#57.6 Jonah and the Great Fish

#57.6 Stories from the Tanakh

Jonah and the Great Fish

 

#1 Read and Learn: The Story of Jonah and the Great Fish

In the days of the prophets, a man named Jonah lived by the sea. God spoke to Jonah. “Go to the city of Nineveh,” God said, “and tell them that they will be destroyed because of evil they have one.” But Jonah did not want to be a prophet. So he tried to run away from God. He got on a ship bound for a distant city and sailed away.

God sent a mighty wind and a fearful storm. The ship bobbed and tossed on the waves like a toy boat. It nearly broke in two. The sailors each prayed to their own god. The captain went to where Jonah was sleeping and yelled, “Get up and pray to your God to save us!” Then Jonah confessed, “This storm is because of me, because I tried to run away from God. Throw me into the sea, and the storm will end.” So they threw Jonah into the water, and the air grew still and the sea was calm.

God sent a great fish to swallow Jonah. Three days and three nights, Jonah stayed in the belly of that fish. At last, Jonah could bear no more. He prayed to God, and the fish spit him out onto dry land. “Now,” God said, “go to Nineveh and deliver My message.” And Jonah – who had learned that there was no place to hide from God – went to Nineveh.

What an enormous city it was. It took three days just to walk from one end to the other! Jonah entered Nineveh and walked for one full day, crying out, “In forty days, this city shall be destroyed.” The people heard Jonah and believed him. They stopped eating. They dressed in rough clothing that hurt their skin. They prayed for God to forgive them. Even the king left his throne and sat in ashes, asking for God’s mercy. And when God saw the people were truly sorry for the evil they had done, God decided not to destroy the city after all.

In the heat of the day, Jonah climbed to the top of a hill. Then he sat down and stared at the city. He was angry. “This is just what I thought would happen,” he said. “O God, You told me to say that Nineveh would be destroyed. Now You have made me a liar. You took away my honor. Why would you take everything away from me?”

God asked, “Should you be so angry?” As Jonah sat, God made a plant grow up over him. And Jonah was grateful for the plant, because its shadow protected him from the sun. Then God sent a worm to attack the pant, and the plant shriveled and died. The next day, the sun beat down on Jonah’s head again. God said, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” And Jonah answered, “I am so angry that I want to give up on everything!”

But God spoke kindly. “Behold, you care about a little plant that grew up in a night and shriveled in a night. In the same way, I care about the city of Nineveh with its people that number one hundred and twenty thousand. Even though they are not wise people, even though they make mistakes, I care for them the same way that I care for you.”

#2 Read and Reflect: 

What does it mean:
Then God said: “You cared about the plant, which you did not work for and which you did not grow, which appeared overnight and perished overnight. And should not I care about Nineveh, that great city.” (Jonah 4:10-11)
This is how the story of Jonah ends. What do you think would come next for Jonah? At the end of the day, what might Jonah have thought about?
There are two Jewish values included in the book of Jonah that don’t necessarily seem to go together: Justice (Tzedek) and Mercy (Rachamim). Which of these does God show towards the citizens of Nineveh? What does it mean to forgive someone for actions they truly feel sorry for doing?

#3 Watch and Learn: Jonah and the Great Fish – Music Video

#5: Review and Response

  1. Though Jonah does not want to follow God’s order to warn the people of Nineveh, the Biblical text doesn’t explain why. Why do you think Jonah did not want to do as God asked of him? Think of a task or a challenge you’ve avoided or run from. Why did you avoid it? If you could do it over again would you respond differently?
  2. How does the story of Jonah challenge us to relate to other people?
  3. Why do you think Jonah was upset by God’s decision to not destroy Nineveh, because the people changed their ways? Have you ever been upset when someone changed their mind?

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