Like the story of Ruth, in four chapters the book of Jonah is dense with insight about the grace of God and the struggle of humanity. Often missed in Sunday school lessons, the final chapter dives into the struggle of authority in our lives. To emphasize this the book finishes with a question, “…should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” Jonah’s story should leave us questioning how we respond to God and his word. The story finishes without resolution and leaves us to ask, “Will I place myself under God’s loving authority or will I sit begrudgingly and angrily because God’s grace and love extends to those I consider my enemy?” Jonah’s response to God’s word was every which way but right, which begs us to ask, “what is my response?”
Blessings,
Pastor Tyler
