Are you familiar with the story of Jonah? God told him to go do something, but instead of obeying, he ran away, was thrown off a boat, and swallowed by a big fish. After three days, the fish spit him out, right where God told him to go.
I’ve heard many sermons about Jonah and written a little about him myself. But despite all that’s been said, I can’t help but wonder: Are we missing the main point of Jonah’s story? Consider these common teachings.
One of the more popular teachings about Jonah centers around these verses:
The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
Jonah 1:1-3 (NIV)
Some popular sermons about these verses ask the question: Did Jonah really think he could run from God? To answer this question, we turn to Psalm 139, where David asks these questions:
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
Psalm 139:7 (NIV)
Sometimes we might think that Jonah was silly for trying to run away from God. After all, as David says in Psalm 139, there’s nowhere we can go to “flee” from God’s presence.
We might also ask why Jonah fled from God. This is another good question about these verses, and in Jonah 4, we’re told why Jonah fled:
He prayed to the LORD, “Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.”
Jonah 4:2 (NIV)
When God told Jonah to preach to the Ninevites, he didn’t want to obey because they were enemies of the Jewish people. Jonah wanted God to smite them because they were enemies, yet he knew that God was merciful, so he fled.
Therefore, from Jonah 4:2, we can learn about God’s love for everyone and how we shouldn’t allow our prejudices to hinder our service to Him. This, too, is a good lesson we can learn from Jonah.
But there’s another lesson in Jonah’s story, one that often gets overlooked. Somewhere between Jonah 1 and Jonah 4, there’s a message about our responsibilities as Christians that we don’t want to miss.
In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he sums up that responsibility:
Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.”
Colossians 4:17 (NIV)
We all have a job to do.
As Christians, we share the ministry of reconciliation that Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 5:11-21. However, we also have individual assignments that align with, contribute to, and are essential to completing our shared goal, telling the world about Jesus Christ and the Good News of salvation.
This is where Paul’s teachings in Ephesians 4 offer more clarity.
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-13 (NIV)
Paul mentions five specific foundational roles, but he also reveals the primary purpose of those roles: “To equip [God’s] people for works of service.” This service supports and promotes maturity in Christ, leading to our perfection in Him.
Paul describes these works elsewhere in Ephesians 2:10:
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
That’s why I keep coming back to this: we all have a job to do. Paul knew it, which is why a consistent theme runs through most of his letters: a theme of partnership in spreading the message about Jesus Christ. Moreover, Paul wrote letters instructing others on how they could best serve Christ through their service to, and through, other Christians.
Given this insight, that we all have a responsibility in Christ to complete the work we’ve been assigned, what can we say about Jonah and his flight from responsibility?
Let’s examine the message Jonah finally preached when God delivered him to Nineveh.
Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”
Jonah 3:4 (NIV)
God’s message to the Ninevites is eerily similar to something Jesus said in Luke:
I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
Luke 13:3 (NIV)
While the Ninevites had 40 days, we don’t know how long we have. That’s why Jesus didn’t delay, He began His ministry with this clear call:
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Mark 1:15 (NIV)
In other words, the time to share the message is now. We live in the reality of a risen Savior who could return at any moment. Like Jonah, we’ve been given a message, and the window to share it may be shorter than we think.
The message that God told Jonah to preach to those Ninevites thousands of years ago is the same message we’re to reveal to others today. Of course, we have that message wrapped up in the Good News about Jesus and how God sent Him to deliver us from our sins, but the point is the same.
If you think the messages are different, consider what Jesus told the Pharisees:
The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.
Matthew 12:41 (NIV)
My friends, while the message remains the same, so do the consequences for those who ignore it. Yet, how many Christians are like Jonah? Instead of sharing their testimonies about Jesus Christ and what He’s done in their lives, they remain deathly silent.
While Jonah fled from the Lord because he didn’t want to see God spare his enemies, what about us? If we’ve not told anyone about Christ and His love, we should ask ourselves: Why? What are we running from?
If you’ve shared the good news of Jesus Christ with others, Hallelujah! Well done, my friend. But if you haven’t, it’s not too late. After all, God gave Jonah another chance, and He’ll do the same for you.
If you’re wondering how to share or what to share, ask the Holy Spirit to encourage and strengthen you. Then, start with something only you know, like your testimony of what God has done for you. Once you start, allow the Spirit to lead you as you plant seeds of hope, seeds that others may water, and that God grows into glorious salvation.
