Chloe W (Year 12)

God’s grace

To most of you, the story of Jonah is not new; it’s a kid’s story, right? I disagree. Just because we teach it to kids doesn’t make it a story just for kids. The story of Jonah is such a comforting and beautiful story that shows us how gracious God truly is.

For those who don’t know the general structure of Jonah, Jonah gets called by God to go to a big city called Nineveh, but instead Jonah goes to Tarshish. Jonah flees from what God has told him to do, but God graciously provides a way back through a storm that almost tears up the boat. This finds Jonah in the water to save the other passengers. Once there, Jonah gets overwhelmed by the sea. It says that he was at the bottom of the sea, pretty much near death (2:5), and then a big fish came in. Swallowed him whole, saving his life. Then, after 3 days, and a chapter of him praying, he gets spat out back onto dry land. God has shown grace to Jonah by saving his life and giving him a second chance. Jonah went the wrong way, and all that he got as a consequence was God saying, “Hey, I love you, my child, try again”.

Imagine that. Imagine doing something that you do that you know is wrong with every fibre of your body, yet you still do it. You choose to mess up, and then the person who is SUPPOSED to get you into trouble, the one who has the authority to do that, gives you a second chance without any punishment. They give you grace. Not deserved. But undeserved.

Jonah then heads to Nineveh and warns the people that God is coming to judge them. They all repent, and God then spares them from his wrath. But Jonah is not happy about this at all, and that’s the general basic story of Jonah.

But it goes deeper, see, Jonah doesn’t just end there. It shows us more. Jonah calls out in repentance, and God listens to him. The Bible actually says, “In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead, I call for help, and you listen to my cry.” That’s Jonah 2:2. Jonah is saying he was stuck in the worst place he could ever be. And God helps him. God saves him.

In chapter 3, we see this even more. The people of Nineveh repented. Not just 1 or 2 people, but the ENTIRE CITY. More than 120,000 people repent. They repent of their actions. Because of their repentance, God shows grace toward them, look at 3:10.

But Jonah was not a fan. Chapter 4:2-3 “He (Jonah) prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live”.

Jonah hates the people of Nineveh, but he doesn’t just passively hate them. Jonah hates the people of Nineveh so much that he would rather die than live in a world where the God of the universe shows His grace to anyone other than the Israelites. Jonah voices his complaints to God, just as we should.

Countless times in the Bible, there are comforting verses and verses saying that we should come to God. My favourite of these is Psalms 145:18 puts it “18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

God doesn’t have to respond to us, but he chooses to show us grace. We are flawed people, yet God chooses to show us grace and be with us and to be NEAR us.

The story continues,

God responds to Jonah again, giving him a plant for shade, then taking it away the next day.

Jonah loses it and says he wants to die, and how right it is for him to be angry at God. Then God says

“You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

God shows his grace to the people of Nineveh and to Jonah, teaching him why God chose to show His grace to the people of Nineveh instead of punishing them.

God will probably not literally tell you the reasons for His plans. But we can find comfort in this. God is gracious. Even when we go the wrong way, He will still be with us and guide us. He will guide us when we go the wrong way.

God’s grace to Nineveh

God’s grace to Jonah was extreme, but not surprising. Jonah was a Hebrew, coming from a race that God called His own. God giving grace to Jonah as remarkable as it is, it is not incredibly surprising, for he knows God and God has called Jonah His own.

But God doesn’t just give grace to the Hebrews. God gave grace to a foreign city that rejected that the LORD is God.

T.D.Jakes (who has been called “America’s best preacher” by Time Magazine) says that “We have a tendency to want the other person to be a finished product while we give ourselves the grace to evolve”.

Grace is not often an easy gift to give. Sometimes I find it hard to give it to my friends who I’m closest to. I’ve held grudges for years over what my friends did for years! I still remember how I got annoyed because in year 2, one of my friends would not stop zapping me with this pen he got from his parents. Now I wasn’t annoyed at him for long, but he was a good friend of mine. Imagine how much harder it would be to forgive and give grace to someone who doesn’t deserve it.

The people of Nineveh are against God; they are on the wrong standings with Him (whether intentionally or not). But God shows us how easily He offers repentance to us. The people of Nineveh did not need to do all they did, wearing sackcloths and fasting, to earn grace. God gives it freely to those who genuinely repent of their sins, turn the other way, and say God, I am sorry.

Like Jonah did, and as the people of Nineveh did. Like we can too.

God’s grace to us

So often I feel like Jonah, making the wrong choice when I knew not to, going the other way from where God wants me to be. But just like Jonah, God shows us grace.

All of that is great, but my personal favourite lesson that can be learned from Jonah is actually not found in Jonah. It is found in Matthew 12 and Luke 11

“29 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.”

Jonah was a sign to the People of Nineveh. He was a sign of the wrath that would soon come if they did not change their hearts. In a similar way, Jesus is a sign. He came to show who God is and that there will come a time when God’s judgment is near. We don’t have the exact date like the people of Nineveh do; we need to understand that God could come back at any time. Because of this fact, there is action that is needed. Jesus calls for repentance. Just like God called for repentance through the voice of Jonah.

I remember in year 10 I did my work experience at the place my dad used to work. He and the guy who looked after me most of the time gave me research to do on how water filtration works in certain elements. During this time, I would have a conversation with my dad every now and then while still listening to the video in my chair. One of the days, I was at the placement there, the CEO of the company came for a visit to say hi. Now this was at the end of the day, so I was tired mentally, and so when I met the CEO of the company my dad was working for, I shook his hand… in my chair… while listening to the research I was doing. Looking back, I understand it was a silly thing to do, but at the time, I didn’t. After the CEO left, my dad told me that I should’ve treated him with more respect. Not because he isn’t my dad, but because he is greater than my dad in the workplace. The CEO holds power, and a lot of it.

Jesus isn’t bragging, saying “look how cool I am”. He is saying that he holds greater power than Jonah. Jesus is our sign to repent. He doesn’t expect us to go on a massive fast and wear sackcloths like the people of Nineveh did. But he does want us to repent with our whole heart. With the understanding that we have a good, gracious Father. God’s grace is free, and all He wants in return for this gift… is for us to live our new life, that we’ve been given, with Him. God is a gracious God. He loves you, and He wants you to turn back and run to him. God’s grace is free, and there is more than enough of it for everyone. God gives grace on offer to you; all you have to do is accept it.