Jonah Is One of My Favorites

Published: 01/19/2010 12:00 PM

Jonah has to be one of my favorite books of the Bible.

It was the first book that introduced me to prophetic criticism. Sounds fancy, right? Rather than just a book about a guy who runs from God, gets swallowed whole by a large fish, and then finally goes and does what God asks, it's really a book that serves as a counterpoint to traditional wisdom.

For example, traditional wisdom might say that one reaps what one sows. Or if you do bad things, bad stuff will happen to you. And if you inflict deep harm on a neighboring people, your people will suffer.

The book of Jonah sort of takes a different stance to this traditional wisdom. Of course, it does not say that doing bad things to people is okay or that you will not suffer consequences for bad actions. Rather, Jonah is a prophet sent by God to preach and witness to an enemy people. Jonah wasn't being sent over to a random foreign city - Jonah was being sent to the one city and one people that had never done anything to deserve any ounce of goodness. They deserved no compassion in the eyes of many of God's people.

So first, the very fact that Jonah was being sent there meant that Jonah knew the consequences for showing up in that city. He might be killed on the spot. He might be tortured. Who knows what those people would do?

The second thing was that Jonah may have had a sense that God was up to something else. Jonah thought God should be more interested in smiting Ninevah, not sending preachers in their midst. And smiting could happen from long distance.

In the end, everything goes wrong in Jonah's mind. Rather than being smited into ash, the people of Ninevah begin to repent, including their wicked king. Rather than ignoring Jonah's words, they take them to heart. The enemy of God's people becomes a friend to God.

The final section of Jonah is often ignored, but it reiterates the deeper point of the story. (Not that if you disobey God that God will get you.) Jonah sits outside of Ninevah and gets more passionate about the fact that a little tree wilts away in the sun than the realization that thousands of people had turned to God. Jonah's heart, like many of the people of his day, believed God was their personal God and not the Creator of all people.

The book of Jonah reveals that God is interested in far more than just doling out punishment - God is interested in redeeming people and the world.

That's why I love the story. God's character is sharply revealed against the often distorted views that many hold. Later, when Jesus would command his followers to love their enemies, the pieces fall into place.

I hope to see you Sunday and continue this conversation - or drop your own comments in the new comment section below!

- Rev. Nathan