WE the JONAHS

WE the JONAHS
Krinda Joy Carlson
Intern, Ceitci Demirkova Ministries

Lately, the Bible’s been funny to me. Not the Bible itself, the stories in it. This morning I was reading Jonah and had to laugh! Jonah, like all the other characters in the Bible, was one-hundred percent human – just like us. He was stubborn, he was afraid, he didn’t want to do the task God asked, and he was the ultimate dramatic. The story starts like this:
God says GO!
Jonah says no.
He actually physically tries to run from God. The first place he goes is a shipyard, thinking maybe he can put some ocean between him and God, as if contact with the Creator of the Universe could only be made on land! But, he can’t escape. At sea, a storm tosses the ship about like a rubber-ducky. The sailors are frantic and petition their various gods, to no avail. Finally, they went to Jonah, knowing he was in the process of running away from God since he announced it to them when he boarded the ship. Instead of praying and submitting, Jonah tells them to throw him overboard.
Jonah decides he should die.
God decides He’ll give him another try.
So, did God send a life-raft to pick him up, or a sailor to rescue Jonah? No, He “provided” a great fish “to swallow” Jonah (if anyone ever tries to say God doesn’t have a sense of humor, just point them to this story)! Jonah sat in that mucky-yucky, not to mention slimy, innards of the fish until he finally prayed and turned to the Lord. The Bible says that the fish then VOMITED Jonah out on shore. And, he gets another chance.
God, again, says GO!
Jonah says ok, I’ll bring to Nineveh your woe!
SO, Jonah finally travels to fulfill the original mission God sent Him on. When he gets to Nineveh, he warns the people of their sin and tells them that they will be destroyed. The king and his people are so repentant, they denounce all their gods and pray and fast to the One true God. God sees this, and has compassion on the people of Nineveh. Meanwhile, Jonah is watching for the city to be destroyed. He’d brought the warning of God, and now he waits for the message he brought to be fulfilled. After all, this is what he was sent for! When Jonah realizes that Nineveh is getting a second chance, he gets angry that the word he delivered didn’t happen like he said, so he begins berating God. “I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God,” he shook his fist to heaven. “Slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending the calamity.” Aaaaarrrrrr, “Now, O Lord, take away my life!” With that, the angered man stormed to the desolate landscape outside the city, without supplies or shelter.
Jonah goes to the desert to bake.
God sends shade for his sake.
Despite his original dramatic intentions, Jonah was happy for the shade, but the next day the vine, which was providing protection for the sun, withered. He became angry all over again at God – angry because nothing was going the way he planned. His solution? Nothing less than death (this is the third of Jonah’s death wishes in the short book!).
Jonah asks, “Death to me, O God, please render!”
God asks, “Jonah, my child, just surrender.”

And then book ends – fin, complete. We never discover the resolution of the story. But I think that’s the point of the Book of Jonah. The end of the story is ours. God gives us Jonah because we can relate, then leaves the story unfinished for us to complete. After all, we are all Jonahs who are being shaped into vessels God can use. Maybe you haven’t done any of the following, but I can guarantee you know someone who has…

Ran from the difficult things God asks him to do.
Blamed God for bad things that happen to her.
Been angry when something didn’t turn out the way he or she thought it should.
Just generally whined, complained, and dramatized when life was out of their control.

Sometimes, we only see the unpleasant, stinky part of life, or the things that are removed from our lives. When, in fact, Jonah’s story shows us that the smelly fish wasn’t a curse, it was a blessing because it preserved his life; just as the vine in the desert was provided for a season, until it was time for Jonah to move on. God didn’t send the fish or remove the vine out of anger but out of loving compassion. He did not send Jonah to Nineveh simply because he was angry with the city, He sent him because He loved the people and desired to provide them with another chance. After Jonah rejected the call, God could have chosen someone different, but God wanted Jonah because He cared. Just like with Nineveh, God provided Jonah with second chances. God did not relent. He kept on pursuing Jonah.

That’s how God is with us, he’s gracious and compassionate. He doesn’t sit in heaven and wait for us to fail so He can get angry and send calamity. No matter how much we mess up, God still wants to use us! If we run, He’ll send a storm to redirect our route. If we jump into the ocean, He’ll send a big fish to swallow us up and spit us where we need to go. If we decided to wander in the desert, He’ll eventually spring something from the ground to bring us back to our right minds. You see, God can handle our dramatics and our fears, but the one thing He does expect of us is to let HIM BE GOD. The problem with Jonah trying to control his life, the weather, the plant, and the fate of the city is that he operates out of the human condition of condemnation. Even condemnation upon himself (note: his desire to die). Whereas, God’s plan, which we see played out in the story, is one of grace. He extends this redemption in equal amounts to all peoples. So, when the Book ends with God asking Jonah, “Don’t I have the right to do as I please with my creation?” He is asking this same question of us. We all come to the point where we must answer this question, which is why the end of Jonah is our beginning. For, our journey starts with acknowledging God’s right and might to control with His great love. So, you can choose to run or surrender.
But if you run, He’ll smile and send a fish just for you…
because you’re a Jonah, with a calling too!