Story of the Month

Jonah

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When teaching or preaching, try putting the lessons inside of the story instead of putting the story inside of a lesson. This month’s story is an example of doing this. It does not develop the lessons, but simply weaves them into the plot. (Storytelling tips are put inside the written story)

Jonah could not believe what he was hearing. God wanted him to go to Nineveh and preach? It’s not fair! First of all, how could God be so concerned with such a godless nation as Nineveh? They were wicked people. Their cruelties to enemy armies and cities have astounded historians down through the years. They were an extremely brutal and vicious nation. “If judgment was to come on them, all the better. Good riddance to bad rubbish!” (note – When I tell this story, I move back and forth between the narrative and the first person. I believe the story lends itself to this and can be done smoothly without any announcement.)

Also if God does want someone to preach to them, it isn’t fair that He is calling on him, a loyal Israelite, to do the job. Jonah knows the prophecies. He knows that someday Nineveh is going to sweep down into Israel and destroy it. He can only imagine the hurt and anguish his people will suffer at their hands. (I have decided to tell this story in the present tense.)

The news that “Nineveh is to be destroyed if they don’t repent” is music to his ears! No, God should not really expect him to go and try to get them to repent. They should be destroyed.

Then it dawns on him. God is calling him to go preach to Nineveh. If he does it, there is a chance they will repent, and if they do, God will spare them. He just knows God will do that. But, if he doesn't do it, the city is doomed, without hope. God has given the job to him, no one else. If he refuses, it will mean giving up the ministry, leaving the homeland he loves, but he will be sacrificing as a patriot.

“Which way is Nineveh? OK, I’m going that way.” (Point in the opposite direction.)

Jonah goes to Joppa. Today it is called Tel Aviv. There, he books a ship to a spot that is as far away as he knows about, Tarshish, the old name for England.

On the ship, Jonah smells the salt air and feels the wind as it fills the sails. “Oh, this feels good. (ha) I thought I would feel bad being out of God’s will, but oh, I’m out from under that pressure and it is great! Not only that, this is good for my country, for my people.” He feels so good that he decides to go down below and take a little nap. He finds a comfortable spot and the ship gently rocks him to sleep.

(Slow down here and set the mood change.) Outside, the skies grow dark, the wind changes, and the waves grow in intensity. Sailors stop momentarily from their chores and look at the scene around them. They have experienced many storms, but something is different about this. It is not natural. Something is dreadfully wrong. Then the storm hits! No one has seen anything like this in all the years of sailing the Mediterranean. Soon they realize the ship is in danger of being ripped apart.

This is obviously the work of God. Every man is required to pray to his own god to find out what is wrong. “Jonah − where is Jonah? How can he still be asleep through all of this?”

Jonah wakes up and comes on deck. (I picture him as confident, knowing, yet belligerent.) He looks around and knows what this situation is. “God, it’s isn’t fair! I’ve given up the ministry. I’m leaving. I don’t want to do your will. You’re not reasonable.”

The sailors gather round him. “Jonah, who are you? What does all this mean?”

Jonah, being a prophet, must be truthful and he tells them what is going on. “So, the answer to this problem is to cast me overboard. But, of course, I’ve paid my fare and I expect you to honor me as your guest and get me safely to England.”

The crew goes back to work and tries to secure the ship. After a while, four big strong burly sailors came walking up to Jonah. “Yes, may I help you boys?”

One grabs a leg and one gets the other leg. Two sailors grab hold of his arms. “This isn’t fair! No, I’ve paid my passage.” And as Jonah is falling towards an incoming wave, they can hear him saying, “It’s not fair… glub …glub …glub.”

As Jonah goes down into the water, he knows that death is waiting for him. (Quick chance in attitude, consistent with how I picture this prophet.) “Oh well” he thinks, “If it means I have to die for my country, at least I die a patriot. When I die, (evil laugh) Nineveh dies!”

Suddenly the waters swirl around Jonah, he goes down, head over heels. Then he comes up to the surface. (deep breath) Where is he? It’s all dark. (put hands out as if to be feeling around – hands suddenly feel something)

“Hmmm, feels like blubber! Oh no, I’ve been swallowed …by a fish! …It’s …not …fair!”

Then Jonah feels a tingling all over his body. He suddenly realizes, “Oh no, I am being digested … alive!”

“God, this isn’t fair. If I have to die, I want to die quickly, not be digested slowly.”

(Now I go into a story-within-a-story) Jonah was not the only one to be swallowed by a sea animal and live to tell about it. In whaling days, sailors often fell out of the boats while trying to land a whale, only to be “landed” themselves. When the whale was secured and cut open, the sailors were still alive. One man even lived three days. He was totally white because of the digestive juices − and I might add, ‘a little looney,’ to say the least.

Now, Jonah is a stubborn man. Not quick to give into God’s will, just because of a few little setbacks. No, the Scripture makes it clear.

Let me ask you, if you found yourself in a belly being digested, what would be the first thing you would do? The first thing I would do is pray. Look at the Bible, the last verse in chapter one. “And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”

Now what are the first three words in Jonah, chapter two? “Then Jonah prayed…” That is stubborn! Three days later, Jonah decides that maybe he has had enough. (v. 7) “When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD.” Well, it’s about time!

Jonah says, “I will sacrifice unto …” Wait a minute Jonah, you can’t sacrifice anything. You’re in a fish. You don’t have any wood or matches. If you did, they would be all wet. (This is a two-way dialog between me and Jonah.)

“No, no, I will sacrifice …” Jonah, you can’t do it. You don’t have a lamb. Surely you don’t intend to sacrifice a small fish or something.

Jonah says, “Listen, I am going to sacrifice what God wants. He wants me to give to Him ‘a voice of thanksgiving.’ God wants me thankful for Him and His will for my life. That is not easy, and it is a sacrifice, but I am going to do it.”

Well, Jonah that’s nice, but it’s kinda late now. You really have messed up. There is no going back now. Look at you; you’re dying in the belly of a fish. I think it is hopeless. You have definitely thrown away your potential for service.

Then Jonah gives us one of the great principles of the Bible. (v. 8) “They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.” If your situation looks hopeless, it’s not true. It is a “lying vanity.”

God said, “Well, I think he is ready for the job.” He spoke to that fish and he … well, he vom… uh, he reger…, I mean he threw u…” well, you know what he did! And he did it right there on the beach.

(Here we have another story-within-a-story.) That is one activity I really don’t like doing. I would rather stay sick, than go and take care of it. (This can be carried farther if acceptable.) But let me tell you. I would much rather “throw up” … than to be … a part of the throw up!

Can’t you imagine it, lying there in all that stuff? I mean, being a part of that stuff.

(Quick change in story – I position myself as if I were one of these guys.) Two guys look over the sand dunes, “Did you see what I saw?”

“No, and if you tell anyone, I will deny it.”

Jonah sees these two men, “Which way to Nineveh?”

“Uh, that way.”

Off he goes. He knows what he is to do, and he is not going to mess up this time.

We all know how word spreads. We also know how news hardly ever stays accurate. By the time the news got to Nineveh, it probably sounded more like, “Hey, a man just got off of a fish and is coming here with a message.”

Into town walked this wild looking man, bleached white, shouting. Why did they listen to him? It is interesting how God used circumstances for His glory. The Ninevites worshiped a god of the sea.

Jonah walked through town, shouting one thing. He had no expression, used no poems, told no illustrations, and gave no invitation to repent. “Jehovah God is going to destroy this place in 40 days.” That was it, no more, no less. It was all God required and so that was all he did.

One man said to another, “Did you hear that? He said that the God of Heaven was going to destroy us in 40 days.”

I know, I don’t know what to do. Let’s go talk to the foreman.

The foreman said, “I heard it too. I am scared to death. Let’s go talk to the boss.

The boss said, “I’m just sick over it. Let’s go talk to the mayor.”

The mayor said, I think we are doomed. Let’s go talk to the king.”

The king said, “Everyone is to fast. No one is to eat and you can’t even drink water; not even the animals can eat or drink.” With that, he got off the throne, put on sackcloth, sat in ashes, and cried out to God for mercy. And so did the whole city.

Jonah is totally unaware of all of this. Once he is done walking through the city, he gets to thinking about the whole situation. “Well, this isn’t so bad after all. Now I am in the ideal place to watch the destruction of this wicked city. This is going to better than the 4th of July!”

He finds a nice place on the side of the hill and gets settled in for the show. “This is perfect. I can see the whole thing. Ohhhh! Burn, Nineveh, Burn!”

“Uh, Jonah.”

“Not now Lord, I don’t want to miss any thing.”

“Jonah.”

“Lord, can we talk later, I will feel so much better once I see this city destroyed.”

“Jonah, they repented. The whole city turned from their sin. It will go down in history as the greatest revival of all times.”

(Give a big pause here. Use facial expressions that turn from shock to disgust.)

“It’s not fair! I told you that this would happen. I said that you were a gracious God, and that you were slow to get angry. I knew that you would show kindness to these people if they repented. It’s just not fair! I want to die.”

“Jonah, if you can’t have pity on the people that live here, think about the children. There are over 120,000 children that don't even know one hand from the other. Shouldn’t

I have mercy on them?”

With this, the book ends. Jonah is sitting there in a huff. But we know he got his attitude straightened out. He wrote the book that tells us this story!

Don’t forget to check out our ‘Tips for Telling’ this month as well

Check out the past five months of stories and tips