If I take a bird's eye view of this story, I see several key actions that help us understand what the story is all about. But before we can even begin, we must address the elephant in the room: Was Jonah an actual event or was it simply a legend or tall tale told to teach a moral?
In addressing this question, I have to start with a disclaimer - whether Jonah is an actual event or based on an event that grew over time, it does not change my faith or my belief in the inspiration of Scripture. Just as Job could serve simply as a story helping men and women deal with the problem of evil, so also, this narrative could have actually happened or it not and either way it will not make me question the validity of Scripture in its ability to help me develop and grow in a relationship with God.
That being said, I do start with the assumption that there was a prophet named Jonah (see 2 Kings 14:25) and he went to Nineveh and preached after first running away from God and being saved from a terrible storm by having some strange (supernatural) encounter with a great fish. I am not worried about the details of whether a man could survive in a fish for 3 days, I am concerned with what this passage teaches us about God.
So we dive in...
Big picture -
3 times, "God provided."
- A fish
- A gourd
- A worm
This is one story where the prophet seems more volatile than God. God is bending over backward to save a Gentile city that later enslaved the Israelite people. God is demonstrating that His grace extends beyond the Hebrews. I see Genesis 12:3 - All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you - happening. I see a God of SECOND CHANCES.
I think my favorite verse in book is 3:1 - Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah A SECOND TIME.
Jonah is about asking ourselves if we are more about status quo and the way things are or if we are about stepping out in faith and letting the Spirit of God move us to compassion for those God has compassion for. This tale is about asking ourselves if we are going to settle for religion that is predictable and subversively tries to manipulate God or if we are open to the roller coaster, white knuckled ride of a relationship with the Creator of the Universe.
It may be a "Sorta Fairy Tale" (my apologies to Tori Amos for using the title for her song)...
but is asking for anything but a sorta relationship with God.
It is asking if you are going to be all in or if you are just going to sit on the sideline. I am reminded of Revelation 3:16 - you are neither hot nor cold so I am going to vomit you out of my mouth.
Jonah is more than a story about a fish, it is a story about a God who does whatever it takes to have a relationship with His creation...His people...His children - whoever and wherever they are or go. Even if they are satisfied with religion (status quo), He is not. Are you ready to explore your relationship with God?
