Jesus, in the Gospel of Luke, says that His call is similar to Jonah’s: “For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation” (11:30).
The Old Testament is a fore-shadow of the New one. What the Old is missing, the New fulfills. Jesus would show us that He would be the perfect Jonah. Everything that Jonah fails to do well, Jesus does to perfection.
Jesus is always the perfect example. That’s why we are called to follow Jesus. And that is why we are called to invite Jesus into us every time we receive Holy Communion – because Jesus completes our very being. It is not us who are good, but Jesus in us who makes us good.
There are two direct hints in the Book of Jonah that gives clues to the future: First, Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the big fish (Jon 2:1). Jesus gets swallowed by death, into the tomb, before coming out victorious on Easter morning.
Secondly, right at the end of the Book of Jonah, God tells Jonah how much He loves Nineveh, a city of people “who cannot distinguish their right from their left” (Jon 4:11). Jesus repeats this at the end of His own mission, “Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Lk 23:34).
Apart from those direct clues, though, there are several events and choices to compare Jonah to Jesus:
Mission: Both Jonah and Jesus were commissioned to bring the Good News to save people who needed to be saved. So are we, actually. But Jonah and Jesus react differently to their mission. Which are we closer to?
Response: Upon reception of the news Jonah runs away from the task. Jesus, knowing He will end in death, walks right into death’s hands.
Sleeping in the storm: Both men were caught sleeping, Jonah in a ship (big and steady), Jesus in a boat (… a boat). But they sleep for very different reasons. Jesus is in control of the winds and waves (Mt 8:27), yet He is not asleep to avoid doing work, but probably because He had spent a whole day teaching and sharing, that it exhausted every bit of Him. Jonah had no control over anything, yet he slept, trying his best to ignore what was going on around him, even though he knew it was because of him that there was a storm (Jon 1:10).
Trust: Jonah definitely knew God and God’s voice. But he did not trust that God would take care of him. Jesus, knew God’s voice, but more importantly, responded by trusting Him every step of the way – right to His death.
In fear: Jonah slept or run away as far as He can, even though He acknowledged God as “the God of heaven, who made the sea and dry land” (Jon 1:9). Jesus, when scared responded by crying in His prayer, asking God to give Him strength to do what He needed to do (in the garden of Gethsemane).
Treatment from people: The sailors did not want to kill Jonah, even though Jonah asked them to throw him overboard. Many people were waiting for a chance to kill Jesus, so that they would retain their power and influence.
Conversion rate and speed: When Jonah reached Nineveh, he spent days preaching reluctantly, yet the people – Jonah’s enemies – listened and changed their ways. Jesus spent three years in His ministry with His closest apostles, and at the end of it, all but one would run away from Him.
Alignment with God: Jonah did what God wanted, but without the heart of God – he did not want Nineveh to be forgiven. Jesus, despite everything He went through, made forgiveness His last task before dying.
In our Christian journey in life, we are each called to follow Jesus’ example. When we think things are going tough for us (Jonah), we look to Christ and realise they aren’t half as bad as they can be. Jesus came to earth to show us that it can be done. And we must answer the call and learn to love as God loves.
We must be alert and never become too picky over our service to God. Last Saturday, when I was to do a presentation on Jonah, I found myself in the prophet’s shoes. I was so tempted to switch classes with one presenter because I knew that class better, and I felt very comfortable with them, and of course, also because my newly confirmed godchildren, Joel and Gerard (whom I always refer to as the twins), were there.
Of course, the temptation had nothing to do with the group I was assigned to (I actually did love sharing with them!), but my choice would have been obvious if I had been given one. But I wasn’t given a choice – that was a good thing!
But at the spur of the moment, I took things into my own hands: I tried to swap groups with a fellow presenter. Fortunately, within moments of asking for the swap, I woke up and realised my stupidity – “my am I choosing who to serve?!” In one moment I could have made – and almost did make – a physical (comfort zone) and a social (the twins) choice.
We all get tempted to choose for our own sakes. But when we decide to make a spiritual choice, we follow the perfect role model that Jesus is, and place God in the centre of all our work, we learn to take the attitude of the king in Nineveh, we try our best and leave everything else to God’s grace and God’s love: “Who knows” (Jon 3:9)?
Well, God does.
- Updated 1 Aug 2007
Thursday, 12 July 2007
Tuesday, 10 July 2007
Jonah 4: God really cares... for our enemies!
Jonah chapter 3 showed that God's forgiveness is for everyone who is truly repentant.
The last portion of the book only gets more amazing. While Jonah praised God for showing mercy to him, he was not very happy with God's mercy on others. It's the ultimate show of selfish religion and selfish faith – wanting the best for ourselves but the worst for those we hate.
How many of us have been, at the very least, tempted to wish the worst for someone, or have sniggered when something goes wrong for someone we dislike? I am not exempt from the temptation too. Not that Jonah expected any less from God: "I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, rich in clemency, loathe to punish!" (Jon 4:2).
A plant and a worm
Jonah left the city when God questioned his right to be angry (4:4). The prophet sat where he could get a good view of the city, and waited to see destruction. It never came, so we can only imagine how long Jonah must have sat there in the sun, day after day.
God, of course, never lets a great lesson opportunity pass. He grew a plant over night, big enough to provide comfort and Jonah in the scorching day, making Jonah very happy. Then overnight, God took it away.
God went against the law of rewards here: that you work hard, be patient, and hope that everything falls in place for you.
Of course, the law is man-made by society and culture.
Jonah did nothing to earn the plant. He did not plant a seed. He did not water the soil; neither did he wait patiently for the plant to grow. There was no record of him even asking God to provide him with comfort (how could he anyway, since he surely knew he had evil in his heart while watching the city).
Yet, when God decided to take the plant away with nothing more than a worm, Jonah did an anti-Job (Job, of course, had everything taken away, but still praised God). Jonah begged God to let him die. Of course, once again, God shows mercy because Jonah obviously was talking nonsense.
But God reminded Jonah that if he felt sorry and frustrated over losing something he did not work to get, how much less could God care for Nineveh, which God Himself created?
Doesn't that sound familiar, the way we take things for granted? How we don't have to work for many of the things we get for free, yet get angry with God when it's taken away. But that's not the point here.
Going a level deeper, since God referred the big plant to the big city (4:10-11), we can now link Jonah to… the worm! The man was just like the worm, coming out of nowhere (he was in no position to judge anyone) to eat up the great plant! It was greedy, selfish and simply impossible to appreciate!
The book ends abruptly, so that we can draw our own conclusions. But for me, Jonah must have finally gotten the message now (which is funny, considering the fact that he's a prophet).
Sometimes we try to be like a little worm trying to destroy something God loves. But we have no right. Our call is to love and serve, that's all. If we have failed to do that in one way or another (and we all have), we must start evaluating ourselves and start to serve more fully and whole-heartedly, and selflessly.
There may be people in our lives we don't prefer. I have them. That's very human. But there's no reason to hate them, let alone want God to not forgive them for any wrong they might have done. The moment we place the judgment on these people in our lives, we place a judgment on ourselves and decline His forgiveness.
Let's acknowledge the fact that God loves our enemies. And that should be a sign of comfort for us because it is a measure of the distance His love and forgiveness go.
- Updated 1 Aug 2007
The last portion of the book only gets more amazing. While Jonah praised God for showing mercy to him, he was not very happy with God's mercy on others. It's the ultimate show of selfish religion and selfish faith – wanting the best for ourselves but the worst for those we hate.
How many of us have been, at the very least, tempted to wish the worst for someone, or have sniggered when something goes wrong for someone we dislike? I am not exempt from the temptation too. Not that Jonah expected any less from God: "I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, rich in clemency, loathe to punish!" (Jon 4:2).
A plant and a worm
Jonah left the city when God questioned his right to be angry (4:4). The prophet sat where he could get a good view of the city, and waited to see destruction. It never came, so we can only imagine how long Jonah must have sat there in the sun, day after day.
God, of course, never lets a great lesson opportunity pass. He grew a plant over night, big enough to provide comfort and Jonah in the scorching day, making Jonah very happy. Then overnight, God took it away.
God went against the law of rewards here: that you work hard, be patient, and hope that everything falls in place for you.
Of course, the law is man-made by society and culture.
Jonah did nothing to earn the plant. He did not plant a seed. He did not water the soil; neither did he wait patiently for the plant to grow. There was no record of him even asking God to provide him with comfort (how could he anyway, since he surely knew he had evil in his heart while watching the city).
Yet, when God decided to take the plant away with nothing more than a worm, Jonah did an anti-Job (Job, of course, had everything taken away, but still praised God). Jonah begged God to let him die. Of course, once again, God shows mercy because Jonah obviously was talking nonsense.
But God reminded Jonah that if he felt sorry and frustrated over losing something he did not work to get, how much less could God care for Nineveh, which God Himself created?
Doesn't that sound familiar, the way we take things for granted? How we don't have to work for many of the things we get for free, yet get angry with God when it's taken away. But that's not the point here.
Going a level deeper, since God referred the big plant to the big city (4:10-11), we can now link Jonah to… the worm! The man was just like the worm, coming out of nowhere (he was in no position to judge anyone) to eat up the great plant! It was greedy, selfish and simply impossible to appreciate!
The book ends abruptly, so that we can draw our own conclusions. But for me, Jonah must have finally gotten the message now (which is funny, considering the fact that he's a prophet).
Sometimes we try to be like a little worm trying to destroy something God loves. But we have no right. Our call is to love and serve, that's all. If we have failed to do that in one way or another (and we all have), we must start evaluating ourselves and start to serve more fully and whole-heartedly, and selflessly.
There may be people in our lives we don't prefer. I have them. That's very human. But there's no reason to hate them, let alone want God to not forgive them for any wrong they might have done. The moment we place the judgment on these people in our lives, we place a judgment on ourselves and decline His forgiveness.
Let's acknowledge the fact that God loves our enemies. And that should be a sign of comfort for us because it is a measure of the distance His love and forgiveness go.
- Updated 1 Aug 2007
Monday, 9 July 2007
Jonah 3: The power of a repentant heart
Jonah 2 revealed God's mercy towards His own children. Even when we refuse to obey, God's patience is overwhelming.
Nothing short of miraculous, He sends a big fish to swallow Jonah. The prophet doesn't die. He praises God for saving him, and goes on to commit himself to God's task for him. When he does that, God instructs the fish to spit His prophet out. He fish obeys.
Still, making a choice to follow God is not simple. To be fair, unlike the fish, and the plants and the sea and the sky, we human beings have complete freedom and we have more control than we think. Somewhere along the line, we've allowed that control and freedom to rule over our hearts. And it is not uncommon to run away from the mission that God gives us. In chapter 3 of Jonah, we learn that God always gives second chances.
Another chance
How many of us have asked God for 'another chance'? Jonah doesn't, but God calls Jonah a second time anyway (3:1). In reality, if Jonah had said no, God would probably have asked a third, a fourth, a fifth time. He would probably have called Jonah over, and over, and over again.
Could God do without Jonah? Absolutely! Remember that even with Jonah's deliberate running from God, the Lord still easily worked His plan with the sailors. God's constant call for us (to live a life worthy of the Kingdom) is His mercy and love, in action! He never gives up on any one of us. Only we are guilty of giving up on ourselves.
It's at this point in the story that we encounter the Ninevites. Given our earlier little revelation about Assyria's power, the Ninevites look like pussycats here. Contrary to what we might think, Jonah at this point, still did not choose to serve God. Yes, he did go to Nineveh (3:3). And yes, he did agree on his own accord (2:10). But more than anything, he was still hoping for the city to be destroyed. When it was not destroyed, Jonah got angry.
Jonah served. But he sure didn't go because he wanted to bring God's love. He was still serving himself – quite possibly to avoid being eaten up again. Aren't we sometimes guilty of that ourselves – doing church work for every reason under the sun, except God?
Applaud the user, not the tool
Still, all he did was to go in and give the message. And amazingly, his enemies heard the message… and repented! Boy, was that easy! It took some sailors (who worshipped other gods), a storm and a fish to make Jonah do something half-heartedly, but it took a half-hearted man with God's message to help a city repent whole-heartedly. Clearly, it's not the instrument, but the player who is good. Give me a guitar and I could carry a tune. Give it to Mr Clapton and he will mesmerise you.
It's God's who always has the last word, isn't it? All that was required for a successful mission was the Message, and an open heart. The instrument was a mere medium used to get the Message across! And thank goodness the Ninevites listened without prejudice. A truly repentant person is always worthy of God's forgiveness.
True repentance never comes too late
It's fascinating to me that the king of the Ninevites did not feel offended that people were proclaiming a fast even before he knew anything – isn't it rude to proclaim something so serious without going through the government first?
Instead, when he heard about it, the king ruled for everyone to fast and repent. He himself did so, even though forgiveness from God was never guaranteed. Jonah's main message was not, "unless you repent…". The emphasis (in Jon 3:4) was: "40 days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed!"
Isn't that beautiful? We have so much to learn from these people! The king of Nineveh repented, knowing that he and his people's actions might have been in vain (3:9) – it might have been too late. But true repentance never comes too late.
- Updated 1 Aug 2007
Nothing short of miraculous, He sends a big fish to swallow Jonah. The prophet doesn't die. He praises God for saving him, and goes on to commit himself to God's task for him. When he does that, God instructs the fish to spit His prophet out. He fish obeys.
Still, making a choice to follow God is not simple. To be fair, unlike the fish, and the plants and the sea and the sky, we human beings have complete freedom and we have more control than we think. Somewhere along the line, we've allowed that control and freedom to rule over our hearts. And it is not uncommon to run away from the mission that God gives us. In chapter 3 of Jonah, we learn that God always gives second chances.
Another chance
How many of us have asked God for 'another chance'? Jonah doesn't, but God calls Jonah a second time anyway (3:1). In reality, if Jonah had said no, God would probably have asked a third, a fourth, a fifth time. He would probably have called Jonah over, and over, and over again.
Could God do without Jonah? Absolutely! Remember that even with Jonah's deliberate running from God, the Lord still easily worked His plan with the sailors. God's constant call for us (to live a life worthy of the Kingdom) is His mercy and love, in action! He never gives up on any one of us. Only we are guilty of giving up on ourselves.
It's at this point in the story that we encounter the Ninevites. Given our earlier little revelation about Assyria's power, the Ninevites look like pussycats here. Contrary to what we might think, Jonah at this point, still did not choose to serve God. Yes, he did go to Nineveh (3:3). And yes, he did agree on his own accord (2:10). But more than anything, he was still hoping for the city to be destroyed. When it was not destroyed, Jonah got angry.
Jonah served. But he sure didn't go because he wanted to bring God's love. He was still serving himself – quite possibly to avoid being eaten up again. Aren't we sometimes guilty of that ourselves – doing church work for every reason under the sun, except God?
Applaud the user, not the tool
Still, all he did was to go in and give the message. And amazingly, his enemies heard the message… and repented! Boy, was that easy! It took some sailors (who worshipped other gods), a storm and a fish to make Jonah do something half-heartedly, but it took a half-hearted man with God's message to help a city repent whole-heartedly. Clearly, it's not the instrument, but the player who is good. Give me a guitar and I could carry a tune. Give it to Mr Clapton and he will mesmerise you.
It's God's who always has the last word, isn't it? All that was required for a successful mission was the Message, and an open heart. The instrument was a mere medium used to get the Message across! And thank goodness the Ninevites listened without prejudice. A truly repentant person is always worthy of God's forgiveness.
True repentance never comes too late
It's fascinating to me that the king of the Ninevites did not feel offended that people were proclaiming a fast even before he knew anything – isn't it rude to proclaim something so serious without going through the government first?
Instead, when he heard about it, the king ruled for everyone to fast and repent. He himself did so, even though forgiveness from God was never guaranteed. Jonah's main message was not, "unless you repent…". The emphasis (in Jon 3:4) was: "40 days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed!"
Isn't that beautiful? We have so much to learn from these people! The king of Nineveh repented, knowing that he and his people's actions might have been in vain (3:9) – it might have been too late. But true repentance never comes too late.
- Updated 1 Aug 2007
Sunday, 8 July 2007
Jonah 2: Mercy and love... in a fish belly
In Jonah 1, God sends Jonah to preach to Nineveh. Jonah decides not to answer the call. He runs in the opposite direction and buys himself a ship ride towards Tarshish. On the ship, he meets several sailors, who worship different gods. A storm comes along the way, and the gods these sailors are praying to have no answer. Jonah suggests that his God has the power to stop the ship, and that if he was thrown overboard, the storm would stop. When the sailors eventually did throw Jonah off, they were struck with awe by the power of the one true God.
Moving to Jonah 2, we see that God 'punishes' His prophet for His refusal to follow. In actual fact though, God is showing mercy and love. Mercy and love?! In a fish belly?! You'd be amazed; a fish belly is a great place to reflect in.
Time for reflection
The second chapter tells us that God sends a big fish to swallow Jonah. The interesting thing here is that at this, the lowest point for Jonah in this adventure is that Jonah did not reproach God. He didn't not beg for mercy, neither did he apologise profusely. Jonah explicitly and directly praised God for what had just happened, and went on to make a commitment to do what God wants.
It's ironic because this is probably the one time everyone else (including me, and probably you too) would have done the opposite! We might have begged God for forgiveness, or we might have hated God for this torture (imagine how it must smell in there!). We just got swallowed by a big fish!
But Jonah did not see the situation like that at all. What he saw – and what we all should see when the time of testing comes – was that things could have been much worse. He could have died in the waters! Jonah had just experienced the mercy and love of God, not punishment!
Isn't it true that in our roller-coaster life, most of us tend to forget God when we're flying high at our peak, and turn to Him when we're free-falling into the darkness of despair? Sometimes, allowing us to be thrown into despair, into the desert, into a fish belly, is God's only way of getting our attention.
Three days and three nights provided Jonah with time to think and turn to God. Working on G! Magazine has given me ample opportunities for these trying moments. And how He has helped me out time and again. That's the reason why I come out each issue feeling stronger. The interesting thing about comparing life to a roller-coaster is that we can appreciate that it's much easier to drop to the bottom than to climb to the top.
If and when we get into these dark moments, it's a good time to think and regroup.
How many times have we experienced a test and blamed God or have gotten angry with Him for the test? Are we synchronised enough with God to see that God gives us endless opportunities to change and improve? Do we need to change our perspective, and try to see things through God's eyes? We all get swallowed by things that are bigger than us. But these things might not be meant to destroy us; they are meant to help us grow closer to God.
Follow the fish
The other amazing thing in chapter two is the big fish. The fish obeyed God. Just as the wind, the sea and the sky did. Imagine this! A fish is more obedient that God's own prophet! Doesn't that say so much?!
We were created to be the kings of the universe, to be in charge here. We are given authority to rule, but it is easy to forget that it's God's authority and name we rule with! And how have we let this revelation of power take over our heads. Even animals listen to God.
- Updated 1 Aug 2007
Moving to Jonah 2, we see that God 'punishes' His prophet for His refusal to follow. In actual fact though, God is showing mercy and love. Mercy and love?! In a fish belly?! You'd be amazed; a fish belly is a great place to reflect in.
Time for reflection
The second chapter tells us that God sends a big fish to swallow Jonah. The interesting thing here is that at this, the lowest point for Jonah in this adventure is that Jonah did not reproach God. He didn't not beg for mercy, neither did he apologise profusely. Jonah explicitly and directly praised God for what had just happened, and went on to make a commitment to do what God wants.
It's ironic because this is probably the one time everyone else (including me, and probably you too) would have done the opposite! We might have begged God for forgiveness, or we might have hated God for this torture (imagine how it must smell in there!). We just got swallowed by a big fish!
But Jonah did not see the situation like that at all. What he saw – and what we all should see when the time of testing comes – was that things could have been much worse. He could have died in the waters! Jonah had just experienced the mercy and love of God, not punishment!
Isn't it true that in our roller-coaster life, most of us tend to forget God when we're flying high at our peak, and turn to Him when we're free-falling into the darkness of despair? Sometimes, allowing us to be thrown into despair, into the desert, into a fish belly, is God's only way of getting our attention.
Three days and three nights provided Jonah with time to think and turn to God. Working on G! Magazine has given me ample opportunities for these trying moments. And how He has helped me out time and again. That's the reason why I come out each issue feeling stronger. The interesting thing about comparing life to a roller-coaster is that we can appreciate that it's much easier to drop to the bottom than to climb to the top.
If and when we get into these dark moments, it's a good time to think and regroup.
How many times have we experienced a test and blamed God or have gotten angry with Him for the test? Are we synchronised enough with God to see that God gives us endless opportunities to change and improve? Do we need to change our perspective, and try to see things through God's eyes? We all get swallowed by things that are bigger than us. But these things might not be meant to destroy us; they are meant to help us grow closer to God.
Follow the fish
The other amazing thing in chapter two is the big fish. The fish obeyed God. Just as the wind, the sea and the sky did. Imagine this! A fish is more obedient that God's own prophet! Doesn't that say so much?!
We were created to be the kings of the universe, to be in charge here. We are given authority to rule, but it is easy to forget that it's God's authority and name we rule with! And how have we let this revelation of power take over our heads. Even animals listen to God.
- Updated 1 Aug 2007
Saturday, 7 July 2007
Jonah 1: When God gives a mission, don't give your own version
The book of Jonah, while short simple to follow, contains a wealth of lessons for us Christians. It highlights God's love, forgiveness and mercy on those who love Him... and on those who don't!
We find several characters in this story who will play important roles in the story. God, of course, is the main man, as with all other books in the Bible. He calls His prophet, Jonah, who decides not to do what God wants.
Jonah runs away from the mission (literally in the opposite direction), and even pays to get on a ship to go someplace far. There, he meets some sailors, who worship other gods.
When God sends a storm, Jonah confesses that his disobedience is the cause of the storm, and the sailors eventually throw him off to save the ship from disaster.
Jonah gets swallowed by a big fish, where he prays. After three days, God tells the fish to spit Jonah out. Jonah finally goes into Nineveh and preaches. It is surprising that the Ninevites and their king respond positively, and repent.
After Jonah leaves, he finds a spot to sit, where he could watch the city of Nineveh (he was waiting for God to do something to the Ninevites).
Out of nothing, God puts a plant to protect Jonah from the heavy heat, which makes Jonah very happy. Only a day later, though, a worm destroys the plant, and Jonah gets angry. The story ends abruptly after God explains His mercy to Jonah.
While there are arguments that the story is fiction not to be taken as factual, it is completely possible that these things happened. Jonah was a real person – and a real prophet who spoke on God’s behalf – who really did exist.
In the second book of Kings, Jonah gave God’s word to Jeroboam II, who listened, and “recovered the territories of Israel between Lebo-hamath and the Dead Sea, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had promised…” (2 Kings 14:25).
Jonah must have also been quite a popular figure. In the New Testament, Jesus Himself compares Himself to the prophet (Mt 12:38-41).
What is it about Jonah that he deserves four chapters, one book, in the Bible? What can these four chapters, 47 verses in all, do for us, who live in today’s society? Maybe you, like I did, think you know the story, but a closer look will prove that this ocean is deeper than we thought.
God gives the mission, don’t give your own version
God gives Jonah a mission: to preach to the people of Nineveh (in Assyria). It was obviously not something out of Jonah’s prophetic calling. He was pretty good at his vocation. Why did he run away then? It was not because he didn’t love God. It was because he loved himself more than he loved God. He decided (and overruled God’s choice along the way) that the Ninevites did not deserve forgiveness. Assyria was the dominant power of those days, threatening to overpower Israel – it was pointless to forgive people who were rooted in evil and hungry for world dominance.
It was only natural that Jonah would have wanted them destroyed so that his own life may be spared. Furthermore, if the people of Israel had heard about Jonah going to preach and save the Ninevites, what would they have thought of him and what would they have done to him? Lastly, it is not logical the Ninevites would listen to an Israelite preach repentance. Oh yes, Jonah loved God. He just loved himself more.
Like many of us would today, Jonah had talent and was gifted, but he preferred to choose how he would serve God and who he would preach to. We also tend to forget that, some times – many times – God wants to use us to help our enemies! We also tend to walk away from trouble, from difficulty, from His mission.
Through his experience, he would experience several types of people who would reveal a little more to us, about discipleship and conversion.
The gods must be crazy
The first group of people he encountered while running away was an interesting bunch. These were sailors on the ship who worshipped “their own gods” (Jon 2:5). They obviously did not belong to the one true God of Israel. When the storm comes (thank you, Jonah), they start to offload their items into the waters and praying to their own gods.
They were probably praying to the god of the waters, and to the god of the sky, and the god of the winds! Wouldn’t this be such a slap in the face for these ‘gods’? They are ‘in-charge’ of the section, but they had absolutely no power over it. Are we guilty of worshipping other gods? Grades, money, friends make up a little of our happiness, but they have little power compared to God.
We know that Jonah was “fast asleep” (Jon 1:5), but was it because he was tired? It wasn’t logical at all! The waters were choppy; the ship was violently shaking to a “point of breaking up” (Jon 1:4). Anyone who could sleep though that, would be dead (in every sense of the word! He was trying to ignore the problems he had caused. He was still trying to “run away” from it. Are we asleep in our faith – do we sleep away during mass? Have we been caught not know why we do certain things in church? Is there someone we are being called to reach, but like Jonah, we’re refusing, for one excuse or another?
Here’s the thing about the sailors: when he finally confessed, Jonah suggested being thrown overboard so that the ship would stabilise. What did the sailors do? Many of us would see that they did. But read it carefully, and we’ll realise that they did not want to do it; they were extremely reluctant: “Still, the men rowed hard…” (Jon 1:13).
Killing a man was their last resort! We begin to appreciate this when we remember that these were not “God’s people”. Jonah, who was a prophet and close friend of God’s, couldn’t wait to kill the Ninevites (indirectly), for pathetic reasons, but here we had the sailors who had very good and valid reason to kill, but did not want to. Perhaps we are guilty of being less Christ-like than people who don’t even know Christ?
Jonah described God as “the [One] who made the sea and the dry land” (Jon 1:9). And when he chose to run, he ran to… the sea. The very place God created and had every power over. Aren’t we all guilty of lip-service sometimes? We proclaim Jesus as Lord of our lives, but we try to control everything in our lives.
Still, even when Jonah was in total disobedience, God used his life. When the storm died off, the sailors were “struck with great awe” (Jon 1:16). It is not definitive, but there are clues that point to the sailor’s acceptance and conversion.
They “offered sacrifice” and “made vows” (Jon 1:16) to God. Such is the power of the Lord we serve, that He is able to use someone useless and unwilling positively. How awesome is our God. Poor ‘gods’ of the sea, sky and wind. They sure lost some fans there.
- Updated 20 Jul 2007
We find several characters in this story who will play important roles in the story. God, of course, is the main man, as with all other books in the Bible. He calls His prophet, Jonah, who decides not to do what God wants.
Jonah runs away from the mission (literally in the opposite direction), and even pays to get on a ship to go someplace far. There, he meets some sailors, who worship other gods.
When God sends a storm, Jonah confesses that his disobedience is the cause of the storm, and the sailors eventually throw him off to save the ship from disaster.
Jonah gets swallowed by a big fish, where he prays. After three days, God tells the fish to spit Jonah out. Jonah finally goes into Nineveh and preaches. It is surprising that the Ninevites and their king respond positively, and repent.
After Jonah leaves, he finds a spot to sit, where he could watch the city of Nineveh (he was waiting for God to do something to the Ninevites).
Out of nothing, God puts a plant to protect Jonah from the heavy heat, which makes Jonah very happy. Only a day later, though, a worm destroys the plant, and Jonah gets angry. The story ends abruptly after God explains His mercy to Jonah.
While there are arguments that the story is fiction not to be taken as factual, it is completely possible that these things happened. Jonah was a real person – and a real prophet who spoke on God’s behalf – who really did exist.
In the second book of Kings, Jonah gave God’s word to Jeroboam II, who listened, and “recovered the territories of Israel between Lebo-hamath and the Dead Sea, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had promised…” (2 Kings 14:25).
Jonah must have also been quite a popular figure. In the New Testament, Jesus Himself compares Himself to the prophet (Mt 12:38-41).
What is it about Jonah that he deserves four chapters, one book, in the Bible? What can these four chapters, 47 verses in all, do for us, who live in today’s society? Maybe you, like I did, think you know the story, but a closer look will prove that this ocean is deeper than we thought.
God gives the mission, don’t give your own version
God gives Jonah a mission: to preach to the people of Nineveh (in Assyria). It was obviously not something out of Jonah’s prophetic calling. He was pretty good at his vocation. Why did he run away then? It was not because he didn’t love God. It was because he loved himself more than he loved God. He decided (and overruled God’s choice along the way) that the Ninevites did not deserve forgiveness. Assyria was the dominant power of those days, threatening to overpower Israel – it was pointless to forgive people who were rooted in evil and hungry for world dominance.
It was only natural that Jonah would have wanted them destroyed so that his own life may be spared. Furthermore, if the people of Israel had heard about Jonah going to preach and save the Ninevites, what would they have thought of him and what would they have done to him? Lastly, it is not logical the Ninevites would listen to an Israelite preach repentance. Oh yes, Jonah loved God. He just loved himself more.
Like many of us would today, Jonah had talent and was gifted, but he preferred to choose how he would serve God and who he would preach to. We also tend to forget that, some times – many times – God wants to use us to help our enemies! We also tend to walk away from trouble, from difficulty, from His mission.
Through his experience, he would experience several types of people who would reveal a little more to us, about discipleship and conversion.
The gods must be crazy
The first group of people he encountered while running away was an interesting bunch. These were sailors on the ship who worshipped “their own gods” (Jon 2:5). They obviously did not belong to the one true God of Israel. When the storm comes (thank you, Jonah), they start to offload their items into the waters and praying to their own gods.
They were probably praying to the god of the waters, and to the god of the sky, and the god of the winds! Wouldn’t this be such a slap in the face for these ‘gods’? They are ‘in-charge’ of the section, but they had absolutely no power over it. Are we guilty of worshipping other gods? Grades, money, friends make up a little of our happiness, but they have little power compared to God.
We know that Jonah was “fast asleep” (Jon 1:5), but was it because he was tired? It wasn’t logical at all! The waters were choppy; the ship was violently shaking to a “point of breaking up” (Jon 1:4). Anyone who could sleep though that, would be dead (in every sense of the word! He was trying to ignore the problems he had caused. He was still trying to “run away” from it. Are we asleep in our faith – do we sleep away during mass? Have we been caught not know why we do certain things in church? Is there someone we are being called to reach, but like Jonah, we’re refusing, for one excuse or another?
Here’s the thing about the sailors: when he finally confessed, Jonah suggested being thrown overboard so that the ship would stabilise. What did the sailors do? Many of us would see that they did. But read it carefully, and we’ll realise that they did not want to do it; they were extremely reluctant: “Still, the men rowed hard…” (Jon 1:13).
Killing a man was their last resort! We begin to appreciate this when we remember that these were not “God’s people”. Jonah, who was a prophet and close friend of God’s, couldn’t wait to kill the Ninevites (indirectly), for pathetic reasons, but here we had the sailors who had very good and valid reason to kill, but did not want to. Perhaps we are guilty of being less Christ-like than people who don’t even know Christ?
Jonah described God as “the [One] who made the sea and the dry land” (Jon 1:9). And when he chose to run, he ran to… the sea. The very place God created and had every power over. Aren’t we all guilty of lip-service sometimes? We proclaim Jesus as Lord of our lives, but we try to control everything in our lives.
Still, even when Jonah was in total disobedience, God used his life. When the storm died off, the sailors were “struck with great awe” (Jon 1:16). It is not definitive, but there are clues that point to the sailor’s acceptance and conversion.
They “offered sacrifice” and “made vows” (Jon 1:16) to God. Such is the power of the Lord we serve, that He is able to use someone useless and unwilling positively. How awesome is our God. Poor ‘gods’ of the sea, sky and wind. They sure lost some fans there.
- Updated 20 Jul 2007
Monday, 2 July 2007
Get involved in church or get the grades?
I know that between my life and God’s work, the latter is much more important. But between God’s work and studies (to play my part as a student), which is more important?
This is a matter of balance, really. There are two key questions we all need to ask ourselves when it comes to balancing our lives across the various roles we each have to play. The first question is: why do I do church work? The second is: why do I study? The reasons that drive us in our lives play an extremely important role in our perspective.
Of course God’s work is extremely important, but they’re not very different to begin with. In a very big way, your studies are part of doing God’s work – it is your offering to Him! If you do well in school, God can be glorified.
The problem lies in the reason for getting good grades. Many students study hard to get into a good Junior College or a great Diploma course, work towards a degree, so that they can get a job that pays well, in order to get lots of money. They are driven by ‘financial freedom’. That's not a bad reason to do well in school, but it should never be the number one reason.
As Christians, we should be motivated by far more than that. God reminds us to see the big picture when we plan our lives: “Seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt 6:33).
If that’s our perspective, when we do well at work or in school, God is glorified, because all “may see your deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:16). Our study and our work can be and should be driven by God and by the love for God.
With the very same breath, we must not be overly indulgent in our secular life. Service in church is just as important. In church, we join the rest of God’s family for a common purpose – to grow and to give.
Let’s face it, life is not easy. We are each one person, but never just one role. In one lifetime, we are a son/daughter, a brother/sister, a cousin, a student, a teacher, a friend, a father/mother. We get more roles with age! Everything must be balanced out. The most important thing is that we must each live our roles under the one most important role we each: as a child who belongs to God. This means every other role we play, every task you do, we should do for God.
If you are not in a church ministry, I’d suggest you join one. Being in a church group is important because it gives us a community to belong to. We have, in the group members, new channels through which we can share our thoughts, feelings, uncertainties and joy. Being in a group reminds us that we were never meant to be many individuals in a church – we are called to be one holy, apostolic community.
The Book of Proverbs tells us that “the horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the Lord” (21:31). Ultimately, we must firstly acknowledge God’s role in our lives, do our very best for Him in everything we do, and then leave the outcome to Him.
- Updated 8 Jul 2007
This is a matter of balance, really. There are two key questions we all need to ask ourselves when it comes to balancing our lives across the various roles we each have to play. The first question is: why do I do church work? The second is: why do I study? The reasons that drive us in our lives play an extremely important role in our perspective.
Of course God’s work is extremely important, but they’re not very different to begin with. In a very big way, your studies are part of doing God’s work – it is your offering to Him! If you do well in school, God can be glorified.
The problem lies in the reason for getting good grades. Many students study hard to get into a good Junior College or a great Diploma course, work towards a degree, so that they can get a job that pays well, in order to get lots of money. They are driven by ‘financial freedom’. That's not a bad reason to do well in school, but it should never be the number one reason.
As Christians, we should be motivated by far more than that. God reminds us to see the big picture when we plan our lives: “Seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Mt 6:33).
If that’s our perspective, when we do well at work or in school, God is glorified, because all “may see your deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:16). Our study and our work can be and should be driven by God and by the love for God.
With the very same breath, we must not be overly indulgent in our secular life. Service in church is just as important. In church, we join the rest of God’s family for a common purpose – to grow and to give.
Let’s face it, life is not easy. We are each one person, but never just one role. In one lifetime, we are a son/daughter, a brother/sister, a cousin, a student, a teacher, a friend, a father/mother. We get more roles with age! Everything must be balanced out. The most important thing is that we must each live our roles under the one most important role we each: as a child who belongs to God. This means every other role we play, every task you do, we should do for God.
If you are not in a church ministry, I’d suggest you join one. Being in a church group is important because it gives us a community to belong to. We have, in the group members, new channels through which we can share our thoughts, feelings, uncertainties and joy. Being in a group reminds us that we were never meant to be many individuals in a church – we are called to be one holy, apostolic community.
The Book of Proverbs tells us that “the horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the Lord” (21:31). Ultimately, we must firstly acknowledge God’s role in our lives, do our very best for Him in everything we do, and then leave the outcome to Him.
- Updated 8 Jul 2007
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