Jonah is such a well-known story. A lot of unbelievers know of “Jonah and the whale.” Only … there’s no actual mention of a whale … and that’s just the beginning of the difficulties with the story of Jonah. Remember the story? God called Jonah to go to Nineveh and “cry against it” (Jonah 1:2). So … Jonah got on a ship and ran. It wasn’t in the direction God commanded, so “YHWH hurled a great wind on the sea” (Jonah 1:4) and the ship was in trouble. Terrified, the crew cast lots to find out who was to blame, and it fell on Jonah. He confessed and told them to throw him overboard (Jon 1:9-12) which they eventually did. The text says God “appointed a great fish” to swallow Jonah (Jonah 1:17) where he remained for three days and nights. Jonah then prayed (Jonah 2:1-9). Most people think it was a prayer of repentance, but the text only offers a prayer of thanksgiving (Jonah 2:9). And the fish coughs him up a three-day walk from Nineveh. He goes to Nineveh, telling them God will “overthrow” Nineveh in 40 days and Nineveh repents and God shows mercy. (Jonah 3:3-10). That’s the story. So why do we misunderstand so many parts?
There are several misconceptions that change the entire message of the story. One is the whale, but that misconception is minor. It was a “great fish,” not necessarily a whale. In the New Testament, when Jesus quotes the story, He calls it a “sea monster” (Matt 12:40 NAS). Some people think that the whale is the point. It’s not. The fish is an act of discipline and mercy, not escape.
Moving on, we think Jonah ran from God. Maybe he was afraid to do what God wanted or he was afraid of what Nineveh would do to him. We aren’t left to guess. Jonah tells God why he ran. “I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity” (Jonah 4:2). God’s man ran from God’s mercy for Nineveh. Think of that. Jonah was angry with God—angry enough to run—because of God’s mercy. He didn’t believe God should be merciful to Nineveh. Do we do that? Are we upset when God chooses to show mercy to some of whom we don’t approve?
The text says God “saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented” (Jonah 3:10). So, apparently God’s compassion is reserved for the repentant. But we know this isn’t true. “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy” (Rom 9:16). Jonah knew this. He knew God loved being merciful. Don’t conclude from the text that Nineveh in any way earned their mercy.
Another misconception is in regard to Nineveh’s repentance. It was genuine and lasting, right? Well, no. Nahum is “the oracle of Nineveh” (Nahum 1:1) in which God's wrath is eventually unleashed against the evil city. We tend to think God responds to perfect repentance and it’s not true. He chooses whom He will gift with repentance (2 Tim 2:24-25). He shows mercy on whom He will show mercy. The quality of our repentance doesn't determine God's mercy.
The story is a good one (obviously, since it’s in God’s Word). It’s true. (Jesus wouldn’t have quoted it if He didn’t think it was true.) The whole “swallowed by a fish” thing causes concerns for some, but if God is God, He can do whatever He wants and it’s foolishness of moderns to assume He can’t. Most importantly, we mustn’t allow skepticism about fish and why he ran to blind us to the real message. God loves to show mercy. He does it in ways we don’t expect. We must not be “Jonahs” who run from God’s mercy toward people of whom we don’t approve.
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