Today in church, I whispered to my daughter that Jonah was my favorite book of the Bible. Her eyes widened with surprise and disbelief. “But it’s so painful!” was her response. She doesn’t love reading the account of the many failures of Jonah.
My deep love for this book started in college. As a literature major and a Christian, one class that I was particularly excited about was called The Bible as Literature. It didn’t disappoint. The first project I completed was a literary analysis of the book of Jonah, and it has been my favorite book of the Bible ever since. For me, the message is clearly all about God’s amazing grace, and this is highlighted by the story’s intricate design, first and foremost in its symmetry.
Jonah may be the Bible’s most symmetrical story. It consists of two parts, chapters 1–2 and chapters 3–4. Each part begins the same way.
Jonah 1:1-2 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.”
Jonah 3:1-2 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.”
We can see parallels throughout. In Part 1 and Part 2 we see a beautiful symmetry of actions and themes:
- Jonah interacts with groups of people who don’t initially follow Yahweh but turn to Him after interacting with Jonah. (Sailors at the end of chapter 1 and Ninevites at the end of chapter 3.)
- These converted people are submissive to God, in contrast to Jonah.
- God uses nature—both weather and creatures—to direct Jonah and teach Him. (Storm and fish in chapter 1 & 2; plant, worm, and wind in chapter 4.)
- God is merciful and patient with each person in the story, rescuing the sailors and even Jonah in part 1, and patiently forgiving the Ninevites and Jonah in part 2.
This symmetry of action has a compounding effect on the message and themes, showing God’s mercy and patience in magnificent ways.
Lesson 1: God is amazingly patient.
If we want a case study in the patience of God to all kinds of people, we can look at Jonah. God’s patience is beyond our expectation as He rescues and forgives those who are running away from His command, living a godless existence, and even those dedicating themselves to violence and wickedness.
In each part of the book of Jonah, God is reaching out, warning, guiding, and rescuing people. Everything He does is from His deep love. Jonah recognizes this when he ironically complains about God’s character:
“…for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.”
Jonah 4:2B
Lesson 2: God is able to use imperfect messengers.
We see not once, but twice, Jonah fail to follow God’s call. The first time, he deliberately tries to run away from God. The second time, he goes through the motions of being God’s prophet, but his heart is defiantly against God’s plan. Each time, God is still able to use Jonah to reconcile people to Himself.
So often we get distracted from God’s message by the imperfect—and even terrible—actions of those claiming to be His servants, His messengers. There is no excuse for Jonah’s behavior, but God’s message is too powerful to be twisted by this rebellious and cowardly prophet.
If we are tempted to dismiss God’s message because of hypocrites at church, we should take warning from the book of Jonah. The Ninevites found rescue because they didn’t allow Jonah to distract them from God’s message. The sailors found Yahweh because they saw through the disobedience of Jonah to the power of God’s judgment. They saw the truth for themselves, refusing to use Jonah’s unfaithfulness as an excuse to ignore his God.
On the other hand, if we are tempted to fear telling others about God because we know we are imperfect messengers, we can take heart. If we are willing and trying to follow God, we are heading the right direction—unlike the unwilling and angry Jonah, whom God used in spite of his sinful failings.
Ultimately, Jonah’s message is recorded for us even thousands of years later. What amazing grace of God, to be still using the story of Jonah to call us to repent and follow Him. In his darkest hour, Jonah shows the truth:
“Those who pay regard to vain idols
Jonah 2:8-9
forsake their hope of steadfast love.
But I with the voice of thanksgiving
will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
Salvation belongs to the Lord!”
Lesson 3: God’s boundless ocean of love is for all people.
Jonah couldn’t imagine—or didn’t want to imagine—God being merciful to such evil and violent people as the Ninevites. He wanted to be the one who determined the people who were shown mercy.
Sadly, the only object of Jonah’s affection seems to be a plant. He also loves his own way, his own opinions, and his own comfort. At the beginning, he’s running away and then sleeping when chaos is raining down on the boat. At the end, he’s sitting outside of Nineveh, angry enough to wish for death because of God’s mercy on the people and because of his own discomfort.
In contrast, God loves every person and thing in this story. He loves the sailors and stops the storm when Jonah starts to go in a different direction. He loves the animals and plants as they do His will, directing Jonah physically toward Nineveh and growing and withering according to His command. He loves the entire city of Nineveh: its wicked people, innocent children, and even its animals.
And He loves Jonah. He patiently guides Jonah, asking questions and putting Jonah in situations that will challenge his wrong opinions. In the end, He gives grace to Jonah to change and be a messenger whose message lasts even to this day.
We don’t know for sure, but it is likely that Jonah authored this beautiful book, a book that reveals his own pigheadedness and foolishness in a way that highlights God’s glorious character. If Jonah is the author, he humbly refuses to end the story with his own repentance and instead allows God to have the last word, a searing question that emphasizes His sovereignty, love, and mercy (“And should I not pity Nineveh…?”).
One author points out that this “‘cliff hanger’ ending” has a glorious effect.
“It is as if God shoots this arrow of a question at Jonah, but Jonah disappears, and we realize that the arrow is aimed at us. How will you answer?”
The Prodigal Prophet, by timothy keller
The structure of the book of Jonah, first in its symmetry and then in its surprising ending, emphasizes the great patience, wisdom, and love of God. Through the sometimes exasperating repetition of Jonah’s failings, we see just how long God’s mercy endures–how His wisdom and love work through weak and sinful humanity to save weak and sinful humanity.
Merciful God, O abounding in love,
From the hymn by Stuart townsend
Faithful to all who draw near You,
Hearing the cries of the humble in heart,
Showing the cross they may cling to.
Helpless I come, broken in sin,
Found at the feet of Your mercy.
Father, forgive,
May my sin be remembered no more.
Recommended Listening
If you want to start studying Jonah, but listening is more your style, my husband recently preached through a sermon series on the book of Jonah. His specialty is giving historical context to biblical exposition, and he highlights the context of Jonah as well as the above themes. You can find the series here.
Recommended Reading
“Jonah’s journey also doesn’t end when he is freed from the belly of the fish. There is an entire second half to his story–but it is left unresolved within the text of the Bible. Why does the book of Jonah end on what is essentially a cliffhanger? In these pages, Timothy Keller provides an answer to the extraordinary conclusion of this biblical parable–and shares the powerful Christian message at the heart of Jonah’s story.” (Amazon description)
“Powlison reminds us that God gets angry too. He sees things in this world that aren’t right and he wants justice too. But God’s anger doesn’t devolve into manipulation or trying to control others to get his own way. Instead his anger is good and redemptive. It causes him to step into our world to make wrongs right, sending his own Son to die so that we can be reconciled. He is both our model for change and our power to change.” (Amazon description)
“God did not give us His gospel just so we could embrace it and be converted. He offers it to us every day as a gift that keeps on giving us everything we need for life and godliness. Here is a valuable tool to preach the gospel to yourself daily to strengthen your faith and define what you believe and why.” (Amazon description)
