When I was a Sunday school teacher one of my favourite songs with the children was about Jonah. In Dan Hartman’s book we have Jonah the Moaner, a story I always enjoy reading. It was one of my children’s favourite bedtime stories. When I was doing a course one of our topics was the story of Jonah, and we took the story to pieces, scene by scene. This story, obviously wasn’t a favourite of the lecturer and Jonah emerged from our dissection as a mere fable. A story the children like to hear, but little more.

 But what is the story of Jonah about? I have read of many different explanations for reading Jonah. One teacher says the story of Jonah is more about repentance than it is about the fish. Some explain that Jonah is evidence that no one can escape the presence of God, even while trying to run from the Almighty. Others believe Jonah is a story that there is a hope that listeners would learn from Jonah’s mistakes. One rabbi says, “God cares for everyone. Jonah cares only for himself. God wins.”

All of these explanations make good points and show different aspects of the story. But it is the last one that I will look at now. The story of Jonah is, after all, about a stubbornly self-centered man who was glad to receive God’s mercy when he thought he was dying in the stomach of a great fish (2:9). But he wanted nothing to do with a God who could be “gracious and merciful” to the enemies of Israel (4:2).

Before we go any further, let’s think about Nineveh. Who were these people that Jonah had been sent to?

In the days of Jonah, Nineveh was the thriving capital of the great Assyrian Empire. Her soldiers had a reputation for torturing their prisoners of war. Rumours of Assyrian atrocities were so alarming that victims often surrendered without a fight.

These are the people to whom God sent Jonah, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me” (1:2).

 For me, one of the surprises of Jonah’s story is that when he finally shouts the message of God in the streets of Nineveh, the whole city repents. Even the animals wear sackcloth after the king of the Assyrians declares like a prophet, “Let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?” (3:8-9).

To Jonah’s dismay, his worst fears come to pass. God shows mercy to Israel’s enemies when He sees their change of heart. Jonah is furious. As if he and his people alone deserve something that no one can earn, he complains, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!” (4:2-3).

Then the story gets even more amazing. As Jonah sits outside the city waiting to see what will happen, God grows a plant to give him shade. Jonah is grateful. Then God sends a worm to kill the plant. The plant shrivels, leaving Jonah not only to overheat under the Middle East sun, but also furious with God. Jonah’s last words show no change of heart. He is so beside himself with anger that the Lord asks, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” And Jonah says, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!” (v.9).

At the end of the story we see God prodding the conscience of a man who is more concerned about the plant that gave him shade than about the people of Nineveh who needed mercy.

That’s where Jonah’s story would end if it were not for the possibility that, ever since, others have been learning from his mistake. What about us? Could the brooding prophet help us make this our own day of repentance by reminding us that God cares for everyone? We’re inclined to care only for ourselves. But with or without us, God will have His way in the end.

From the beginning, God’s intent was nobler than to let one extended family enjoy a land of milk and honey. He poured out His love on His “chosen people” for a purpose much greater than themselves. Embraced by His love, they were called to bring the whole world the news of God’s mercy, patience, and compassion for repentant hearts.

By the time Jesus appeared on the scene, some prominent religious leaders seem to have forgotten God’s mission for Israel. Like echoes of Jonah, they considered non-Jewish people unclean and untouchable and unworthy of God’s mercy.

Quite unintentionally, these religious moralists did a pretty good Jonah imitation. Although they didn’t know it at the time, they were angry with the God who wanted to show mercy to their enemies.

And what about us? Have you ever done the Jonah routine? Could it be happening again to us right now? If so, will it take a “big fish” to turn us around? Or are we willing to make this our own personal moment and day of repentance?