Everybody knows about Jonah. Even people who don’t know the Bible know about Jonah. Everybody laughs at jokes about Jonah.  There is a story of a little girl who was talking with her school teacher one day. She said, “My Sunday school teacher told me that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.” The teacher said, “That can’t possible be true. A whale’s throat is too small; no human being could ever go down a whale’s throat. 

The little girls responded, “But my Sunday school teacher said Jonah was swallowed by a whale.” Again the teacher responded, “It just isn’t true, it could not have happened. A whale’s throat is too small.” 

Frustrated the little girl said, “When I get to heaven I am going to ask Jonah if it really happened.” The teacher replied, “What happens if Jonah didn’t go to heaven?” To which the little girl replied, “Then you can ask him.” 

Or the cartoon that shows Jonah standing at the door of his house being greeted by his wife. His wife is saying, “Jonah where have you been? You have been gone for three days, you are soaking wet, and you smell like fish. What kind of a story am I going to have to swallow this time?” 

Jonah is a man who bumbles his way through life, trying to avoid God. Along the way he spends a few days in the belly of a large fish. 

There are four short chapters in the book of Jonah. You may not know the whole story. In chapter 1 God calls Jonah and he runs the other way. He buys a first class ticket on a cruise ship in the opposite direction. The ship ends up in a severe storm, the sailors are frightened, they wonder who is responsible for the storm, they draw straws and Jonah draws the short straw. In frustration they agree to throw Jonah overboard. Where upon he is swallowed by a fish. 

In chapter 2 Jonah offers a prayer to God from the belly the fish. The prayer is rather like a psalm. In the end God directs the fish to spit Jonah up onto dry land.  

In chapter 3 God calls Johan a second time. This time Jonah gets the message. He goes to Nineveh to preach. He warns the people of Nineveh of the judgment to come. He tells them that God is going to destroy their land in 40 days. Then he goes off on a hill to watch the fireworks. But the people of Nineveh repent and God changes his mind regarding what he is going to do. 

In chapter 4 Jonah is not happy. Listen to how Eugene Peterson translates the first two verses of chapter 4.

Jonah was furious. He lost his temper. He yelled at

God, “God! I knew It - when I was back home, I

knew this was going to happen! That’s why I ran

off to Tarshish! I knew you were sheer grace and

mercy, not easily angered, rich in love, and ready

at the drop of a hat to turn your plans of punishment

into a program of forgiveness!” 

This chapter ends with God and Jonah having a little talk about grace and forgiveness. A talk about who is really in charge. 

It really is a wonderful story. Did it really happen? I don’t know. Was there actually a man named Jonah in Hebrew history? Yes, there was. Is this the same Jonah? We don’t know. This book is at the very least like a powerful parable. It is rich in meaning and truth for you and me. 

It helps to understand one important detail in the story. Nineveh was the farthest eastern point in the known world at that time. It was the capital of the powerful empire of Assyria. This would have been the “Evil Empire” for the Hebrew nation. Nineveh was a huge city with about 120 thousand inhabitants.  

Tarshish on the other hand was the farthest point west in the known world. It probably refers to Spain. So Jonah ends up going as far as possible in the opposite direction. 

This is a story of what happens when God calls you.  

FIRST LESSON: YOU CAN’T RUN AWAY FROM GOD 

The first thing we learn in this story is that you can’t run away from God. If God wants you, God will find you. 

I don’t ever recall trying to run away from God. I thought about running away from home once or twice when I was 8 or 10 years old. And I have drifted away from God at times, but God always brings me back. This story says you cannot escape the call of God. 

Jonah tried to ignore and run away. Maybe he had some ancient form of assertiveness training. Maybe he simply wanted to control his own destiny. Maybe he was like the man who discovered that 80% of all accidents happen one mile away from home. So he moved. Jonah thought that if he moved he could avoid the assignment. Jonah says, “I don’t like this idea, God. NO thank you. I’m not going.” 

A little bit like the “Hound of Heaven” poem by Francis Thompson which begins this way:

            I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;

            I fled Him, down the arches of the years;

            I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways

Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears

I hid from Him… 

Jonah was determined. One writer said he had a bad attitude. He said that Jonah had a negative, acid personality. That is why the fish got rid of Jonah. The fish had acid indigestion! He spewed Jonah out of his mouth. 

Sometimes, we ignore or refuse the call. We are not ready for it, whatever that means. There is not enough money in it. We say, “I can’t interrupt my life flow right now.” There are lots of reasons and objections. They may not be as severe as Jonah’s but they are equal refusal. 

SECOND LESSON: GOD’S CALL CAN BE DANGEROUS 

The second lesson in the story is that God’s call can be dangerous. Jonah knew the difficulty of the task he had be assigned. Nineveh was the capital of Babylon – The primary oppressive power. He was to preach repentance to the evil empire. God must be kidding. He had no desire to preach in Nineveh. He knew that city. He knew what it was like. 

It would not be unlike God asking you or me to go to Baghdad to preach today (Nineveh was actually on the Tigris River right where Baghdad and Iraq is located today.) God would ask you or me to stand in the streets and preach “Come on people! Get your act together for God.) 

Or it may be God asking us to go to Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea is known as the “Democratic peoples Republic of Korea.” Or it may be God asking us to go to Tehran, Iran known as the “Islamic Republic of Iran.” These may put some perspective on what God was asking of Jonah. 

Put simply, being a disciple is not easy. I saw a list somewhere of the ten most dangerous jobs in America. Disciple of Jesus is not on the list, but it probably should be. Being a disciple today is difficult and sometimes it is dangerous. It is dangerous because we’ll be asked to love our enemies or because we will be asked to be peacemakers or because being obedient does not necessarily come naturally to us or because we might understand or because we might have to put the interest of others above our own. It is hard to be a disciple, a follower of Jesus. It is highly rewarding, but it is not easy. 

THIRD LESSON: GOD KEEPS CALLING 

The third lesson of the story is that God keeps calling. There is no let up. In the end, God finds you and calls you. Chapter 3 in the book of Jonah is a repeat of chapter 1.

1:1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah, son of Amittai saying, “Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it. 

3:1 The Word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time saying, “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you. 

When God calls/if God calls, God is not likely to give up. whether it is for the short term or for a life term! God is not going to give up and call someone else. The call is not transferable, it is like an airline ticket, you can’t give it to someone else. God has your photo ID. 

If God wants you for a job, God will keep after you. That is what I found out many years ago. I started out to be an engineer then I switched to Mathematics, thinking I would be a math teacher. When I finally ended up in seminary, I was encouraged to go on for a Ph D. so I could teach in a college or seminary somewhere. But God kept after me with one call, one direction! “I want you to be a pastor and a preacher in a local church.” God didn’t say it would be easy, but He did say, “This is where I want you.” 

Sometimes God’s call is for an episode – a day, month, a few years. Jonah’s call was an episode. I want you for this task; I want you for this assignment. Maybe God calls you to be a member of a school board where there are issues. (Do you know any places like that right now?)  Maybe God calls you to be a person in local government where the needs are great. Maybe God calls you to be a board member for a service organization – an entity that adds quality to life and is responsive to human need. Most of these have term limits. Maybe you are needed for a term. Maybe God calls you to step aside for a few months from a law or financial office to assist in some area of poverty. None of these are easy. But God keeps calling. 

A few weeks ago I listened to some lectures by two leading and aging theologians. They have been excellent teachers of the Bible over many years. It seems however, as though God has called them to a prophetic ministry in these days. Maybe God has called them to a situational prophetic ministry in their senior years. God asked them to use their considerable gifts in the present moment in history. 

Sometimes the call is for a term.  But sometimes, the call is for a lifetime or for the balance of a lifetime. “This is what I want you to do for the rest of your life. “ Sometimes the call is a life sentence. Mine seems to have been that way. I believe that it will continue into retirement as well. Rick Warren the author of the very popular PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE has said that his favorite text of the Bible is one from the book of Acts which says, “David served God and then he died.” (Acts 13:36) 

FOURTH LESSON: GRACE ABOUNDS 

The fourth lesson in the story is that Grace abounds. The people of Nineveh repented. God saw. God forgave. Jonah says, “I knew it. That’s why I didn’t go in the first place. It’s unfair God. You can’t forgive that easily. I came to preach and then to watch the fireworks. You have to do what You said You would do.” Jonah pouts. He has what is close to a temper tantrum. God’s love extends even to “those people?” 

There is a story about a couple who was traveling through North Carolina. They stopped at a diner for breakfast. When the waitress brought their breakfast there was something on the plate that the man did not recognize. He said to the waitress, “Wait a minute. What is this white stuff on the plate?” She said, “Sir, that’s grits.” He said, “I didn’t order grits.” She said, “You don’t order it, it just comes.” Where upon a man at the next table leaned over and said, “And that is why grits is like God’s grace. You don’t order it, it just comes.” 

That is what Jonah discovered one day. When you repent. When you turn your life toward God, when you go in a new direction. Grace comes. Grace abounds. And you can’t stop it and you can’t question it. When you book your ticket to Nineveh, when you follow God’s call, you discover it is the only place that is right for you. 

Do you see yourself anywhere in this story? Primarily, are you taking time to listen for God in your life? John Shaver is preaching a series on Sunday Night called Refueling – Refueling with solitude, with prayer, with fasting. Your church staff right now is taking a bit more time to think about quietly listening for God. 

In George Bernard Shaw’s play “Joan of Arc” the interrogator says to Joan, “How do you know you are right?” Joan replies, “I always know. It’s the voices. The interrogator says, “Oh my, your voices. Why don’t those voices come to me?” Joan replies, “They do come to you, but you do not hear them. If you prayed from your heart and listened, you would hear the voices as well as I do.” 

Listen carefully for the voice of God in your life. And when God calls you or nudges you or prompts you, follow the leading. Don’t try to hide or run or cast it off. Follow the leading and you will find a new measure of Life as God means it to be.