To encapsulate: to place in or as if in a capsule, to summarize or condense, to become enclosed in or as if in a capsule.
So is the whale the world and Jonah is the church.
Maybe the whale is the gospel and Jonah is the apostate church.
Or maybe we are the whale and Jonah is sin.
How about if the whale is the nation of Israel and Jonah is Christ.
Oh wait a minute, I’m a fundamentalist, so maybe the whale is a whale and Jonah is
a prophet sent to Nineveh?
Cartoon by Carl D’Agostino
What Happened to Jonah?
Jane was talking to Mrs Darby, her teacher, about whales. Mrs Darby said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.
Jane girl stated quite clearly that the Bible says Jonah was swallowed by a whale.
Irritated, Mrs Darby reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.
Finally, Jane murmured, ‘When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah, myself.’
Mrs Darby continued, ‘What if Jonah went to hell?’
Very smartly Jane replied, ‘Then you can ask him.’
That’s a good one ! Jonah would not heed God’s call and admonitions(fictional parable). When we fail to live in testimony , by example in Christian Light we deny God. We deny the Christ. We disconnect . The encapsulation is self imposed, our choice,because the invitation of Jesus is unconditional and ever present. Billy Graham preached that “When we deny the Christ, we recrucify the Christ.” OMG. Am I sounding like a Fundamentalist ?
You’re starting scare me now Carl. Next you will standing on the street corner screaming “repent you sinners the end is near”, while passing out tracts on “how to be born again”.
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