BOOK OF JONAH

INTRODUCTION

The “sign” of Jonah is interpreted in two ways in the New Testament: His experience of three days and nights in the fish is a “type” of the experience of the Son of Man Matthew 12:39-40, and the Ninevites’ reaction to the preaching of Jonah is contrasted with the failure of Jesus’ generation to obey the preaching of one who is “greater than Jonah” Luke 11:29-32

 CHAPTER ONE

Jonah 1:1-16

 Jonah’s Disobedience and Flight.

The word of the LORD came to Jonah:, Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and preach against it; for their wickedness has come before me. But Jonah made ready to flee to Tarshish, away from the LORD. He went down to Joppa, found a ship going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and went down in it to go with them to Tarshish, away from the LORD. The LORD, however, hurled a great wind upon the sea, and the storm was so great that the ship was about to break up.

 Then the sailors were afraid and each one cried to his god. To lighten the ship for themselves, they threw its cargo into the sea. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship, and lay there fast asleep. The captain approached him and said, “What are you doing asleep? Get up, call on your god! Perhaps this god will be mindful of us so that we will not perish.”

They said to him, “Tell us why this evil has come to us! What is your business? Where do you come from? What is your country, and to what people do you belong?” “I am a Hebrew,” he replied; “I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

 Now the men were seized with great fear and said to him, “How could you do such a thing!”—They knew that he was fleeing from the LORD, because he had told them. They asked, “What shall we do with you that the sea may calm down for us?”…Jonah responded, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea and then the sea will calm down for you. For I know that this great storm has come upon you because of me.”

Then they cried to the LORD: “Please, O LORD, do not let us perish for taking this man’s life; do not charge us with shedding innocent blood, for you, LORD, have accomplished what you desired.” Then they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea stopped raging. Seized with great fear of the LORD, the men offered sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.

JONAH IS TOSSED OVERBOARD

 REFLECTION

 God spoke directly to Jonah and commissioned him to go and preach the Gospel. Jonah went directly against God’s will and did the exact opposite. What was the consequences for fleeing the Lord?  Do I ever turn away and flee the Lord? What are the consequnces for me?

We notice the irony in how the pagan sailors pray to their gods.  Is there a message there for us Christians who fail to pray to our God in times of need but try to go it alone? Also I am reminded of Jesus rebuking his apostles for complaining about others who weren’t followers praying Mark 9:8 Do we ever look down on other denominations who pray but are not like us?

 It is also ironic how the sailors threw cargo over the side to lighten their load at first but not the real cargo/culprit. Are we sometimes imitators and not rid ourselves of the cargo/baggage of sinful habits?

Finally at Jonah’s request the sailors hurled Jonah into the Sea.  The sea stopped raging.  Perhaps that same calm will come upon us when we rid ourselves of what deprives us of peace that only Jesus can give.

CHAPTER TWO

Jonah 2:1-11

Jonah’s Prayer

But the LORD sent a great fish to swallow Jonah, and he remained in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.  Jonah prayed to the LORD, his God,  from the belly of the fish: Out of my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me; From the womb of Sheol I cried for help, and you heard my voice….

 When I became faint, I remembered the LORD; My prayer came to you in your holy temple. Those who worship worthless idols abandon their hope for mercy. But I, with thankful voice, will sacrifice to you; What I have vowed I will pay: deliverance is from the LORD. Then the LORD commanded the fish to vomit Jonah upon dry land.

JONAH IS SAVED

REFLECTION

In distress, acknowledging his guilt, Jonah prayed to the Lord to save him.  It is never too late for conversion.

Peter denied Jesus three times but Jesus built his church on the contrite Peter.  Trust in Jesus!

Though unworthy, Jonah prayed for God’s mercy and God delivers him.  Mercy is love we don’t deserve.

CHAPTER THREE

Jonah 3:1-10

 Jonah’s Obedience and the Ninevites’ Repentance.

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you. So Jonah set out for Nineveh, in accord with the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an awesomely great city; it took three days to walk through it.

Jonah began his journey through the city, and when he had gone only a single day’s walk announcing, “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be overthrown,” the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small,^* put on sackcloth.

 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh:  “By decree of the king and his nobles, no man or beast, no cattle or sheep, shall taste anything; they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water….Who knows? God may again repent and turn from his blazing wrath, so that we will not perish.”

 When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.

JONAH PREACHES REPENTANCE TO THE NINEVITES

REFLECTION

This time Jonah follows God’s instructions, reluctantly like the son who said he would not go into the vineyard but went anyway.  Matthew 21:28.  This may be us at times not fully engaged, but do God’s will anyway.  It probably would be better to embrace God’s will for love of God.

One day, in large city, Ninevites began to repent.  It is a miracle.  Do we look for miracles in our life?  How about that family member who has drifted away from their faith?  Do we give up?  Trust in God!

The king of the Ninevites, a pagan, said, Who knows? God may again repent and turn from his blazing wrath, so that we will not perish.  What do we have to lose by embracing God?  Who else would you rather trust?

The Lord passes by Moses, So the LORD passed before him and proclaimed: The LORD, the LORD, a God gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love and fidelity. Exodus 34:6

 CHAPTER FOUR

Jonah 4:1-11

 Jonah’s Anger and God’s Reproof.

But this greatly displeased Jonah, and he became angry. He prayed to the LORD, “O LORD, is this not what I said while I was still in my own country? This is why I fled at first toward Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, repenting of punishment. So now, LORD, please take my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.”

 But the LORD asked, “Are you right to be angry?”^*Jonah then left the city for a place to the east of it, where he built himself a hut and waited^* under it in the shade, to see what would happen to the city. Then the LORD God provided a gourd plant.^* And when it grew up over Jonah’s head, giving shade that relieved him of any discomfort, Jonah was greatly delighted with the plant.

 But the next morning at dawn God provided a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. And when the sun arose, God provided a scorching east wind; and the sun beat upon Jonah’s head till he became faint. Then he wished for death, saying, “It is better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Do you have a right to be angry over the gourd plant?” Jonah answered, “I have a right to be angry—angry enough to die.”

 Then the LORD said, “You are concerned^* over the gourd plant which cost you no effort and which you did not grow; it came up in one night and in one night it perished. And should I not be concerned over the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot know their right hand from their left, not to mention all the animals?”^*

JONAH IS ANGRY WITH GOD

REFLECTION

 Jonah is angry because he hated the Ninevites, and feared God would convert them, But the LORD asked, “Are you right to be angry? Are we right to be angry at God sparing someone on their deathbed we consider unworthy?  Are we angry, resentful, envious when the wicked seem to prosper in this world?

God provided a gourd plant to provide comfort to Jonah.  Jonah was delighted but angry when the gourd died.  All material goods perish sometime.  Are we just grateful to God in good times?  Do we embrace also the vicissitudes of this world, the disappointments, the economic set-backs, health issues as part of the redemptive suffering of the Mystical Body of Christ that Jesus invites us to participate?

What do you think of the lesson God tried to teach Jonah?  Jonah cared about a plant, a plant, more than he did all the population of Nineveh that may have been destroyed had they not repented.  God has a plan for each of us. Someone’s salvation may depend on us. Let us follow God’s will and then see what happens!.