didn't colour it that way. And both of these acts are coloured by the miracle three days. Jesus at Gethsemane prays to God that he might find an alternative to his path. He accepts there is no alternative and approaches his mission with great dignity. He doesn't defend himself and doesn't provoke. He is beaten severely, but still has the presence of mind to share a moment with Peter. Naked and beaten, on the cross, Jesus is thirsty, and to humiliate him further, some legionaries give him a vinegar soaked sponge, much like those used in ancient toiletry practise to clean a bottom, lifted on high to his lips. It isn't Romans responsible for Jesus' death, nor Jews. It is the world. An echo of Jonah being dumped at sea by lot. The world prosecutes it's authority with zeal. Who can survive in opposition to the world?

Jesus dies and crushingly, to the devil, rises. Jesus opposed the world, and although the world had no right to kill Jesus .. he was innocent of the charges he was condemned for. Jesus is killed. Jonah tries to follow the world, fleeing God. But he is in opposition God and so he is swallowed by the fish. Jonah spends his time fasting and praying in the belly of the fish. He repents, and sets about doing God's bidding .. resentfully. Jesus is aware of God's purpose. Jonah is not. Jesus is separated from God by the sin of man, not by his own doing.

It seems that the disciples did not understand what Jesus was about, and so he shared his common currency with Jonah. How are the disciples to understand what Jesus meant? Did Jesus mean he was going to preach to heathen and so bring them around from their opposition to God? Was he to be swallowed by a fish? Jesus' resurrection answers the questions of his surviving disciples. And so early Christians adopted the fish symbol. It suggests the resurrection and did so some 800 years prior to Jesus' birth. Today, there is debate as to what happened to Jonah. Was he swallowed by a fish? Did he die? Was he raised from death to serve God's will? Or was he merely sick and delusional? Whatever happened to Jonah, it was God's will and great things resulted. When the devil had corrupted Jewish kings and their people's faith, Jonah, as God's instrument, inflamed the faith of others and so saved Israel from ignominious opposition to God. But the story shouldn't benefit an Atheist view that God doesn't exist. Because Jesus died and was resurrected. And that is beyond doubt, with numerous eyewitnesses and compelling testimony. And if we accept that Jesus died and rose, then the Bible has validity and currency .. and so we reach the conclusion that Jonah existed and served the Lord. I don't know how God did it, but he has the authority to have done it.
And what of Jesus' mission? was it to be swallowed by hell and spat on the beach of the Kingdom? Or, is that merely a journey, and his mission, like that of Jonah, to convict those in opposition to God for their salvation.

I have prayed to the Lord asking for guidance. I believe Jesus' journey was not symbolic, but purposeful to the end of the salvation of all those who are lost in opposition to God. I believe he wants you to be right with God. He knows who you are. You aren't perfect. But if God looks at you through the cover Jesus gives, God will see you, and not your imperfections. He knows what you do and why. He knows who you are. You don't need to do anything more to be in communion with God. You don't need more money or better clothes. You don't need to be a better person. He calls for you. He loves you. He loved you before you were born. And he made himself in flesh, and burdened himself with your sin. So that he might walk with you and be with you. You need do nothing more, than accept his gift. He calls you. You who have not known his love. You who have rejected him and spat in his face, saying he doesn't exist. But he does. And he loves you. And he calls to you. Don't let pride deny you from your gift. Claim it. Come.

Readings 

Matthew 12:38-42 (primary text):

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.

Pharisees demand a sign. Jesus says: "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but none will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here." (Also mentions the Queen of Sheba and Solomon.)

• Luke 11:29-32: Parallel account emphasizing the sign and Nineveh's repentance.
• Matthew 16:4: Brief reference to the sign of Jonah.
• Jonah 1:1-3: God calls Jonah to preach against Nineveh (Assyria's capital, Israel's enemy). Jonah flees toward Tarshish instead. This grounds your point about Jonah being sent to enemies and his reluctance.
• Jonah 1:4-16: The storm, sailors drawing lots (implicitly), Jonah thrown overboard. Echoes the "world" casting him out, similar to the sermon's parallel with Jesus' rejection.
• Jonah 1:17: "Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." The Bible says "great fish" (not specifically whale), aligning with your discussion of ancient terminology and modern skepticism.
• Jonah 2:1-10: Jonah's prayer of repentance and thanksgiving from the fish's belly. He acknowledges distress, calls on God, and is delivered. Supports themes of fasting/praying in isolation, repentance, and God's rescue.
• Jonah 3:1-10: Jonah preaches; Nineveh repents (from king to animals). God relents from judgment. This shows mercy to enemies and temporary national turning to God.
• Jonah 4:1-11: Jonah is angry at God's mercy. God teaches him with a plant about compassion for the city (120,000 people + animals). Highlights human misunderstanding of God's ways and His broader concern.

  Additional Supporting Parallels and Themes

  • Resurrection and victory:
    • 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 — Eyewitness accounts of Jesus' death and resurrection (hundreds saw Him). Strengthens your point that Jesus' events were public and attested, unlike Jonah's more mysterious experience.
    • Acts 2:22-32 (Peter's sermon) and Romans 4:25 — Resurrection vindicates Jesus.
  • God's mercy and mission to outsiders/Gentiles:
    • Jonah 4:2 (Jonah admits he knew God is "gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love").
    • New Testament expansion: Acts 10-11 (Peter and Cornelius — Gentiles included); Matthew 28:18-20 (Great Commission).
  • Human reluctance and misunderstanding:
    • Disciples: Mark 8:31-33 (Peter rebukes Jesus about suffering); Luke 24:13-27 (on the road to Emmaus — they didn't understand); John 6:60-66 (many leave); Matthew 26:51-56 (Peter's sword, then denial).
    • Jesus in Gethsemane: Matthew 26:36-46 (prays for another way but submits).
  • The "world" vs. God:
    • John 15:18-19 ("If the world hates you..."); John 1:10-11 (He came to His own but was not received).
    • Crucifixion details: Matthew 27:48 (vinegar sponge); Luke 23:34 ("Father, forgive them").
  • Early Christian fish symbol (Ichthys): While not a direct Bible verse, it derives from the Greek acronym Iēsous Christos Theou Yios Sōtēr ("Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior"). It connects to resurrection themes and Jonah's fish, appearing in early Christian art as a discreet faith marker.

The Starship V3 Launch: A Triumph of Iteration Over Perfection

The debut flight of Starship Version 3 on May 22, 2026, was exactly what it needed to be: a solid success, imperfect in places, but brimming with promise. Booster 19 and Ship 39 lit up the South Texas sky from the new Pad 2, demonstrated the leap in capabilities with Raptor 3 engines and upgraded structures, deployed test satellites, survived reentry challenges, and delivered valuable data. The booster's hard landing in the Gulf and a lost engine on the ship were reminders that this is still frontier engineering. Perfection wasn't the goal—progress was.

This is the beauty of SpaceX's approach. Each version is a stepping stone. V3 isn't meant to be the final word; it's a bridge to V4, which Elon Musk has indicated will be significantly larger—potentially 10-20% longer and more capable, with payload capacities pushing toward the extraordinary. V4 is shaping up to be the workhorse: the vehicle that makes orbital refueling routine, enables sustained lunar operations, and lays the groundwork for the first uncrewed Mars missions.

And V4 will eventually yield to V5, and beyond. That's the point. Starship's evolution mirrors the rapid iteration that transformed Falcon 9 from a risky newcomer into the backbone of global launch. We don't yet know the full spectrum of what V3 hardware will enable as it matures—dedicated crew configurations, tanker variants for massive in-orbit refueling, specialized ships for mining asteroids or exploring icy moons, or robust transport hubs. The architecture is flexible by design.

Beyond the Gravity Well

With thousands of Starships in operation, the economics of space flip entirely. What was once prohibitively expensive becomes feasible. Missions long shelved for lack of funding—detailed studies of Titan's methane lakes, probes to Pluto's intriguing surface, or long-duration experiments in deep space—suddenly enter the realm of the practical. A fleet at this scale doesn't just launch payloads; it opens an era of routine interplanetary travel and infrastructure.

Terraforming Mars remains a grand, multi-generational challenge, but the pathway starts here: reliable heavy-lift capability to deliver habitats, ISRU (in-situ resource utilization) equipment, and the industrial base needed to produce fuel, oxygen, and materials on the Red Planet. Early steps could involve Optimus humanoid robots riding Starships to prepare landing sites, assemble structures, and conduct initial operations—reducing risk for future human crews. Plans already point to uncrewed Starship missions to Mars as soon as late 2026 carrying Optimus bots.

The possibilities multiply exponentially once we're truly beyond the gravity well. Self-sustaining outposts. Scientific outposts across the solar system. Even point-to-point transport on Earth. Musk's ventures aren't isolated; the integration of Starship's transport power with Optimus's labor potential creates synergies that accelerate everything.

Critics will point to the anomalies, the timelines, the immense challenges ahead. They're not wrong to be cautious—space is unforgiving. But the V3 flight, like those before it, proves the method works: test boldly, learn fast, improve relentlessly. What was impossible yesterday becomes table stakes tomorrow.

Humanity stands at the threshold of becoming a multi-planetary species. V3's "mixed success" isn't a flaw—it's fuel for the next leap. To infinity and beyond, indeed. The stars aren't waiting; thanks to this iterative revolution, we're finally catching up.

The Pacific Solution: Unbelievable Official Figures Inform Public Policy

The Australian solution to the humanitarian crisis of people smuggling — known as the Pacific Solution — was introduced by John Howard’s government in the early 2000s. The crisis had roots in the Vietnamese migration following the Fall of Saigon and the Whitlam government’s hand-wringing approach.

Official figures often mask the grim reality. Some 1.5 to 2 million Vietnamese fled their homeland by boat. Only around 800,000 arrived at a destination. Bean counters in the media and the UN claim a mortality rate of about 15%. But the obvious reality is that only about 40% survived. The disparity arises because only confirmed deaths are officially counted. Many more boats simply vanished due to unseaworthy vessels, storms, and pirates who preyed on defenceless people. While Australia accepted under 100,000 Vietnamese through refugee camps, only about 2,000 came directly by boat.

The Pacific Solution addressed the less murderous but still dangerous journey from Indonesia to Australia. China-sponsored pirates were not part of the equation this time, but the trip remained perilous. Critics insist the death rate was “only” 2–4%. However, because the total number of departures is unknown, anecdotal reports of missing boats rarely feature in stories that damage Labor. Even 2–4% is far too high.

In Australia, Labor has long enjoyed a reputation for championing migrant rights — yet their policies resulted in drowning people who wanted to come here and exposed them to exploitation by people smugglers charging more than $10,000 per person — a fortune for many who don’t earn that in a lifetime.

Conservatives, by successfully limiting the number of illegal arrivals, have been labelled as wasteful for the resources used to achieve that outcome. A figure of $1 billion has been cited, but this includes routine aviation surveillance and foreign aid spending. One wonders whether spending a billion dollars on Nauru for something trivial like placing condoms in primary school bathrooms would have drawn the same criticism.

What about the far higher human cost of drowning people exploited by people smugglers? Because the arguments against the Pacific Solution failed so badly when it was dismantled, it had to be reimplemented. It was done poorly at first under Gillard, but responsibly under Abbott. While the ALP earned media kudos for “compassion” that in reality exploited desperate people fleeing third-world conditions, it was conservatives who were vilified for prioritising legal migrants and strong borders. Some even complained there were too many legal migrants.

Go back to 2002: Australia faced a crisis as illegal migrants flew to Indonesia and then boarded boats in substantial numbers, many from Iraq. The Tampa affair saw illegal migrants damage their own boat before being rescued by a merchant vessel originally heading to Indonesia. They then overwhelmed the crew and redirected the Tampa toward Australia. The Australian government responded by deploying SAS special forces to redirect the ship. The press claimed this put the illegals at risk. Later, after the Children Overboard affair, the Pacific Solution was born. Australian islands were excised from the migration zone. Asylum seekers were processed offshore and resettled elsewhere. The same press that accepted drowning migrants under Labor protested the offshore processing of illegals. Today, even under an ALP government, the core elements of the Pacific Solution continue.