One of my favourite books of the Bible is Jonah. Let me say up front I think Jonah gets a really bad rap by most commentators. So in response I say “he who is without sin cast the first stone”. The reason I love the book Jonah is that it uniquely reveals the power of Jesus love for us.
Anyway here is my perspective on Jonah. The first thing we read is that God spoke to Jonah. God said “Arise, go to Nineveh….and cry out against”. Lets put ourselves in Jonah’s place. God speaks to him. That in itself would make his mind race at a thousand mile an hour! Imagine if God spoke to you right now and he asked you to go to the people who killed your son or your closest friend. After all the Ninevites were the enemies of the Hebrews (Jonah was a Hebrew) and they were brutal in their attacks on the Hebrews.
Imagine God speaks to you and asks you to do something that is not what you want to do. Maybe we are all afraid of what God may actually ask of us unless of course we have 100% given our heart and life to Jesus? Giving up that last bit of control in our lives can be hard but there is nothing better than to rely completely on Jesus.
So Jonah tried to run away from God, that is, do the human response to a moment that confronted him. Yes fight or flight! Jonah chose flight. Maybe he still wanted some control in his life and wasn’t prepared to give it all to God? We all know he ran the opposite direction to God’s request and he thought he could hide from God in the “belly” of the ship. Little did he know that God had a different belly for him to be in. I detect God’s sense of humour in that scene.
The boat set sail and the inevitable big storm came and “the mariners were afraid, and every man cried out to his god”. Then the mariners dumped the cargo overboard to prevent the ship sinking, but their efforts were not enough. Much like us if we think our efforts contribute to our salvation. Remember Jesus did it all.
Meanwhile Jonah was fast asleep in the belly of the ship. The mariners woke him and ask him to call upon his God. Just like they called upon their gods. The mariners also called upon their superstitions and casts lots and Jonah came up short. Interesting they are were trying all the things they thought would work. In this case it did! So they ask Jonah who, what, where, when questions. When the mariners knew he was a Hebrew they had fear because they knew of the Hebrew God. Interestingly the mariners ask Jonah what shall we do to calm the sea. Again it is all about “what works can I do to be saved” or salvation by works!
Eventually, the men cried out to the Hebrew God and basically said don’t let us perish because Jonah ran from you. The ask to be forgiven for what they are about to do, which is followed by the proverbial “BUT” we see this man was running away from you and you sent a raging storm to take revenge and kill him. So we are helping in that process. Then threw him overboard. Following that the seas went calm.
That event and witness alone, converted the mariners to offer a sacrifice to the Hebrew Lord and they also took vows to the Lord. Instant conversion! Amazing how God uses all sorts of circumstances and events and people to bring people to Him.
I ask is there any parallels between Jesus and Jonah in this chapter of Jonah? Lets look at the time Jesus slept in the boat when the storm raged about Him (and the disciples). Jesus was calm because He had faith in His Father. Whereas Jonah was ready to go down with the ship because he knew he was running away from God. You see the thing that God ask Jonah to do was too much for him to do. Also what the Father asked Jesus to do was also too much but Jesus but He trusted and had faith in His Father. Jonah did not.
The last verse in Chapter 1 states that a great fish swallowed Jonah and he was in the belly for three days and three nights.
Now that is a direct parallel to Jesus, as Jesus was in the belly of the tomb for 3 days and nights as stated in Matthew 12:40 : “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” So is there a parallel between Jonah and Jesus? After all Jesus said these words to the disciples. Or is this verse there to get our attention about the following chapter?
I believe Chapter 2 has two themes. One is about Jonah and the other is to give us an understanding of the feelings and anguish Jesus felt on the cross. I refer you to my blog “Jesus Prayer on the Cross”.
As for Jonah in Chapter 2 and 3, I will leave that for my next blog.
My Biblical Thoughts 