Jonah Revisited

If you grew up in church, you have probably heard about Jonah and the whale. Honestly, you have probably heard it more than once. It was one of the staple stories in Sunday School and Children’s Church. I want you to take a moment and remember what you were taught, what have you learned about Jonah? What is the point of the story? What did Jonah learn?

Odds are, your story looks something like this. Jonah was a prophet who would deliver messages from the Lord to the people of Israel. One day God gave Jonah a message that was for the people in Ninevah, but there was a problem. Jonah didn’t want to go to Ninevah. Jonah instead started running from the Lord and got on a boat going to Tarshish. When Jonah got on the boat, the Lord sent a great storm. This storm was so terrifying that all of the sailors started crying out to their gods. They started throwing out cargo from the ship so that it wasn’t so heavy. Then they found Jonah in the bottom of the ship in a deep sleep. They woke up Jonah and wanted to know why he wasn’t praying to his god. They were hoping that Jonah’s god would have mercy on them and the ship wouldn’t sink. They decided to cast lots to figure out who was to blame for the terrible storm. Jonah was singled out, so they questioned him. Jonah then confessed everything.

He answered them, “I’m a Hebrew. I worship the Lord, the God of the heavens, who made the sea, and the dry land.” - Jonah 1:9

The sailors were then afraid, Jonah told them that he was running from the Lord. They started wondering what they should do to have the sea calm down. Jonah told them to throw him into the sea. Even though Jonah told them to throw him into the sea, they first tried to row back to dry land, but they weren’t able. They then started calling out to the Lord and threw Jonah into the sea. After Jonah was thrown into the sea, the storm stopped.

The men were seized by great fear of the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. - Jonah 1:16

While Jonah was in the sea, the lord sent a great fish to swallow up Jonah. Jonah was inside of the fish for three days and three nights. While Jonah was inside the fish, he prayed to the Lord. Jonah prayed that he would do what the Lord had asked.

Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. - Jonah 2:10

After Jonah was vomited out onto dry land, he started to make his journey towards Ninevah. When he reached the city he shared with them the message that the Lord gave him. Telling them that God would destroy Ninevah in forty days. The people in Ninevah believed this message that Jonah brought them. They started fasting. They believed it so much that when the message made its way to the king, he declared that everyone in Ninevah, including the animals, should be fasting. He declared that everyone should be calling out to the Lord and stop their wrongdoings. He was hoping that God would turn from his anger and not destroy Ninevah. That God would have mercy on them.

God saw their actions - that they had turned from their evil ways - so God relented from the disaster he had threatened them with. And he did not do it. - Jonah 3:10

This is the story of Jonah that we are often told as a kid. Jonah was given a message from the Lord. He ran from God. There was a storm. He was thrown into the sea. He was swallowed by a great fish. He was in the fish for three days and three nights. The fish spit him up. He went and shared the message with Ninevah. They learned from it and God had mercy on them. The end. Right? Wrong. What if I told you that there is a whole other chapter to the story of Jonah that we can learn a lot from.

Although the first three chapters teach us something great about God’s mercy, both with Jonah and the Ninevites, there is something we miss out on learning. What we really miss out on is learning about the problem in Jonah’s heart. Wouldn’t you think that Jonah would be very happy? Happy that God gave him a second chance? Happy that the people in Ninevah repented and turned their life to the Lord? Although we may think that should be the case, unfortunately it wasn’t.

Jonah was greatly displeased and became furious. He prayed to the Lord. “Please, Lord, isn’t this what I thought while I was still in my own country? That’s why I fled toward Tarshish in the first place. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and one who relents from sending disaster. And now, Lord, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” - Jonah 4:1-3

Wow! How shocking is that? Jonah isn’t happy at all about the situation with the Ninevites. He is actually angry with God for giving them a second chance. He even tells God that that is why he didn’t want to go in the first place. Yikes. He told God that he knew He would forgive them, but didn’t want to share with them. He didn’t think the Ninevites were worthy of God’s forgiveness.

Whenever I read this part of Jonah, it honestly hurts me. Quite a lot actually, wouldn’t you think that Jonah would be happy? God showed mercy on him. Shouldn’t he be glad that God showed mercy on them? Jonah wasn’t perfect. He didn’t follow God’s plan for him. He didn’t do everything that God asked him to do, but God gave him another opportunity. Wouldn’t we think he should be praising the Lord and rejoicing that God gave him a second chance, as well as the people in Ninevah? They are completely changed. They turned from their evil ways. After all, isn’t that why Jonah didn’t want to go to Ninevah in the first place? Wasn’t he scared? Afraid because of how evil they were? Unfortunately, this isn’t the truth we find in Jonah’s heart. Jonah didn’t run from Ninevah because he was scared of them, it was because he knew God would have mercy on them and he didn’t want Him to. He knew they would turn from their ways. He knew he would be safe. He knew they would do better, but he ran anyway.

We may be thinking that Jonah has lost his mind. Especially after all he has been through. He still feels the Ninevites aren’t worthy of God’s forgiveness and mercy. Looking from the outside in, we probably think Jonah should be feeling pretty differently about now. But how many of us have been Jonah somewhere in our lives?

Through the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are recipients of God’s mercy. The gift of salvation that Christ gave us on the cross, is enough so that we don’t have to spend an eternity separated from the creator. The price has already been paid for us. We didn’t have to pay for it. All we had to do was accept the gift that is salvation.

Throughout the gospel of Matthew we see several times where Jesus is sharing for people to be brought into the Kingdom of heaven. When Jesus calls Simon (Peter), a fisherman, to follow him. He tells him that he will make him a fisher for people. (Matthew 4:18-20) We also have the parable of the net.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea. It collected every kind of fish, and when it was full, they dragged it ashore, sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but threw out the worthless ones. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, separate the evil people from the righteous, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” - Matthew 13:47-50

At the end of Matthew, after the resurrection, Jesus commissions the disciples.

Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:18-20

When we look at the call from Jesus to Peter, the parable of the net, and the great commission together. We are called to be making followers of Jesus of all people. No matter what they look like or act like. No matter whether we think they are good or evil. Christ died for all people, and He is calling us to share His gospel with all people. It isn’t up to us to sort them out and decide whether or not we think they are worthy.

But how many times do we look like Jonah in this equation? We don’t share the word of God with the people in our lives. Why? Are we scared? Scared of how they will respond? Scared of what they might say to us? Scared of what they might do to us? Or are we scared that they might hear it and receive it? Is there somewhere in us that we think that certain people aren’t worthy of God’s love? Even though we have been shown God’s mercy and forgiveness. No matter what we have done or who we were/are. So why don’t we share the gospel with all people? Is it because we are afraid they will receive it and the Lord will forgive them? Are we afraid they will start to come to our church? To start hanging out with us? Why don’t we share the gospel with all people? With the homeless in our community? With the drug addict? With the alcoholic? With the LGBTQ community? Are we afraid they will receive it?

After Jonah shared his anger with the Lord. God asked him, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Jonah left the city and made himself a shelter and sat watching the city to see what would happen to the city. God had a plant grow over Jonah to provide him shade, and Jonah was very happy that he had this plant. The next day, the Lord sent a worm to attack the plant and it withered. Leaving Jonah with no shade. Then the Lord sent a hot wind and the sun was beating down on Jonah. Jonah was very hot and wanted to die. He even said, “It’s better for me to die than to live.” (Jonah 4: 4-8).

Then God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “Yes it’s right!” he replied. “I’m angry enough to die!” So the Lord said, “You cared about the plant, which you did not labor over and did not grow. It appeared in a night and perished in a night. But may I not care about the great city of Nineveh, which has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot distinguish between their right and their left, as well as many animals?” - Jonah 4:10-11

This is where the story of Jonah ends. God asking Jonah a question. There is no more to the book. We don’t know how Jonah responds. Does he realize that he is in the wrong and needs a change of heart? Does he realize God’s love? Does he go on to change his attitude? We don’t know. We can ask the same question of ourselves. What are we going to do? Are we going to continue to think that we know better than God? Are we going to continue to think that the Gospel isn’t for everyone? Or are we going to go out and make disciples the way God commissioned?