Jonah: Introduction

Jonah: Not Just for Kid’s

This morning, starting a new series on the book of Jonah.

Most of us know the basics of the story…and there are two sides to the story of Jonah...

First, what we learned in Sunday School…or from books like this…FOR KIDS..

Jonah and the Very Big Fish…give the overview from the book

But Jonah isn’t just for kids! (Remember “Trix is for kids”???)

More than a story about a guy and a big fish...

It’s actually a complex and carefully crafted story FOR ADULTS

And as a result it’s a story we usually ask the wrong questions about…or focus on the wrong things.

Example: Could Jonah actually fit inside a whale? How did a whale get to Mediterranean anyway?

These are WESTERN questions an ancient Jewish mind would never think to ask.

So, in this series we’re going to apply the lessons we’ve learned in 60 Day Challenge...

Put it into context and read it the right way…to learn what it really says and is all about

And I think you’re going to be surprised how deep and rich this book really is…let’s get started...

Putting Jonah in Context

Author: Jonah? (Probably not, but maybe)

Jonah = “Dove or Gentle”

Amittai = “faithful”

Timing: Jonah prophet during the reign of Jereboam II (786-753 BC)

2 Kings 14:23-25 “Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, began to rule over Israel in the fifteenth year of King Amaziah’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria forty-one years. He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to commit. Jeroboam II recovered the territories of Israel between Lebo-hamath and the Dead Sea, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had promised through Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher.”

Setting: Prophet of the northern Kingdom

SEE MAP

Genre: Minor Prophet, Parable, Satire

Minor = small

Prophetic book, but unlike any other prophetic book

Not the words of a prophet (Isaiah, Amos, etc)…but a story ABOUT a prophet…and a bad one at that

Parable: Story that teaches a lesson

Satire: Over-the-top actions…characters that don’t act like we expect…supposed to learn from the character’s ridiculous actions and responses (not copy them!)

Even their names are Satire! (Jonah + Ammatai = Gentle and Faithful)

Four Anti-Stereotypical Characters in the book (don’t act like they should:

Prophet of God — rebels and hates his own God

Pagan Sailors — Spiritually in tune, soft, repentant hearts, humility

Powerful King — Humbles himself before God after a ridiculous 5 word sermon

Animals — even they mourn & repent (tell me it’s not satire)

Jonah 3:7 “Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city: “No one, not even the animals from your herds and flocks, may eat or drink anything at all.”

Theme: “The subversive story of a rebellious prophet who hates God for loving his enemies.” (From Bible Project Video Overview)

KEY = You can see already that this book is unlike anything else in Scripture and more complex than a simple kid’s story!! Wait until we get into the details!!

Outline of the Book

Jonah is a fairly simple book…with just 4 chapters, but there is important structure to the book

Chapter 1: Jonah Runs from God

Jonah Receive God’s Call/Command

Jonah 1:1–2 NLT

The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”

Jonah Rejects God’s Command and does the exact opposite

Jonah 1:3 NLT

But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.

God Punishes Jonah

Jonah 1:4 NLT

But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart.

Chapter 2: Jonah Repents

Jonah’s first prayer of repentance (sort of)

God spits him out on the land (where he started)

Chapter 3: Jonah Goes to Nineveh

God gives Jonah the command again

Jonah 3:1–2 NLT

Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.”

Jonah Obeys (bare minimum)

Jonah 3:3–4 NLT

This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all. On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!”

Nineveh Repents

Chapter 4: Jonah’s Second Prayer

Jonah declares his anger and complaint to God

Jonah 4:1–3 NLT

This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”

The Whole Plant Incident

God Gets the Final Word

Jonah 4:10–11 NLT

Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”

THAT’S IT....no resolution about Jonah or the people of Nineveh, just a dot, dot dot...

Let’s pause here and take a moment to analyze the book from a big picture perspective. First...

Jonah Is About You

Designed to mess with you…put a mirror up to yourself

Your own prejudices (like Jonah)

Your own disobedient tendencies…like Jonah.

Supposed to make us take stock of ourselves…but we often come to the WRONG conclusion when we do!

We tend to think…Jesus makes me a “better Jonah”....I’d never do what he did!

WRONG!

We do exactly what Jonah did…it’s in our very nature!

We can’t help ourselves.

Which is why it’s important we understand that this book is really more about JESUS than it is about us!

Jonah is About Jesus

I didn’t say so…Jesus says so...

Luke 11:29–32 (NLT)

As the crowd pressed in on Jesus, he said, “This evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign. But the only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah. What happened to him was a sign to the people of Nineveh that God had sent him. What happens to the Son of Man will be a sign to these people that he was sent by God. “The queen of Sheba will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen. The people of Nineveh will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent.

Jesus makes it clear that HE IS THE BETTER JONAH…in EVERY WAY!

He compares us to the Ninevites…will we listen and repent as easily as they did?

And Jesus isn’t done…adds a little in Matthew’s version of this passage:

Matthew 12:38–42 (NLT)

One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority.” But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. “The people of Nineveh will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent. The queen of Sheba will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen.

Jonah was in the belly of the whale as a result of his disobedience—Jesus is a perfect Jonah because He did so out of love and obedience—for you and for me, out of His love for and obedience to our Heavenly Father—to usher in God’s Kingdom to ALL PEOPLE!!

So, now what…?

Read Jonah 3 Times This Week

From start to finish

With fresh eyes

See the satire, parable, oddities…and Jesus!

Next week we’ll dive deeper into chapter 1!