Remember when you were a kid and you heard/read the story of Jonah and the whale? Remember the pictures of the   smiley caucasian man in the mouth of the equally smiley ocean mammal? Well, growing up in faith means growing past the G-ratings we censor scripture into becomming. The real deal about Jonah is far from a story about God rescuing a man from drowning a-la the belly of a big fish. It’s a story about God’s relentless love for wicked people and about how delayed obedience isn’t really obedience at all.

Take chapter 1. Jonah, instruced by God to journey to Ninevah (sin city of his day) to proclaim God’s wrath on the wickedness of the people instead flees toward Tarshish via boat. God sends crazy storm. Men throw Jonah overboard. Jonah is rescued from the waves by being swallowed by a big fish (note: the Bible never tells us it’s a whale).

So in response to disobedience, God gets his man.

In chapter 2, Jonah prays to God and the story peeks when the fish “vomits” Jonah safely on a shore. In chapter 3, God once again sets Jonah’s sights on Ninevah and Jonah complies. Wouldn’t you? If I knew everytime I ignored the word of the Lord I would nearly drown and be digested by a large animal, I’d be inclined to obey too. Jonah journeys to Ninevah and proclaims God’s wrath. And in a shocking twist, the people repent and God spares his judgement. Per his word in Jeremiah 18, God withholds punishment from those who admit the error of their ways and return to God.

Finally, we get to chapter 4 (incidentally the chapter never glanced at in the childhood fairytale Bible version we learn as kiddos). Jonah expresses his anger at God for showing mercy to the Ninevites. He admits the reason for his initial disobedience; he feared the merciful character of the Lord would prevail and allow the God of the universe to spare the wicked city. Jonah didn’t want God to show the Ninevites love. He didn’t want to warn them. He didn’t want God to spare them. So God gives Jonah a word picture. It was all about shade, a worm, and scortching heat but ultimately about God caring passionately about the 120,000 populus. And the story of Jonah just ends…

I like Lost. The ABC phenom. This week, we’ll watch the final episode of the series and my fear is that I’ll be left with unresolved character issues. The writers leaving me with unanswered questions is my biggest dread. Unresolved character issues is the story of Jonah. According to Jonah, we don’t know if the prophet got it or not. The story ends in suicidal anger. He wanted to just die. The good news however is that God got to display his righteous anger and gracious mercy all in just one chapter.

There is a cool miracle in Jonah…but it’s not a guy surviving a midweek in a fish’s belly. It’s the miracle of salvation…salvation that comes from repentance, salvation offered by the grace of a God who loves people [even and especially wicked people]…salvation that warrants immediate obedience, not delayed obedience…and salvation that begs us understand that the same God who saved the wicked Ninevites is the same God who wants to save the wicked us!

Posted in dock@1810, Student Pastor - Nic Allen by Nic Allen No Comments