Reading: Jonah 1-4, Psalm 129

I’ll be honest, I’ve been dreading today. Not because I don’t like talking about Jonah, but because the whole book is one day’s reading, and there is so much to say about it. But instead of writing a ridiculously long blog post, I’ll link you to this 5 part sermon series by on the book by one of my favorite Bible teachers, Tim Mackie. Okay, for those who haven’t abandoned ship to watch 4 hours of Tim teaching on Jonah, thanks for staying. Let’s see what we can do.

Jonah is an odd book. It is one of the “prophets” but it is totally unlike any of the other minor prophets in that it is really just a story. It is also unusual in that the title character is…. well, of questionable character. Jonah, the son of Amattai, is not a great role model. Let’s take the story in parts:

God calls Jonah to preach judgment to Ninevah. Ninevah was the capital of Assyria, and the Assyrians were not nice guys. They were internationally known for using torture as a means of control. They slaughtered their conquered foes and deported the survivors to other places in order to eradicate their cultures. Jonah is sent to declare that God’s judgment is coming.

Jonah goes the other way. I mean, really, really goes the other way. He jumps a ship to Tarshish. Where was Tarshish? Not entirely sure, but the most likely site is in southern Spain. Yeah, the other side of the Mediterranean Sea. But the ship gets into trouble. The pagan sailors cry out to their gods, and they wake up Jonah telling him to do the same. They end up casting lots to determine that Jonah is responsible for their situation. The pagan sailors then do their best to keep Jonah safe. They go to great lengths to avoid harming him. Now, who comes off better in this story so far? I’ll give you a hint: it’s the pagan sailors. Okay, that was more than a hint. Jonah, the prophet of the God of Israel, comes off less righteous than the pagan sailors headed to Tarshish. But eventually, the sailors come to the conclusion they have to get rid of Jonah, and they throw him overboard. Then they go and make atoning sacrifices and worship the God of Israel. These sailors seem to be pretty good guys put in a bad situation.

Jonah, in the meantime, gets swallowed by a fish. This fish. This dumb fish has become the center of the story, and it literally does two things: it swallows Jonah, and a couple days later it vomits him up. This is not a story about a fish. The fish is not the point. Don’t make the story about the fish. Okay, I’m done yelling about the fish. While he’s busy being inside the fish, Jonah appears to have time to consider his situation in life. He prays a really interesting prayer from the belly of the fish. How is it interesting? Every line from this prayer is from the Psalms. Jonah is quoting lines from the Psalms to assemble a prayer. Maybe they were all he could think of, after all, he was in a fish at the time. In any event, God decides to have the fish vomit him up, and it does.

God repeats his marching orders to Jonah: go speak judgment to Nineveh. This time, Jonah goes. All it for Jonah, the prophet, to do his job was this fish adventure. Now he’s off to Nineveh, the huge prosperous capital of Assyria. When he gets there, he preaches the most effective sermon in history, especially considering it’s brevity. In Hebrew, Jonah’s entire message is five words. In forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown.
And all of Nineveh repents. The king commands a nationwide fast, including the animals. He casts off his royal robe and puts on sackcloth, and the whole city turns and listens to the God of Israel. Let’s gut check the story again. Who is coming off better here? Jonah the prophet, or the nasty, wicked, violent Assyrians? It is the Assyrians. All it takes for them to repent and listen to God is Jonah’s five word sermon. You would think Jonah would be happy. Maybe he could start a really effective television ministry with 3 second, 5 word sermons.

Silly, right? But not at silly as Jonah actually was. Jonah is extraordinarily angry about his successful message. He turns to God and we learn why he ran away from God’s mission in the first place: he did not want to see the Assyrians saved. God asks him if he has good reason to be so angry. Jonah doesn’t answer.

Instead he runs out of town and sets up a tent. God causes a plant to grow over him, which he enjoys. Then God has a worm eat the plant, and sends a really nasty wind to blow on Jonah. He asks again if Jonah has reason to be angry. This time Jonah responds, Yes! I have a right to be angry. Angry enough to die! God takes this absurd overstatement and turns it on it’s head: if you are so upset over a plant, which you did not even make, how much should God care about all the people and animals in the huge city of Nineveh?

And that is where the story ends. Feel weird to leave it there? Shouldn’t we get some story of Jonah repenting of his rebellion in fleeing from God, or his arrogant desire to leave Nineveh to its fate, or his unrighteous anger toward God about the plant? I think that would be nice, but I think that the discomfort and ambiguity is the point of the book of Jonah. Jonah is a terrible prophet, but he is a familiar character. Jonah’s story plays out disobedience rooted in a self-righteous desire for the enemy to get what they deserve. It is rooted in a shallow valuing of life. Jonah cared about himself and his people, and hated the Assyrians. Jonah turns to foreign sailors to help him escape, where he gives up on his own life and asks them to throw him overboard. In the end, Jonah is so angry he wishes he was dead. But God cares about all of the above. His message is rooted in caring about Jonah, the people (and animals) of Nineveh, the sailors, even the fish. God’s true prophets deliver messages from him rooted deeply in how God values all of creation.

Jonah ends with a question, and it is a question that is still being asked. Given how much we care about things we did not make, how much more should God care about all that he has made?