Recently I shared about the child’s Bible my son and I occasionally read from. While there is no rhythm to the stories we choose from, odds are we will find ourselves in a story with a giant cartoon whale. Jonah has always captured imaginations regardless of age or faith. It’s a story of a prophet – someone who has the unenviable task of pronouncing the words of God to those who rather not listen – who runs from God. His divine employer tells him to visit the city of Nineveh to change. Truth is, the people of this city were unmatched in their ruthlessness, and so the message Jonah was asked to deliver could end very badly. In human terms, removed from some unclassifiable miracle, Jonah would not only die but do so in a grotesque and painful way.
Perfect nighttime story for a toddler right?
Of course, every Bible meant for kids glosses over the great danger and violence found in many of these stories. Although they may be a good selling point when they are teens, little ones are rarely as charmed. Anytime I try to share context to the story, all my son cares about is that huge smiling whale. While being the most famous animal in Scripture, I have been more drawn to the human in its belly recently.
Jonah gets a bad wrap. Often he is criticized for his failure to listen to God the first time, ultimately running to the sea instead. Many lessons miss the humanity of Jonah, reducing it to an obedience message with no heart. We can often miss the main themes of the text, regardless of Bible we read.
Character
While the text doesn’t always favor the figure of Jonah, our retellings should strive to put him in context. Typically, there are few figures (1) in the Bible who are truly outstanding all the time. Jesus is the ultimate hero of the 66 books. Christ takes the compassion of God, while still embracing the beauty of humanity. With this in mind, we can read stories like Jonah with empathy and understanding. Jonah was flawed, but no more so than any of us. Even on our best days, we would never run toward Nineveh.
It does help us reverse engineer a bit with the full story in mind. In Jonah 4:7-9, we see a desperate figure who wishes for his own death. This is the same man who ran to a boat going in the opposite direction of God only to ask the crew to throw him overboard. The odds of a man like Jonah being able to swim in calm seas, are slim. There is no shortage of emotion and struggles we can all relate to in Jonah.
Mystery
The story of Jonah is a perfectly realistic story . . . until the large fish. Things get a little, weird. If you have read the Bible, you can more than likely point to other stories which force us to come to terms with the reality in which we live and believe possible. Perhaps this is the point. Could the mystery of stories like these be a gift to us?
During Jesus’ time on earth, He does mention the story of Jonah, alluding to the 3 days/nights He would be swallowed by darkness. Many point to the story’s reality in way of Jesus’ acceptance of this far-fetched story. Whether you believe in an actual smiling whale or not is not necessarily the point. Either way, one must come to terms with the mystery of the Bible and God.
Simple
When I first earnestly studied the Bible, I was in my mid-twenties. Not knowing where to start, I chose a Bible that looked good from a local Wal-Mart. After about 20 minutes of trying to decipher, I put it down and never read it again. The language made it more difficult than necessary. A year later, I would pick up my old children’s Bible. Surprised to see merit stickers still lining the front binder, I decided to read exclusively from it. The simplicity of the message connected to me in a way I miss. Even as somewhat of a scholar who appreciates the deeper discussions around theology, I am still very much that kid looking at the pictures.
A lot of people mean well but will still make you feel bad about your spiritual journey. They will hint at your lack of study or desire as something you need to discipline out of yourself. Maybe, you just need to take a step back and listen to a different voice. Maybe, the encouragement you need is found in an unlikely place. Do not be embarrassed for what speaks to you. The simplest of things can also be the deepest.
Matt simon blog 