Running From Grace

INTRO TO JONAH

-The Book of Jonah is one of the twelve minor prophets in the Old Testament, but it stands out from the rest because it is primarily a narrative, not a collection of prophetic sayings. It tells the story of Jonah, a prophet from Israel, whom God calls to preach repentance to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria — a violent and hated enemy of Israel.

-Though short (only four chapters), Jonah challenges our assumptions about who deserves God’s mercy and confronts our own tendencies to run from what God asks of us. Ultimately, it’s not just a story about a man and a fish — it’s a story about God’s relentless grace and mercy, both for others and for us.

-For centuries the book of Jonah has been read on the Day of Atonement. Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn fast day in the Jewish liturgical year.

-The message of Jonah, which is appointed to be read in the afternoon service, underlines so many of the great lessons of Yom Kippur—that it is impossible to run away from God’s presence, that God takes pity on all his creatures, and that he is ever willing to accept true repentance.

-Still today, Yom Kippur marks the time when Jewish people come in penitence before the Lord and seek restoration with the human community, including not only the immediate circle of family, friends and colleagues, but also the wider human community of peoples and nations.

- In the book of Jonah we appear, at first sight, to be caught up with an intriguing storyline. But the story itself is prophecy. Uniquely among the prophets, it addresses the relationship between God, who is undoubtedly the main character and hero of the story, and Jonah, his stiff-necked prophet.

READ JONAH 1:1-17.

I. GOD’S CALL IS CLEAR (vv. 1–2)

“The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because their evil has come up before me.’”

-God is calling Jonah to deliver a prophetic message of judgment and warning to the city of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. The people there are living in wickedness, and their evil has come to God’s attention. Rather than immediately judging them, God desires to warn them through a prophet, giving them the opportunity to repent.

-This shows God's mercy and concern even for a foreign, violent, and pagan nation. He doesn’t ignore sin, but He offers a chance for repentance before judgment.

-Overall, these simple words contain a mystery. How does the word of the Lord come to the prophet Jonah?

-Does it come through a vision, a dream, someone speaking to him, a letter, a circumstance, an adventure? Is there a voice from heaven which only Jonah hears?

-No answer is given to these questions either here or in the rest of the Old Testament.

- It is only Jonah’s response which indicates in the clearest possible way that God’s word to him was indeed powerfully real. Jonah was called. He was deeply disturbed by this and, as we shall see, unable to accept it.

Some things that stand out about the call:

-God initiates — Jonah’s story begins with grace, a divine calling.

-The call isn’t just about judgment; it’s about mercy for Nineveh.

-Jonah is being invited to participate in God's redemptive work.

-When God called Jonah, it wasn’t to do something easy, safe, or comfortable. He was being sent into the heart of enemy territory—Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, a nation known for its brutality and wickedness.

-From Jonah’s perspective, this call was unreasonable, even dangerous. But from God’s perspective, it was an invitation into something much greater: to participate in His redemptive work in the world.

1. God's call confronts our comfort zones.

-God called Jonah to confront not just Nineveh’s evil, but also Jonah’s own heart. Jonah would rather stay in his own land, among his own people, preaching messages that aligned with his personal and national preferences.

-But God's call disrupted that comfort. Often, we imagine that if something is from God, it will feel peaceful, easy, or natural.

-But in truth, God’s call often challenges our prejudices, fears, and assumptions. It stretches us, not because He wants to harm us, but because growth lives outside of comfort.

2. God’s call reveals His heart for others.

-The fact that God would send a prophet to Nineveh—a violent, foreign nation—is radical. It shows that God is not just Israel’s God; He is the God of all nations. His concern reaches beyond borders.

-His mercy is wide. His justice is real, but His grace is deeper. God doesn’t want to destroy Nineveh without first giving them a chance to repent. This reveals that God’s call on our lives is often tied to His desire to bless or rescue others—even those we might consider unworthy.

3. God’s call is good, even when it feels hard.

-Jonah didn’t run because he didn’t understand God’s character—he ran because he did. He knew God was gracious and compassionate (Jonah 4:2), and he didn’t want His enemies to experience that mercy.

- In fleeing, Jonah wasn’t just avoiding a hard task; he was resisting the idea that God’s goodness should extend to people he hated. But God’s call is always aimed at a greater good—not just the redemption of others, but also the transformation of us. Through this journey, God would teach Jonah something about His own heart—and hopefully, soften Jonah’s.

4. When we say yes, we join God's mission of redemption.

-Saying yes to God may involve discomfort, sacrifice, or even fear—but it also means joining God in bringing life where there’s death, hope where there’s despair, and truth where there’s deception.

-Jonah had the chance to be the vessel through which an entire city could be saved. That’s what God offers us too: to step into something that matters eternally.

II. OUR RUNNING REVEALS OUR HEART (v. 3)

Lets talk about Jonah fleeing and how we do the same thing and what it reveals about our hearts.

Jonah isn’t confused — he’s rebellious.

-Jonah’s problem is not a lack of clarity. God’s command in verses 1–2 is painfully clear:

-There’s no ambiguity in God’s voice. Jonah doesn’t stop to ask, “God, what do you really mean by that?” He doesn’t hesitate because the instructions are confusing. He understands the assignment — and he intentionally refuses it.

-This is critical to see: Jonah's issue isn't intellectual, it’s spiritual He doesn’t struggle with hearing God; he struggles with obeying God.

-In fact, the language in Jonah 1:3 is filled with deliberate contrast:

God says, “Go to Nineveh.”

Jonah goes in the opposite direction — to Tarshish.

-His actions are not the result of hesitation or fear alone. They stem from a deeper issue: he does not want to participate in God’s plan. He’s not confused about God’s will — he just doesn’t agree with it.

He runs not just from the mission, but from God Himself.

-Twice in verse 3, we’re told Jonah fled "from the Lord’s presence."

-This is more than disobedience to a task — it’s rejection of relationship. Jonah isn’t just saying “no” to a job; he’s pulling away from the God who gave it. It’s as if he thinks, “If I can just get far enough away, I can escape this calling altogether.”

-Of course, Jonah the prophet knows better. Theologically, he knows God is omnipresent (as Psalm 139:7–10 declares: “Where can I go to escape your Spirit?”). But in his heart, he’s trying to disconnect from the weight of obedience, the intimacy of God’s voice, and the discomfort of God’s compassion for his enemies.

This is what sin often is — not just breaking rules, but distancing ourselves from God Himself because we don’t want what He wants.

We all have Tarshish moments — running to the opposite of God's will.

-“Tarshish” becomes a symbol — not just a physical location, but a direction of disobedience.

-When God says “forgive,” Tarshish is “hold a grudge.”

-When God says “speak truth in love,” Tarshish is “stay silent and bitter.”

-When God says “serve them,” Tarshish is “ignore them.”

-When God says “go,” Tarshish is “stay.”

-Tarshish represents whatever we turn to instead of turning to God.

-And just like Jonah, when we flee, there’s always a ship waiting. The enemy will make sure there's an easy escape route — a boat to distraction, rebellion, self-centeredness, or avoidance. Notice:

-Jonah pays a fare — disobedience always costs us something.

-He goes down into the ship — spiritually speaking, he is descending.

-He is fleeing fellowship, fleeing purpose, fleeing grace — not just for Nineveh, but for himself.

-We all face moments where obedience feels too costly, or where God's plan feels uncomfortable, and we start heading in the opposite direction. We may not physically board a ship, but we mentally and spiritually check out — resisting the Spirit, justifying our distance, and hoping the consequences don’t catch up.

III. GOD INTERRUPTS WITH STORMS (vv. 4–6)

-Lets look at Gods response to Jonah fleeing.

Grace doesn’t let us go easily.

-God doesn’t give Jonah over to his rebellion without a fight. Jonah runs in verse 3, but verse 4 starts with grace. The storm is not a random act of nature.

-It is divinely orchestrated intervention. The Hebrew word for “threw” (Hebrew: tul) is strong — it’s as if God hurls the storm like a spear. This isn't casual weather. It's intentional disruption.

That’s the nature of divine grace:

-Grace is not passive.

-Grace pursues.

-Grace disrupts our escape plans.

-Grace doesn't easily let rebels drift into destruction.

-It’s easy to see the storm as judgment, but in truth, it is mercy with muscle. God is too loving to let Jonah go quietly into disobedience. The storm is the visible sign of invisible grace — the hand of God reaching down to rouse a runaway prophet back to purpose.

God sends a storm not to destroy Jonah — but to redirect him.

-Sometimes we think of God’s discipline as punishment. But in this case, the storm is not meant to kill Jonah — it’s meant to wake him up. It’s a course correction, not a final sentence.

-Had Jonah’s journey gone smoothly, he might have reached Tarshish, settled into a new life, and hardened his heart permanently. But the storm cuts him off from his destination and forces him to face the reality of his disobedience.

This storm serves several purposes:

-It blocks his path: The ship can’t move forward in the storm.

-It exposes his sin: The sailors eventually trace the cause of the chaos back to Jonah.

-It opens a door for repentance: Jonah will ultimately choose to be thrown into the sea — a step toward surrender.

-Sometimes the storm you’re facing isn’t punishment — it’s protection. It’s not God’s wrath; it’s His way of redirecting your heart back to Him.

The sailors are panicking, Jonah is sleeping — a picture of spiritual numbness.

-There’s a striking contrast in verse 5:

“The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his god… Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel and had stretched out and fallen into a deep sleep.”

-While the ship is being torn apart and the sailors are desperately doing everything they can to survive — Jonah sleeps.It’s not just physical exhaustion. It’s spiritual withdrawal. This is the sleep of someone running from God — detached, disengaged, emotionally numb.

Let’s break this down:

The sailors represent the world around us:

-They’re crying out.

-They’re terrified.

-They’re seeking any spiritual solution they can find — praying to their gods, lightening their load, trying to survive.

-They don't yet know the true God, but they sense that something divine is needed. They’re spiritually desperate, though directionless. In many ways, they represent people today who are spiritually hungry, overwhelmed by life’s storms, and searching for hope anywhere they can find it.

-Jonah, the one person on the boat who knows the true God, is asleep. Not only that, he is in the lowest part of the ship, symbolizing his spiritual descent.

-This is a sobering picture of what happens when we run from God long enough — we don’t just disobey, we become insensitive. Jonah isn’t praying. He isn’t repenting. He’s not even helping. He’s just checked out.

-It’s a warning to us: You can be the one with the truth and still be asleep to the pain of the world.

You can be a believer and still be spiritually numb.

IV. GOD USES UNLIKELY PEOPLE TO WAKE US UP (vv. 7–10)

-The sailors are pagan Gentiles — non-believers in the God of Israel. They don’t have the Law. They don’t know the covenant. They’re desperate men doing whatever they can to survive. And yet — they become the mouthpiece God uses to confront His runaway prophet.

-This is unexpected. You’d think the one bringing conviction would be a priest, a fellow prophet, or even a supernatural vision. But instead, it’s a group of frightened, spiritually lost sailors who call Jonah out.

God often uses people outside the "spiritual elite" to shake us out of complacency.

-Sometimes it’s a child asking a convicting question.

-Sometimes it’s an unbelieving friend pointing out hypocrisy.

-Sometimes it's a stranger, or someone we dismiss, asking us: "What are you doing?"

-Jonah is supposed to be the spiritual one, the mouthpiece of God — but here, he is being interrogated by people he would have considered beneath him spiritually. This is both humbling and instructive.

The sailor ask all the right questions:

-They’re not just trying to figure out logistics. These are identity questions. They’re essentially asking:

Who are you, really?

What defines you?

What are you running from?

-These kinds of questions force Jonah to confront who he is — and who he’s supposed to be.

-Sometimes God will use people who don’t know Him to ask questions that push us to remember who we are in Him.

-Have you ever been called out by someone who didn't even believe in God, yet they could still see your inconsistency? That’s not coincidence — that’s divine confrontation through unlikely vessels.

Jonah’s response sounds right but it rings hollow:

-In verse 9 Jonah says:

“I’m a Hebrew. I worship the Lord, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.”

-That’s a powerful theological statement. It’s accurate. He acknowledges God as the sovereign Creator of all things — land and sea alike. But here’s the problem: his life contradicts his confession.

-He says he worships the Lord — yet he’s running from that very Lord. He claims to follow the God of the sea — yet he’s fleeing from Him on the sea. The sailors immediately sense the disconnect.

-And then verse 10 says:

“The men were seized by a great fear…” and they ask, “What is this you’ve done?”

-That’s not just a question of curiosity — it’s a question of moral shock. These unbelievers are stunned that someone would claim to know the God of creation and still disobey Him so brazenly.

-Sometimes it takes the awe of others to remind us of how lightly we are taking God.

-The sailors show more reverence in this moment than Jonah does. They tremble in fear. Jonah sleeps in apathy. They are shaken — and in doing so, they become the mirror that reflects Jonah’s spiritual contradiction.

This passage teaches us to remain open and humble, because:

-God’s rebuke may not come from a pulpit — it might come from a co-worker.

-His correction might not be from a sermon — it may come from a surprising conversation or confrontation.

-God sometimes speaks loudest through the people we least expect — not because they’re right in every way, but because God is sovereign in every way.

-These sailors didn’t know the whole truth — but God used their fear, their questions, and even their pagan practices (casting lots) to uncover Jonah’s hidden rebellion and bring him face to face with his calling.

Jonah 1:7–10 reminds us that:

-God can speak through anyone, even unbelievers.

-He often uses surprising people to help us see what we've been blind to.

-The voice that wakes us up might come from outside the church, outside our circle, even outside our faith — but still be used by God.

So the question becomes:

-Who has God been using to challenge you lately?

-Have you dismissed someone just because they’re not “spiritual enough,” when God may be trying to speak through them?

-Are you willing to listen, even if the truth comes from a place you didn’t expect?

-Jonah wasn’t just running from God — he was running from being confronted. But God, in His mercy, used a storm, a crew of sailors, and a surprising interrogation to wake him up.

Let’s not wait for the storm to grow stronger. Let’s learn to hear God’s voice, even when it comes from the most unexpected lips.

V. GRACE MEETS US IN THE DEEP (vv. 11–17)

-Lets look at Jonah’s solution to being confronted:

“Pick me up and throw me into the sea…” (v.12)

-This is not the voice of surrender — it’s the voice of someone who would rather die than deal with God.

-Jonah knows the storm is his fault. He knows he has disobeyed. He knows that if he just repented and turned back to God, there’s a good chance the storm would stop. But he doesn’t do that. Instead, he offers himself as a sacrifice to spare the others.

At first glance, it might even seem noble — but it’s deeply tragic. Why?

Jonah doesn't pray.

He doesn't say, “Turn the ship around.”

He doesn’t say, “I’ve sinned, let’s seek God’s mercy.”

He simply says, “Throw me overboard.”

-This is the heart of rebellion: Jonah would rather drown than obey.

-It shows us the depths of pride and bitterness that can grow in a person’s soul when they run from God. He’s so set against going to Nineveh — and so disconnected from God's heart — that death looks preferable to obedience.

“The men were seized by great fear of the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.”(v.16)

-This is beautiful irony: Jonah, the prophet, is resisting God — but the pagan sailors are fearing Him, praying to Him, and worshiping Him.

-God is so sovereign that He uses even Jonah’s disobedience to reveal His power to others.

This reminds us:

God is always working even through our failures.

He can bring revival even when His people are rebellious.

You never know who is watching your storm — and who might come to know God because of it.

-Here is where grace breaks in like lightning in a stormy night:

“The Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah…” (v.17)

-This is the surprise of divine mercy. Jonah sinks into the depths of the sea — his heart heavy, his hope gone — and just when it seems like God is done with him, grace swallows him whole.

This moment flips the script:

The sea should have been Jonah’s grave.

The storm should have ended his story.

His rebellion should have disqualified him.

But God doesn’t send a tomb.

-He sends a fish — a living, moving place of rescue and reflection.

-Jonah doesn’t get what he wants (death), and he doesn’t get what he deserves (judgment). He gets what none of us deserve: a second chance.

-The fish isn’t there to punish Jonah. It’s not wrath — it’s rescue. It’s not a prison — it’s a preserved space for transformation.

Let’s reflect on this:

-Jonah was running from God's presence, and the fish is the only thing that stops his descent.

-The sea would have taken him to final darkness, but the fish becomes a kind of lifeboat in the deep.

-It’s smelly, cramped, and utterly humbling — but it’s grace.

-Sometimes grace doesn’t feel comfortable — it feels like confinement. But even God's confining grace is better than the freedom of rebellion.

-The fish represents God’s severe mercy — the kind that doesn't let you die in your disobedience but holds you in place until you’re ready to listen.

Gospel Connection:

-Jonah has always been one of my favorite minor prophets because of the way i can see the connections to Jesus.

1. Like Jonah, Jesus Was Once in a Storm — But He Calmed It

-In Jonah 1, a furious storm threatens to break apart the ship. The pagan sailors are panicking. Jonah is asleep, indifferent to the chaos around him — spiritually numb and disconnected. The storm came as a result of Jonah’s disobedience and rebellion.

-But contrast this with Jesus in Mark 4:35–41.

-Jesus, too, was asleep in a boat during a great storm. The disciples — much like the sailors — were afraid for their lives. They woke Him with desperation: “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to die?”

-But Jesus didn’t cause the storm — He calmed it. He stood up, rebuked the wind and said, “Silence! Be still!” and the storm ceased.

✦ What’s the difference?

-Jonah sleeps in guilt; Jesus sleeps in perfect peace.

-Jonah’s presence causes the storm; Jesus’ presence calms the storm.

-Jonah’s solution is “Throw me into the sea”; Jesus’ solution is “Peace, be still.”

-Jonah’s storm reveals his sin.

-Jesus’ storm reveals His sovereignty.

-The story of Jonah shows us what we deserve — judgment.

-The story of Jesus shows us what we receive instead — grace and peace.

2. Like Jonah, Jesus Was Once “in the Depths” for Three Days — But He Rose Victorious

-In Jonah 1:17, God appoints a great fish to swallow Jonah, and he remains in the belly of that fish for three days and three nights — a symbolic death, a descent into darkness, isolation, and helplessness.

-Jesus Himself makes this connection in Matthew 12:40 (CSB):

“For as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.”

-Jonah was buried beneath the waves — a picture of judgment and mercy intermingled.

-But Jesus was buried in a tomb, descending into death not because of His sin, but because of ours.

-Jonah came out of the fish a changed man.

-Jesus came out of the tomb a risen Savior.

-Jonah was rescued by grace.

-Jesus is the grace that rescues.

3. Jesus Didn’t Run From the Father’s Will — He Ran Toward It, For You

-Jonah ran in the opposite direction of where God called him — not because he misunderstood, but because he refused. He didn’t want to obey. He didn’t want to show mercy to his enemies. He chose rebellion over surrender.

-But Jesus — the true and better Jonah — ran straight toward the will of the Father.

-In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, “Not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

-Jesus didn’t run from His calling, even though it meant betrayal, suffering, and crucifixion.

-He willingly embraced it — for us.

-Jonah tried to save himself by avoiding the mission.

-Jesus gave up Himself to accomplish the mission.

-Jonah went down to the sea to escape judgment.

-Jesus went to the cross to bear our judgment.

-Jonah’s disobedience endangered others.

-Jesus’ obedience saves others.

-Where Jonah resisted God’s mercy going to outsiders, Jesus became the very channel of mercy to all — Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, rebellious and religious alike.

-The story of Jonah gives us a shadow of a reluctant prophet — one who flees, who fails, who falls into the depths, and is rescued by grace.

But Jesus is the true and better Jonah:

-The Prophet who didn’t run from sinners, but ran to them.

-The One who calmed storms instead of causing them.

-The Savior who entered the grave not to escape judgment, but to bear it for us.

-And the King who rose from the depths not just to be rescued, but to rescue us all.

-Jonah 1 shows us what we often are. Jesus shows us who we can become through Him.

And in Jesus, the storm doesn’t get the last word. Grace does.

Talk about AVERTS FUTURE