Jeopardy Question for $2000: Who is the main character of the Book of Jonah?
Jonah? No.
The fish? No.
The king, the Ninevites, the sailors? Still no.
The main character is our great and gracious God, who extends forgiveness to all who call out for His mercy.
Jonah was a runner. Instead of going 500 miles to Nineveh as commanded, he went in the opposite direction—to Tarshish. You can run from God, but you cannot outrun God. Jonah enrolled in Fish University—not because God wanted to get Jonah back, but because He wanted to bring Jonah back. And it worked.
When Jonah finally reached Nineveh, he preached what might have been the most lackluster sermon ever delivered—no passion, no mention of God, little effort. Yet God brought His “A” game. The people believed, repented, and turned to the Lord. Revival came to a pagan city.
You would think Jonah would rejoice. But he didn’t. Why? Because these people were cruel—terrorists, some would say the Biblical Nazis. Jonah knew it would be just like God to show mercy to people he himself wanted to see destroyed. He wanted justice, not grace. He would rather die than be kind to those people.
So God gave Jonah an object lesson—a plant to shade him, then a worm to destroy it—and asked the prophet one piercing question: “You care about the plant…shouldn’t I care about the people?”
That question still echoes today.
Because there’s a little Jonah in all of us.
I remember when I first preached this passage. Our family went camping, and a loud group of bikers took over our peaceful site. I grumbled for days, until their leader approached me and said, “We heard you’re a pastor. Our preacher couldn’t make it. Would you bless the bikes?”
What I thought would be a quick prayer became hours of laying hands on one biker after another—rough men and women confessing, repenting, and asking for God’s mercy. God had arranged it all. There was a whole lot of Jonah in me that needed to go.
And maybe in you, too.
Gaza and Nineveh
Nineveh was a city steeped in violence and hatred—a place Israel feared and despised. Yet when God sent His prophet, that city repented. Gaza today bears a haunting resemblance: ruled by terror, hardened by hatred, and cloaked in spiritual darkness. Could it be that God still weeps for those trapped inside, longing to show mercy even there? Will he send His prophet?
And could it be that we are Jonah—grieved, angry, or exhausted by evil—yet called to love, pray, and speak truth with courage and compassion?
The question God asked Jonah still pierces the heart:
“Should I not be concerned about that great city?” (Jonah 4:11)
Today’s Prayer
Lord, help me see people as You see them.
Break my heart for what breaks Yours.
Where I have drawn lines of judgment, erase them with Your mercy.
Use me—even me—to speak grace where hatred reigns.
May I never forget that Your compassion is greater than my comfort,
and Your forgiveness wider than I can imagine. Amen.
Reflect & Respond
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When have I run from something God clearly asked me to do?
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Who are the “Ninevites” in my life—the people I struggle to show grace toward?
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How might God be inviting me to pray differently for people trapped in cycles of hatred, fear, or war?
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What comforts or “shady plants” do I value more than people’s salvation?
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How can I become a messenger of mercy, not judgment, in a world aching for redemption?
