An Extraordinary Response

We have seen God’s compassionate plan to prevent Nineveh’s destruction, His peculiar choice of an envoy, and Jonah’s staunch resistance to the assignment. The conscripted prophet wants no part in sparing such an evil city and tries to sabotage God’s plan by fleeing. How will God respond to such blatant insubordination?  

Going West, Young Man?

At first, God seems to bide His time. I picture Jonah plotting his escape over a period of sleepless nights. He sells his townhouse, cashes in his savings, hugs his sweetheart goodbye, and hikes several days down to Joppa. There, he negotiates an affordable fare on a decent-looking ship bound for Tarshish, the westernmost extremity of the world as he knows it. So far, so good. Once the boat is out in the middle of the Mediterranean, though, God’s wind begins to blow (Jonah 1:4).

Maybe Jonah, exhausted from his journey and the emotional toll of leaving his loved ones and homeland, finds himself increasingly seasick. After all, running from God can be draining. So, he burrows himself away in the belly of the boat and falls into a deep sleep. As he sleeps, God sends a great wind. Storms invariably follow disobedience. They are both a consequence of sin and a warning signal to change directions. Violating God’s design can seem tempting and painless for a season but always leads to trouble.  

In Jonah’s story, a literal storm rages, and the crew becomes truly alarmed. Conditions deteriorate to the point where they hurl valuable cargo overboard. Jonah’s disobedience costs not only him but everyone else, too. The hull of the ship groans and threatens to splinter under the strain. In their fear and desperation, the sailors call out for divine help. The trouble is quite a few gods are represented among the Gentile crew. Which god has been angered? Zeus? Baal? Melqart? Unfortunately, the person who should be pointing the way to the true God is fast asleep. Everyone’s lives are in mortal danger, but Jonah remains oblivious.

The sailors each instinctively call out to their own gods for help (Jonah 1:5), but nothing seems to work. Then someone shouts above the storm, “There’s one more guy down below!” The captain descends and shakes Jonah awake. “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god!” Think about that for a minute. The pagan captain of the ship is commanding Israel’s prophet to wake up and pray for sinners who are under the judgment of God. It’s all completely backward!  

A Salty Conversation

As we’ve noted, every word in the book of Jonah is carefully chosen. The famous fish is mentioned in only three verses of the book (1:17; 2:1, 10), but Jonah’s interactions with the sailors dominate almost the entire first chapter. Clearly, their presence was important to the writer and the Holy Spirit.  

The sailors’ prominence is even more surprising if you consider that Jonah wasn’t even “supposed” to meet them. He never would have been on that boat if he had set off promptly for Nineveh. We find that even in Jonah’s disobedience, God’s purposes prevail. In this case, God takes the opportunity to introduce Himself to a group of pagans. And these aren’t just any pagans. These are sailors—perhaps among the crustiest of pagans. In a brilliant move, God arranges for Jonah’s discipline to double as an evangelistic opportunity.

The sailors are clearly spiritually minded people. They represent cultures in which many of the right questions about man’s relationship with the divine are met with many wrong answers. As Jonah rubs the sleep from his eyes, the crew devises a way for the gods to divulge who is responsible for the calamity of the storm. They cast lots, and sure enough, it falls to Jonah.  

Once Jonah is identified as the culprit, they inundate him with questions. “Why is this happening? Who are you? Where do you come from?” and finally, “What should we do to make things right with your god?” The sailors present quite a contrast with Jonah. They are thoughtful and considerate, and they pray when Jonah doesn’t. While he sleeps, they are alert. They seem more interested and responsive to Jonah’s God than he is. Jonah tells them he is running away from the true God who made the ocean they’re sailing on. They immediately believe him and are horrified (Jonah 1:9-10). In some ways, “These heathen mariners were more aroused and alarmed by the flagrant disobedience of Jonah than the prophet of God himself was. What a rebuke it should have been to him!”^xxxviii  

Role Reversal

Having understood their plight, the crew must decide what to do. They are willing to risk their lives to spare Jonah’s, even though he has knowingly jeopardized them and cost them their livelihood (the cargo thrown overboard in verse 5). Here is another note of irony. Jonah has endangered the sailors, which mirrors Assyria’s threat to Israel. But unlike Jonah, the sailors respond with compassion. No matter how hard the storm rages, Jonah apparently does not attempt to set things right with God. We don’t see him repent, pray for the ship's safety, or promise to go to Nineveh at the first opportunity. He believes that God is merciful, but he doesn’t ask for mercy on the ship—for himself or the unwitting accomplices who are being punished for his disobedience.  

The crew, on the other hand, tries to row back to shore, likely to send Jonah off to Nineveh to appease his God. Typically, ships were kept out at sea during storms to avoid being driven onto rocks in shallow water.^xxxix In the end, the sailors realize they have no choice. They must throw Jonah to a seemingly certain death or perish themselves. But first, they cry out to God not to judge them as murderers (Jonah 1:14). If Jonah had been interested in saving the sailors and was convinced that his death was the only way, one would think he could have jumped in himself rather than making them throw him overboard against their consciences.^xl  

Throughout the story, the sailors act appropriately based on every piece of information they receive. When the sea calms as soon as the prophet disappears into the depths, we are told the crew “greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him” (Jonah 1:16). We can’t be sure if all of them respond with genuine saving faith, but they definitely respond! Israel’s great God has shown them great mercy, even though Jonah never asked Him to. The unbelieving crew members show greater spiritual insight and better behavior than the prophet. For Israelites of Jonah’s time, this should have been a humbling story to tell.

A Spectacular Surrender

As Jonah blinks in the sunlight on the rocky coastline of Libya (or wherever the fish spit him up), he gets the dreaded call again. God still wants him to preach in Assyria. This time, he obeys. Try to picture Jonah finally trudging miserably into the megacity of Nineveh. He might be recognizable as a citizen of Israel, a country that Assyria has already attacked at least once. He probably looks like he’s weathered some tough times.  

Jonah begins to call out to the crowds of men, women, and children who are gawking at him, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4). I would expect a society known for cruelty and violence to laugh in his face, ignore him, or throw him off the city wall. After all, Jonah comes from a subject colony of the empire and he is conveying a treasonous message. Instead, they respond with alarm and a strong dose of humility. In another remarkable twist in the story, the Ninevites immediately believe Jonah’s message. Here’s how the Bible describes it:

 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.  

When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh (Jonah 3:4-10):  

“By the decree of the king and his nobles:  

Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”  

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

It's important to note that Jonah’s message is primarily about impending disaster. He doesn’t sugar-coat the future. Good news is only good to the degree that it contrasts with an alternative. I wonder sometimes if, in our proclamation of the gospel, we don’t adequately clarify the alternative. Whereas Jonah emphasizes the bad news and perhaps even focuses exclusively on it, in our day, we often make the opposite mistake. We may describe the situation as, “You’re okay, but you could be even better off with Jesus.” The reality is unbelievers are not okay.  

We don’t know what else Jonah may have said to the Ninevites. We know it was a message that God gave him (Jonah 3:2). Maybe he told them his story and admitted, “I disobeyed God and look what happened to me. I suggest you not do the same!” Whatever the case, the Ninevites responded by literally begging for mercy. The whole city repented in sackcloth, from the king on his throne to the cows in the street. They did the opposite of what Israel and her king were doing.

Sometimes, we glide over this episode because we know it so well, but the Assyrian response is staggering. The biblical record spends a lot of time on Nineveh’s repentance, which shows that it’s another major focus of the book. Some scholars suggest the people may have been primed for the message by a series of plagues or floods and a total solar eclipse just before Jonah arrived.^xli Others think they had experienced some military and territorial setbacks. Yet others point out that the Assyrians worshipped the fish god Dagon, among other gods, and might have connected that with Jonah’s big fish story.^xlii But whatever additional factors God may or may not have used, the speed and intensity of the Ninevites’ response remain astonishing:

The sacred record preserves for us only five words of Jonah’s message (in the original of 3:4), but it was one of the greatest messages ever preached by man, if not the greatest. Nowhere do we read in the Bible or outside of it that one message from a servant of God was used of God to so great an extent. For the whole city of Nineveh believed God! Nothing remotely approximating this has ever taken place in the history of revivals. Jonah was a sign, but the people did not concern themselves with the prophet. They believed God.^xliii

The word of Jonah’s arrival and message spreads quickly, reaching even the king. The king immediately rises from his throne, changes into beggar’s clothing, and sits in the dusty street. His powerful nobles join him in showing unbridled contrition. Everyone fasts, dons uncomfortable sackcloth clothing, and sits in the dirt. A law is quickly passed requiring everyone to go without food or drink. All violence and immorality are outlawed. Instead of eating and drinking and carrying on business, everyone, without exception, is to pray. No sector of society is exempt. Even the livestock are deprived of food and water. The Ninevites utterly humble themselves, hoping that the God of Israel will relent from His fierce anger. If I had to choose one word from the text to summarize Nineveh’s response, it would be “urgently” (Jonah 3:8).

As with the sailors, scholars disagree whether the Ninevites’ response to Jonah’s warning demonstrated genuine saving faith. Jesus later implies their repentance was real (Matthew 12:41). Even if their contrition is only fear-inspired and relatively short-lived, it is still astounding in its intensity. The prophet Nahum’s scathing rebuke will eventually be fulfilled, and Assyria will be destroyed as Jonah hoped, but God postpones their destruction by almost a century.^xliv No national repentance on this scale had ever been seen in Israel.

A World Prepared

The repentance of the people of Nineveh is truly amazing. The Ninevites have very little knowledge of the God of Israel, but they take a chance that He might, perhaps, be merciful. Jonah knows for certain that He is merciful, and he resents it. The contrast couldn’t be greater. Jonah experiences miraculous salvation despite his sin but is not ready to extend that same grace to the Ninevites.^xlv

An important thread in the book of Jonah involves the repentance of those from whom we would least expect it. The unreached world is much riper and more responsive than many Christians think. God said as much to the prophet Ezekiel:

You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language, but to the people of Israel—not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you. But the people of Israel are not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate (Ezekiel 3:5-7, emphasis added).

Jesus warned the unrepentant people of Capernaum, “If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.” (Matthew 11:23). Pause to think about that for a moment. Could there be any stronger rebuke? The Scriptures give many other examples of the surprising responsiveness of unlikely people. Some of the first people to worship Jesus after His birth were foreigners, Magi from a distant land (Matthew 2:1-2). Jesus complimented the “great faith” of the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:28).  

During Jesus’s time on earth, centurions represented the Roman Empire’s ruthless, colonialist regime. I would expect them to care very little about the teachings of a Jewish rabbi. And yet, it was a centurion of whom Jesus said, “I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith” (Matthew 8:10). And it was a centurion who acknowledged at the Cross, “Surely he was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54). In fact, every time Jesus commends someone for their faith in the Gospels, it is a Gentile. The apostle Paul’s last recorded words in Acts are, “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” (Acts 28:28).  

Jesus often taught and demonstrated that He had come to call Samaritans, prostitutes, and other “undesirables” from the outskirts of society (Luke 14:21-23). He refers to them as His “other sheep” (John 10:16). The religious leaders of Israel were generally the least receptive to the principles of the kingdom of heaven that Jesus taught, even though a few of them did believe. The important point here isn’t about Jews and Gentiles. It’s about the contrast between those who have access to the truth yet hoard or reject it and those who’ve never had the option but are ready to respond.

The book of Jonah stands as a rebuke to God’s people who have the light of truth. I suspect there’s a lesson here for us as well. I have observed that many Western Christians think, at least subconsciously, that it’s harder to reach people of other religions, be they Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, or animists in faraway places, than people in our own familiar society. I don’t think that’s necessarily true. God has prepared people everywhere to receive the good news of salvation. Many times, we come across them in unexpected places. And in many cases, those with the least access to the gospel are the most receptive once they hear and understand its message.  

A Fortuitous Encounter

Some years ago, I joined several thousand evangelical Christian leaders from around the world in Cape Town, South Africa, for a major conference on world evangelization. During the opening session, we were warned to be cautious walking the streets, especially after dark. One evening, as the sun was setting, I set off to walk the 20 minutes to my hotel. Suddenly, out of the shadows, a strong young African man materialized at my side. He was muttering something that I couldn’t immediately understand. Finally, I realized he was saying, “Give me your money!” He now had my full attention. I looked down and saw him pointing a switchblade at my side, blocking it with his jacket so others couldn’t see it as we walked along.  

I don’t know exactly what came over me at that moment, but without thinking, I responded as I would to any stranger who asked me for money. “I might give you some,” I told him, “but I’d like to get to know you first.” Now, it was his turn to be caught off guard! I pressed my advantage, asking about his situation. He explained that he had been released from prison three days earlier and was hungry.

“Have you ever heard about Jesus?” I asked.

“Oh yeah, I used to live with my grandmother, and she made me go to church. I know about Jesus.”  

“Did your grandmother pray for you?”  

“Yes,” he said.

I went on, “God is answering your grandmother’s prayers today. You pulled your knife on me, hoping to get a little money, but God has something bigger in mind. He sent me to tell you that He loves you.”  

He eventually folded the knife back into his pocket as we walked on. When we arrived at my hotel, we stood under a streetlight and prayed. My would-be robber asked God to forgive him. Then I gave him a little cash and told him, “Get yourself a meal, but more importantly, look for a church. Tell them your situation and ask for help. God has given you much more tonight than you asked for.” We hugged, and he disappeared into the night.  

That was a 15-minute appointment that only God could have arranged. To me, it was a lesson in being alert to the metaphorical sailors and Ninevites all around us. There I was, at a big, strategic conference focused on world evangelism, and maybe the most spiritually significant thing I did that day was get mugged on the way home.  

Being salt and light in our world—the whole world—is not only about strategies and methods and statistics. It’s also about the individuals we encounter along the way. Who has God brought into your life so you can share His word of blessing? Who do you assume to be in the “resistant” category who may, in fact, be surprisingly open to the message of hope and deliverance in Jesus? May our planned strategies leave room for “chance” encounters so that the description of Antioch in Pisidia will fit us as well, “All who were appointed for eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48).

Eternity in Their Hearts

God has prepared modern-day sailors and Ninevites all over the world. Clusters of people in unexpected places are ready to respond to His message. I find that motivating. No matter where we go in the world, some segment of the population will eventually be responsive to the gospel. In Jonah’s case, a whole city repented. We aren’t promised results on the same scale, but we should anticipate and watch for what God may want to do through us. Often, God uses the splendor of creation, catastrophes, and social dislocation to soften people’s hearts, alert them to the fundamental questions of life, and draw them to Himself. Don’t assume that anyone, or any community, is beyond the gospel’s reach. Instead, let’s give them an opportunity to respond to the truth, one way or another.  

My father, Don Richardson, unpacks the concept of redemptive analogies in his book Eternity in Their Hearts.^xlvi Redemptive analogies are historical and cultural “keys” that God has implanted in the belief systems of people around the world. They come in various forms—legends, names for a Supreme God, unique customs, linguistic features, and other eye-openers that bear testimony to God’s care for those communities. When gospel-bearers finally arrive, sometimes people ask, “Where have you been all these centuries?”

Now, that doesn’t mean we won’t also be met with strong opposition. Jesus, Paul, and others found receptive and hostile people wherever they went. When we proclaim God’s message clearly, interested listeners usually identify themselves. Opponents do, too.

In any situation, we don’t know whether God is preparing a few or a multitude. We also don’t know His timing. Our gospel efforts could sow seeds that won’t germinate for years or even generations. Scientist Jane Shen-Miller holds a world record for successfully germinating 1,000-year-old seeds.^xlvii  

In Korea, hundreds of missionaries gave their lives in what seemed for almost a century to be a wasted effort. The small, persecuted Korean church they established sent its first missionaries in 1974. Just 40 years later, more than 27,000 Korean missionaries were serving in 170 countries.^xlviii Their impact on world missions is impossible to quantify. The efforts of those first generations of missionaries weren’t wasted after all, but the fruit was hidden until God chose to reveal it.  

We may not immediately see results when we go into the world to share the gospel. But take heart. We don’t just have hope of an eventual response. We have a promise from God and a proven record. Church history is full of examples like what happened in Korea.

I’m thankful that when Jesus talked about the harvest around the world, He used the descriptor “ripe” (John 4:35), Which is as true today as ever. Jesus told His followers, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:37-38). The main challenge in Jesus’s mind was not the unresponsiveness of the unevangelized but the scarcity of laborers. And this scarcity can be traced to a corresponding lack of perspective and urgency among God’s people. It’s a Jonah problem. We can be part of the answer to our own prayers for laborers, asking, Lord, lead me to those you’ve prepared.  

Discussion Questions

1. When have you been surprised by an unbeliever’s spiritual openness?
2. What might Nineveh-level repentance look like in your town or city?  
3. Who has God brought into your life so you can share His word of blessing?
4. How can you remind yourself to be on the lookout for metaphorical sailors and Ninevites this week?  
5. Take a minute to scroll through today’s world news headlines. How might God’s promise and track record of building His Church all over the world (as He has in Korea) influence the way you pray about current events?  

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