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Intro
God still speaks today.
Often, God speaks by disturbing our comfort zone and revealing our spiritual blind spots.
That is what happened to Jonah.
In the Book of Jonah, God disturbs Jonah seven times.
1. God’s Word Came to Jonah (1:1)
God’s Word always reveals two things: who God is and who I am.
Jonah was a well-known and respected prophet. Yet God’s Word exposed his blind side. Outwardly he was successful, but inwardly he was not ready. Not yet.
God said, “Get up and go to Nineveh and call them to repentance.”
Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, a rising and terrifying enemy.
Jonah was not happy. He ran away from God and from his mission, toward Tarshish.
2. God Sent a Great Storm (1:4)
Sometimes storms come into our lives.
“The ship threatened to break apart.” That is how life can feel in a storm.
But Jonah went down into the hold and fell into a deep sleep.
3. The Sailors’ Compassion (1:6)
The pagan sailors showed more compassion and reverence than Jonah.
“How can you sleep? Get up and call on your God!” they said to Jonah.
Even after Jonah admitted the storm was his fault and asked to be thrown into the sea, they tried their best to save him and the ship.
4. The Great Fish (1:17)
God saved Jonah with a great fish. For three days and three nights, he stayed in its belly.
This was a humbling and disturbing experience.
Down, down, down: to Joppa, into the ship, into the sea, into the fish.
There Jonah encountered God and prayed.
Was he fully changed? Not yet. The story continues.
5. An Unexpected Revival (Chapter 3)
Jonah finally went to Nineveh. It was a great city, a three-day journey across.
He preached for one day—likely with reluctance.
Then the unexpected happened: revival. From the king to the animals, the whole city repented.
6. God Changed His Plan (3:10)
God saw their repentance and showed mercy.
But Jonah was very angry. “This is utterly wrong!” (4:1)
God continued to stretch Jonah and reveal his blind side. Jonah still did not see it.
7. The Lesson of the Plant and the Worm (Chapter 4)
God provided a plant to give Jonah shade. Jonah was very happy.
The next day, God sent a worm. The plant withered. Jonah became angry and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”
God gently asked, “You cared about the plant. Should I not care about 120,000 people who live in spiritual darkness—and also many animals?”
Jonah’s compassion was small and self-centered.
God’s compassion is wide. His salvation is for all people.
Conclusion
The story ends with God’s question. It is a cliffhanger.
We are not told how Jonah answered. Yet someone had to write this story. Who knew what happened inside the fish? Most likely Jonah himself.
This book reads like a confession.
This is my prayer for Lent: “Disturb me, Lord. Show me my blind spots. Help me grow.”
Our Lenten path:
Reflect – through our Lenten daily devotion
Repent – turn our hearts back to God (using a Prayer of Confession bookmark)
Renew – put faith into practice
May God gently disturb us, transform us, and renew us through this journey.
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