by German Figueroa [DCXA at GU]
The book of Jonah is one of the minor prophets, and it was likely written between 793 and 758 B.C. Jonah is sent by God to prophesy the destruction of Nineveh for their great wickedness against people and God himself. For some unknown reason, Jonah tried to escape this assignment. He gets into a boat with pagan sailors, and then a massive storm starts to pick up, threatening the ship and everyone in it. Through a luck test, the sailors see Jonah is to blame.
He then is thrown overboard and swallowed by a big fish. After three days and three nights, Jonah promised to obey God and vomited by the big fish. Jonah then headed to Nineveh and began preaching repentance. The people of Nineveh began to believe his word and proclaim a fast. God sees their repentant hearts and spares the city at that time. But Jonah becomes displeased and annoyed instead of thankful when Nineveh repents. For the rest of the book, we see God going out of his way to help Jonah realize the beauty of his mercies.
This is where things start to get confusing. Jonah is a prophet called to deliver a warning of judgment to a rebellious nation. Still, he is furious with God for sparing the Ninevites. What is going on in this story? The book of Jonah engages readers in theological reflection on the compassionate character of God. This helps the reader self-reflection on how their own character reflects this compassion.
Jonah, the prophet, shows up in a different book, there he is seen prophesying in favor of one of the evil kings in Israel. He is also later referenced by Jesus in other apostles in the new testament. While Jesus predicts his death and addresses the unmoved Pharisees and time teachers. Comparing the father's mercy with the Ninevites to his understanding with these people.
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