Meet Jonah
The prophet who ran.
On calling, resistance, and second chances.
The big idea
Jonah's problem was never that God asked too much. It was that God was too merciful.
Opening scripture
“Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time.”
What does “Meet Jonah” walk through?
A Second Time
Jonah 3:1 · KJV
And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
In plain English
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time.
Read Why He Ran
Jonah did not flee because the task was hard. He says outright he ran because he suspected God would forgive Nineveh — and he did not want that.
Nowhere To Flee
Psalms 139:7 · KJV
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
In plain English
Where could I go from your Spirit? Where could I run from your presence?
“The most uncomfortable thing about grace is watching it go to someone you dislike.”
Love Your Enemies
Matthew 5:44 · KJV
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
In plain English
But I tell you: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you.
The Book Ends On A Question
Jonah closes with God asking a question and no reply recorded. The reader is meant to answer it.
He Loved First
1 John 4:19 · KJV
We love him, because he first loved us.
In plain English
We love because he loved us first.
Pray
God, search me for the person I do not want you to bless. Amen.
Write it down
Who would you struggle to see God forgive?
Mercy is wide
Wider than is comfortable. That is the point.
Which passages does this journey use?
4 passages, drawn from Jonah 3:1, Psalms 139:7, Matthew 5:44, 1 John 4:19. Every verse appears here in the King James text with a plain-English line beside it, so you can read it without a commentary open. Allow about 7 minutes for the whole thing, or 8 short sittings.
- Jonah 3:1
- Psalms 139:7
- Matthew 5:44
- 1 John 4:19
Read any of these in full on the complete KJV, or look the wording up independently at Blue Letter Bible.