A Whale Of A Taxi Ride Into Easter

I thought I would share an Easter Message in a different way this week. 

Most of us have heard about Jonah the prophet. He was the prophet who got swallowed up by what the Bible calls a “fish” and got a whale of a taxi ride. The name Jonah means dove. God called him to be the messenger dove to a rough and tough, hardened-from-the-truth group of people who lived in the city called Nineveh. Nineveh had sunk lower than a snake's belly in essential character, morality, and human injustice. In essence, God said, “Jonah, fly away to Nineveh, speak to them for me, they need my help, they are in trouble.” 

Instead of being the love dove from above that flew to Nineveh with God’s message, Jonah flew from Nineveh. He got on a boat, paid the fare, and went in the opposite direction. The Bible says, “But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish (Spain) from the presence of the Lord.” 

Jonah didn't like the Ninevites’ behavior and demeanor. Sometimes even a God-appointed prophet can misunderstand God's nature and character. The Bible says, "God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and one who relents concerning calamity." (Jonah 4:2) Jonah said no to God. That took him out of the presence of God rather than into it.

Who knows what is going on inside people’s heads these days? I saw a poster that said: “Don't bother walking a mile in my shoes. That would be boring. Spend 30 seconds in my head. That'll freak you right out.” Imagine what sometimes goes on inside a woman's head. “Once you understand why the pizza is round, packed in a square box, and eaten as a triangle, then you will understand women” - just kidding. Maybe what made us crazy in these post-COVID-19 days was the shopping we did. I shouldn’t have let them take my temperature because they were erasing my memory. For example, I went for bread and eggs and came home with Blue Bell ice cream and Snickers candy bars instead.

What happened next to “what was I thinking” Jonah and the boat he was on? The ship encountered a massive storm at sea, which frightened all the passengers. The passengers discovered that Jonah was fleeing from the Lord and that his disobedience was causing it. Jonah admits the storm was a result of his issues with the Ninevites and God. 

Isn’t that amazing? When we flee from what God assigns us or asks us to do, it affects others, too. Jonah was thrown overboard by the mob. When Jonah hit the water, he landed inside the mouth of a custom-made super cruiser fish, and the fish swallowed him. Once inside the fish, there was a revival going on. Jonah cried for help and pleaded for the same mercy that God wanted him to preach to the Ninevites. Crisis does that. "God, help me, save me, have mercy on me. I'll go to Nineveh if you get me out of this." Does this sound familiar?

Jonah took a three-day taxi ride across the Mediterranean Sea, bringing him right back to his purpose, call, vision, and destiny. The fish ‘vomited’ him on an ocean shore near Nineveh. Think about it: usually, fish make a person sick. This time, the man made the fish sick. I heard a dynamic speaker say, "At this point, Jonah was so small spiritually, a guppy could have swallowed him."

Lessons: When God fixes a fix to fix you, and you try to fix the fix that God fixed to fix you, God will find another fix to fix you. Hint: When you run away from the Lord, you never get to where you are going, and you always pay your own fare. 

So, Jonah reluctantly spoke God's message of love first to Nineveh. What happened next? The people 'repented and relented' for their selfishness, violence, and buffoonery. As a result, God freed them from their self-inflicted bondage. Nineveh was transformed and revived. This revival should have made Jonah happy. But Jonah was so angry at God that the seaweed on his head cooked. He wanted condemnation, not liberation. Jonah wanted God to judge them and teach those people a lesson or two. 

Isn’t it interesting that when we are in trouble, we plead for mercy and forgiveness? When we dislike those in need or who don't believe the way we do, we want justice. We want God to judge and condemn them. 

Here are some takeaways for us. That mercy triumphs over judgment. That God uses kindness first to bring people to repentance. Don’t run from God, run to God. That there are consequences for our choices, but God always uses those as a last resort. Many times, the Jonahs of the world know about God but do not know God. 

Therefore, we need not cast away our faith for Christians who, like Jonah, refuse to do God’s will. Neither should we give up on a generation that won’t change direction. God is able and can bring correction and redirection to His people, as well as repentance and salvation to those who don’t know Him. Our present circumstances don't determine where we can go; they merely determine where we can start.

Just as with Jonah, God sent a messenger to the Ninevites. The message was to change direction, turn to God, and accept his Son, Jesus, as Lord and Savior. 

And the fish and the dove say, “He has risen, indeed.”