Rediscovering Jonah: The Secret of God's Mercy

by Timothy J. Keller

So Jonah had a problem with the job he was given. But he had a bigger problem with the One who gave it to him.8

So Jonah had a problem with the job he was given. But he had a bigger problem with the One who gave it to him.8

We all know that we can run from God by becoming immoral and irreligious. But Paul is saying it is also possible to avoid God by becoming very religious and moral.

We all know that we can run from God by becoming immoral and irreligious. But Paul is saying it is also possible to avoid God by becoming very religious and moral.

Neither son trusted his father’s love. Both were trying to find ways of escaping his control.

Neither son trusted his father’s love. Both were trying to find ways of escaping his control.

Now God can’t just ask anything of us—he owes us. He is obligated to answer our prayers and bless us. This is not moving toward him in grateful joy, glad surrender, and love, but is instead a way of controlling God and, as a result, keeping him at arm’s length.

Now God can’t just ask anything of us—he owes us. He is obligated to answer our prayers and bless us. This is not moving toward him in grateful joy, glad surrender, and love, but is instead a way of controlling God and, as a result, keeping him at arm’s length.

We think we have to force God to give us what we need. Even if we are outwardly obeying God, we are doing it not for his sake but for ours.

We think we have to force God to give us what we need. Even if we are outwardly obeying God, we are doing it not for his sake but for ours.

Unless Jonah can see his own sin, and see himself as living wholly by the mercy of God, he will never understand how God can be merciful to evil people and still be just and faithful.

Unless Jonah can see his own sin, and see himself as living wholly by the mercy of God, he will never understand how God can be merciful to evil people and still be just and faithful.

Jonah runs but God won’t let him go.

If Jonah refuses to go into a great city, he will go into a great storm.

The dismaying news is that every act of disobedience to God has a storm attached to it.

I don’t know about this. What about those who are obedient and yet go through storms?

The Bible does not say that every difficulty is the result of sin—but it does teach that every sin will bring you into difficulty.

All sin has a storm attached to it.

Sin is a suicidal action of the will upon itself.

Sin always hardens the conscience, locks you in the prison of your own defensiveness and rationalizations, and eats you up slowly from the inside.

Storms can wake us up to truths we would otherwise never see. Storms can develop faith, hope, love, patience, humility, and self-control in us that nothing else can.

Indeed

There’s mercy deep inside our storms.

God cares how we believers relate to and treat people who are deeply different from us.

YES! Absolutely true!

God wants us to treat people of different races and faiths in a way that is respectful, loving, generous, and just.

YES

While Jonah is thoroughly absorbed by his own problems, they are seeking the common good of everyone in the boat. They pray each to their own god, but Jonah does not pray to his.

They are open to calling on Jonah’s God. In fact, they are more ready to do this than he is.

God sent his prophet to point the pagans toward himself. Yet now it is the pagans pointing the prophet toward God.

BOOM!

we learn that people outside the community of faith have a right to evaluate the church on its commitment to the good of all.

YES! … Finally someone talking (mention) this.

Jonah deserved it and, to a great extent, the church today deserves it too. What is the captain rebuking Jonah for? It is because he has no interest in their common good.

We are all—believers and nonbelievers—“in the same boat.”

YES!!

Jonah fled because he did not want to work for the good of the pagans—he wanted to serve exclusively the interests of believers.

And sadly this is something that continue happening nowadays. Believers only taking care of themselves and “their” people.

His private faith is of no public good.

Lots of us live privates faith. We do not share it outside with the world.

We deserve the critique of the world if the church does not exhibit visible love in practical deeds.

Absolutely agree. Unfortunately the religious system is too deep that when we received this critique we call it “persecution” and then we defend ourselves. This keep making the bridge longer between believers and non believers.

The captain had every right to rebuke a believer who was oblivious to the problems of the people around him and doing nothing for them.

believers are to respect and learn from the wisdom God gives to those who don’t believe.

YES!. Unfortunately we (believers) think we have the absolutely truth and posses the wisdom and therefore we disparage the non believers. And we miss God in the way.

All this means Christians should be humble and respectful toward those who do not share their faith. They should be appreciative of the work of all people, knowing that nonbelievers have many things to teach them. Jonah is learning this the hard way.

The lack of mercy in Jonah’s attitude and actions toward others reveals that he was a stranger in his heart to the saving mercy and grace of God.

How many of us are strangers?

Everyone gets an identity from something.

The sailors knew that identity is always rooted in the things we look toward to save us, the things to which we give ultimate allegiance.

To know who you are is to know what you have given yourself to, what controls you, what you most fundamentally trust.

Though the question about race comes last in the list, Jonah answers it first. “I am a Hebrew,”

While Jonah had faith in God, it appears not to have been as deep and fundamental to his identity as his race and nationality.

The prospect of calling people of other nations to faith in God would not be appealing under any circumstances to someone with this spiritually shallow identity.

UFF!!!

when loyalty to his people and loyalty to the Word of God seemed to be in conflict, he chose to support his nation over taking God’s love and message to a new society.

[American] White Christian Nationalism (?)

Shallow Christian identities explain why professing Christians can be racists and greedy materialists, addicted to beauty and pleasure, or filled with anxiety and prone to overwork. All this comes because it is not Christ’s love but the world’s power, approval, comfort, and control that are the real roots of our self-identity.

Let’s check ourselves

Any identity based on your own achievement and performance is an insecure one.

Peter and Jonah were proud of their religious devotion and based their self-image on their spiritual achievements. As a result they were both blind to their flaws and sins and hostile to those who were different.

Is he saying something like “I would rather die than obey God and go to Nineveh—kill me”? Is he submitting to God or rebelling against God?

Really interesting question. How many times we do the same. Are we submitting to God or rebelling against Him?

True love meets the needs of the loved one no matter the cost to oneself. All life-changing love is some kind of substitutionary sacrifice.

The Cross

God who substitutes himself for us and suffers so that we may go free is a God you can trust.

the deliverance of Jonah helps them see the greatness of who God really is.