A new and perfect Jonah

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