Thoughts for the Day

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, ‘Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.’ But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid his fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold of the ship and had lain down, and was fast asleep. The captain came and said to him, ‘What are you doing sound asleep? Get up, call on your god! Perhaps the god will spare us a thought so that we do not perish.’

The sailors said to one another, ‘Come, let us cast lots, so that we may know on whose account this calamity has come upon us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, ‘Tell us why this calamity has come upon us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?’ ‘I am a Hebrew,’ he replied. ‘I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’ Then the men were even more afraid, and said to him, ‘What is this that you have done!’ For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them so.

Then they said to him, ‘What shall we do to you, that the sea may quieten down for us?’ For the sea was growing more and more tempestuous. He said to them, ‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quieten down for you; for I know it is because of me that this great storm has come upon you.’ Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more stormy against them. Then they cried out to the Lord, ‘Please, O Lord, we pray, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life. Do not make us guilty of innocent blood; for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.’ So they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

But the Lord provided a large fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

For the next few Sundays we're going to look at the book of Jonah. It's a story we know well - the bit about the whale, at least. But I want to invite you to think deeper! First, what kind of writing is it? Is it history like the book of Exodus? There are a few clues - Nineveh was not the principal city in the 8th century BCE when Jonah was apparently alive, and archeologists argue it was never as large as Jonah claims (3 days travelling to cross it), nor is there other evidence of a Hebrew prophet in action. So is it fiction, with Jonah being swallowed by a great fish, and later a strange plant that grows instantly? But if it's a story why wasn't it placed alongside the books of Ruth or Esther, instead of in the section for minor prophets? So is Jonah a prophet? Well there's only one prophecy in the book in Chapter 3!

Perhaps we should ask what is the aim of the book, and look at its themes? We can see that God is in control. Out of the blue Jonah gets a command from God to go into enemy territory, to the Assyrian city of Nineveh, to a people who seek to invade his country. He is to take a message. However, Jonah immediately sets sail the opposite way. But his rebellion is pointless, for God controls the sea and wind, and also the fish. Even the sailors have heard of Yahweh (Lord) the God of heaven, and are frightened of His power.

Today, God still calls us to action, through his written word in our Bible; through our conscience; and through words spoken to us by others. So we too have the choice to follow Him. But when the task is difficult and we are scared, we should never forget that ultimately Yahweh - God - is in control.

Almighty God,
You speak to us in many different ways.
Sometimes we simply don't want to hear You;
sometimes we don't want to follow Your commands;
and sometimes we wish to go our own way.
Sharpen our hearing and our perceptions
so that we may follow Your directions,
knowing that Your way is always best.
Amen.