Jonah and the God of Second Chances

I have been thinking a lot lately about how Jonah has much to teach us about our lives and our relationship with God. Unlike the other prophets, Jonah does not obey God. He seems a little more down-to-earth and relatable.

 As I spoke to our new Sunday School staff on Tuesday about this week, there were a lot of questions regarding the validity of Jonah’s story and how they are supposed to investigate the fact that the whale swallowed Jonah because he didn’t listen to God. 

The story of Jonah is an epic “fish tale” told by ancient storytellers to get people's attention. Listen to God, or else this might happen to you! But yes, this message can be scary, especially for children. 

This raises the question: does God punish us for not listening? I think before Jesus, this was the tactic God used to get people to listen; however, because of Jesus' life and death, the cycle has been broken, and we have extended grace. 

This does not mean the story of Jonah is no longer valid. One of my favourite hymns is God of the Bible. In this hymn, the refrain states: “God is always faithful; you do not change.” It is essential to believe that God has not changed because the grace and the love God gives us have always been and always will be. God of the Old Testament, God of Jonah, God of the New Testament, and God of today have always shown us grace, endless love, and always will. The story of Jonah reiterates that God is the God of second chances, even if we don’t act the way God wants us to. 

Blessings 

Rev Kim 

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