Following is an introduction to J.D. Greear's Bible study, The Gospel According to Jonah.
I love stories. I love suspending my disbelief and immersing myself in the storyline. I love trying to relate to the hero, even the tragic ones, placing myself in his shoes to ask myself what I would do in his situation. As a culture we are story-driven. If you want to communicate your message in a compelling way, get a testimony of someone whose life has been changed by your message and let them tell their story. We may or may not get your message, but we will connect with someone's story.
The Book of Jonah tells a short, fascinating story. In all of the Bible, Jonah is one character you do not want to emulate. Jonah defied God, sat in a fish belly for three days, preached to his most hated enemy, and then got into a shouting match with God. Bottom line: "WWJD" is not short for "What would Jonah do?"
Yet in Jonah we see a dangerously honest reflection of ourselves. He was a nice guy who deep down held a frustration with a God who was acting in ways Jonah couldn't believe to be fair or good. But in Jonah's story we also see a bigger story that Jonah himself missed. A story of love and grace. A story that, when understood, gives us hope that there will be more to our story than there was to Jonah's.
The Book of Jonah is not just a story about a runaway prophet and a huge fish. Jonah is first and foremost about a gracious God in relentless pursuit of those He loves. Yes, the Book of Jonah tells the story of a man who ran from God and was swallowed up by a fish because of that. But Jonah also puts on display the heart of a God who would pursue us even to the point of death.
You likely will see some of your own story in Jonah's. The Jewish people have a tradition on Yom Kippur - after the Book of Jonah is read the congregation stands and says in unison, "We are Jonah." This is true. But on a more profound level, we are Nineveh. We were the ones so wicked that no one could fathom why, or how, God would show us mercy. Yet God pursued us. And He cast Himself into the sea of His own wrath, entering the bowels of death for 3 days, so that we could be saved.
That is the gospel according to Jonah. Seeing that, experiencing that, produces a whole new kind of obedience in us - an obedience that comes not as a response to threats but from a heart that desires God. Gospel obedience comes not from the fear of being swallowed by fish; gospel obedience comes from seeing that God's love was so great that He would be swallowed up by death for us.
Jonah has become one of my favorite books in the Bible. Studying it brought profound changes in the church I lead and in me personally. I read it often and share it with my children. I pray it has the same effect on you. May God open your eyes to how wide, and how high, and how deep, and how long, is the love of God for you in Christ.