The Unwelcome Call (Jonah 1)

Bible Passage: Jonah 1

The book of Jonah is the story of God calling a prophet to speak his word in a foreign city, but that prophet not wanting to go. In this opening chapter, we see Jonah attempt to flee from God’s call, but finding that he could not outrun the Lord. In his efforts to get away from God, he found himself in stormy waters as a result of God’s discipline. Jonah came to his senses, and offered to sacrifice himself in the sea, but in this place he found God’s rescue through the most unlikely means.

Running From God (v1-3): The book begins with God speaking to Jonah and commissioning him to preach in the city of Nineveh. This was not an easy call. We are told that Nineveh was a wicked city, and that Jonah was to preach ‘against’ it, so he was being asked to go to a difficult place and speak an unpopular message of judgement. This is very different to the call that Christians have today to proclaim the good news of salvation to all nations, and yet it is similar in that it can mean persisting in bringing a message that is not always well received. Jonah’s response of attempting to run from what God was asking him presents a provocative challenge for us as to how we are responding to God’s call – including the call on all of us to make disciples and also any particular calling that he has given to us individually. Whilst Jonah’s efforts to physically run from God seem absurd (see Psalm 139:7-10), many of us can do the same in a less literal way, and in our hearts flee from God’s call on our lives.

Stormy Waters (v4-6): The fact that Jonah could not outrun God is highlighted by the emphasis on God’s sovereign hand in the events of this chapter. In verse 4, we are told that it is the Lord who sent the storm (just as in verse 17 we will see the Lord sends the fish). The storm was so violent that the ship almost broke up, but somehow Jonah was sleeping below deck despite the conditions. In many ways this parallels Jesus in Mark 4:35-41, who also slept through a mighty storm, but the significant difference was that whilst Jesus slept because of his faith, Jonah slept because of apathy. It hadn’t occurred to him that God might have any sway over the storm, and it was only after the captain cajoled him that he even prayed about the situation. In life, we will all encounter stormy seasons, and this story challenges us about whether our response in those moments is one of turning to God for help or of apathetically ignoring him.

An Unlikely Rescue (v7-16): Once the sailors had determined by lot that Jonah was the one responsible for the storm, he came to his senses. He acknowledged that he was an Israelite and a worshipper of God but on the run, and he offered to be thrown into the sea in order to stop the storm and protect the sailors. When we are on the run from God, the first step is often exactly the same for us as it was for Jonah – remembering who we are and affirming our identity in God. From that place of identity we then have the foundation to make different choices, and the choice that Jonah makes here echoes Jesus in that he was willing to sacrifice himself so that others would live. The story also echoes the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15) in that the one who had walked away comes to his senses and turns back.

The sailors were reluctant to throw Jonah into the water, but eventually realised that they had no other choice. As they did so the storm became calm and they feared God (another parallel to Mark 4). Jonah however was floundering in the water. His situation was a desperate one, and he had no way of rescuing himself. He was relying on God’s mercy, and God did miraculously deliver him him by sending a huge fish to swallow him. (Note – Don’t get into the questions of whether this is a historical account versus a fiction/fable … teach it for the story that it is) The passage shows God’s sovereign power to deliver us from any situation, and gives us hope that whatever bad choices we have made or difficult circumstances we have encountered, God is still ready to deliver us.

Potential Applications:

• There will be some present who identify with Jonah as ‘on the run’ from God. Invite people to stop running and turn back to him.
• Many will be experiencing stormy times in life. Challenge people to bring those situations to God in faith rather than slumbering through them in apathy.
• Just as Jonah was rescued and delivered, we can find salvation in Christ. Invite people to put their trust in him and be saved.