Introducing the Book of Jonah

Introduction

Jonah is the most well known, as well as the most unique, minor prophet in the entire OT. Almost everyone at least knows that this is the man who was swallowed by a great fish, or whale, although most may not any more than that. It is one of the more bizarre stories in Scripture, which is why is it is so memourable. It is a story that is often brought up in the discussion of miracles in the Old Testament. It is a story that sounds almost mythical and yet is based in the real history of Israel. It’s also very different from any other prophetic book in the entire Bible. The rest of the minor prophets lived at a different time period than Jonah did. In their account, the point of the book is the message that they preached almost exclusively, with the story of their lives taking a back seat. You do have some prophets that are tied to part of Israel’s written history, such as Isaiah, or one that was meant to act out his message, such as Hosea in his marriage to Gomer, but there is something very special about Jonah. Like Hosea, his life is made an example to the readers, although it is unknown to him. Also, unlike Hosea, the message of Jonah the book is not the same as the message of Jonah the person. Rather, his story is told to teach us from his mistakes and also reveal something more about God from how he acts towards Jonah and Nineveh. Tonight, we are going to look at the book as a whole and try to discern the main themes from it so that, as we go through the book passage by passage, we can have our eyes open to what is in this book for us to discern and apply in the way that the Holy Spirit inspired this book for us to do.

Background

Who was Jonah, and when did he live?

Outside of the book of Jonah, there is only one place in the OT that mentions him, and from this we can figure out when he lived.

2 Kings 14:25 (ESV)

25 He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher.

Jonah lived during the reign of Jeroboam II in the eighth century BC, likely in Israel before Assyria, the nation whose capital was Nineveh, would conquer it and destroy the people’s national identity. It is likely, from textual evidence, that the book was written shortly after the events therein happened. Apart from this text in 2 Kings, we know nothing else about him. He was a prophet to Israel, but was at one point called to preach to the hated Assyrians.

While it has been suggested that the book is meant to be a fictional take on a random prophet from the past, there is nothing in the text or in Jewish and Christian tradition to suggest that it was ever taken this way. There’s nothing in this book to make us believe that it was not made to be read as a historical account with a didactic purpose.

That should be very clear to us. While this is a true story, it is written not to be a mere historical account, but rather it acts as a teaching moment for the readers based on the true events in Jonah’s life.

With that being the case, we need to ask ourselves: what are the lessons that the author means to teach us?

Repentance

Repentance is arguably the main point of the story.

There is some debate as to whether Jonah’s repentance or Nineveh’s repentance is meant to take centre stage.

Jonah’s Repentance

The story of Jonah, prophet of Israel, begins with him running away from the very thing he was called to do. Jonah knows that God is going to be merciful to them if they actually listen to him, and so he flees from God’s direction.

Sins he needed to repent of

Prejudice

Disobedience

Lack of Love/compassion

Jonah ends up repenting of the first two, but we’re never told how the story really ends.

Repentance in Jonah’s life follows God’s gentle yet firm discipline. God is obviously thinking about him and what he means to teach him personally while everything is going on.

Nineveh’s Repentance

For Israelites shortly after the book was written, the Assyrians were their most hated enemy. They were the big bully nation that was wiping everyone else out and treating them cruelly. This reputation was well earned.

God’s original message is simply one of judgement. However, the fact that he is giving it to them already shows an intention of mercy.

“Evil has come up before me” (1:2). Reminiscent of God’s approach to Egypt when the cry of the Israelites came up before him. Initially, it may seem like God is approaching them for judgement but God’s gentle compassion for those who repent comes out.

Nineveh’s repentance is the end of Jonah’s mission, Jonah’s repentance is the point of the story.

God’s Perspective Vs. Jonah’s Perspective

Another majour theme in the book is the difference between God’s perspective and Jonah’s perspective. Right away, Jonah knows that, even with a message of wrath, he is a merciful God who shows love to all who come to him in true repentance. Rather than adopting God’s perspective of love, he stubbornly embraces his own perspective of racial bitterness.

God’s Compassion for Image-bearers Vs. Jonah’s Prejudice

While God’s patience endures in order to see the world come to know him, human selfishness, pride, and prejudice overlook compassion. God has the most rights to judge someone, and yet he is the most merciful. Jonah’s compassion for a plant is a mockery of what compassionate feelings are created for, since he ignores the city and even the cattle, which are worth more than one plant.

God values his image bearers enough to die for even the most sinful of them. This kind of compassion overcomes any sinful prejudice we may have in our hearts.

Mercy and Justice

We tend to have our senses of mercy and justice backwards. We want mercy when it’s convenient for us and we want justice when we feel personally hurt.

For God, mercy and justice are not opposites. He isn’t a contradiction of himself. His mercy is always just, and his justice is often displayed in mercy. God’s justice is exactly the reason why he is merciful to us. The irony for Jonah is that, while he praises God for the mercy shown to him through the provision of the whale, he is not quick to dish it out to those who have taken God’s word seriously and repented sincerely.

When it comes to those who have personally hurt us, we are obligated to show the same forgiveness and mercy that God showed us. We can only do this when we see just how great our sin against God is.

The Sign of Jonah

As in all of the OT Scriptures, there is always a focus on Christ. This means that Christ’s mention of Jonah and comparing his own ministry to what happened to him. From a larger biblical perspective, it is extremely important that we understand what Jesus means when he talks about the sign of Jonah.

Matthew 12:38–41 ESV

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

To understand that sign, it is important to understand the two references Christ makes.

Nineveh to Condemn Unrepentant Jews

On one hand, we see Christ talk about Nineveh on the day of judgement when it will condemn the current generation.

Christ’s Death Paralleled with Jonah’s Journey

On the other hand, Christ’s coming death and resurrection are compared with Jonah’s encounter with the great fish.

Which is the sign of Jonah? Is it Nineveh’s condemnation on the last day or is it Jonah’s time in the great fish? How exactly does Jonah’s time in the fish relate to Jesus’ death and resurrection?

The sign of Jonah is this: if the preaching of a flawed prophet who didn’t care about the people he was ministering to and literally had to be swallowed by a fish to even go was enough to bring them to repentance, than those who have rejected the ministry of Christ, who gave up his life freely in love for the people of God, will certainly have no excuse.

Conclusion