Godchaser Podcast
Join Evan Evans on The God Chaser Podcast, a weekly exploration of faith, spirituality, and personal growth centered on Jesus Christ. Evan, a devoted believer and captivating host guides listeners through engaging conversations and thought-provoking discussions that deepen their understanding of Christ and His teachings.
We delve into topics such as Christ's teachings, the power of prayer, the role of the Holy Spirit, and the importance of community in spiritual growth. The God Chaser Podcast aims to inspire and challenge listeners, equipping them with the tools and insights needed to live a more fulfilling, Christ-centered life.
Whether you're a seasoned believer or just beginning your faith journey, The God Chaser Podcast with Evan Evans supports and nourishes your spiritual growth. Subscribe to Apple Podcasts and join us each week as we chase after the heart of Jesus, embracing the transformative power of His love and grace.
Godchaser Podcast
Running from Mercy: Jonah's Reluctant Journey
Welcome to the God Chaser podcast, where we pursue the heart of God and explore the depths of His wisdom.
Speaker 1:I'm your host, evan Evans.
Speaker 1:Last week we explored Joel's powerful message about God restoring what the locusts have eaten in our lives. Today we're diving into Jonah, a story many of us think we know, but one that goes so much deeper than a man and a big fish. Beyond the Sunday school flannel board version lies a profound story about running from God, wrestling with his mercy toward our enemies, and finding resurrection hope in our darkest places. In this episode, we'll explore who were the Ninevites and why did Jonah really run from God's call, what it feels like to be in your own fish's belly and how God hears from the depths, how Jonah's three days in darkness pointed to Jesus' death and resurrection, why Jonah was angry at God's mercy and what that reveals about our own hearts, what God's concern for wicked Nineveh shows us about his heart for all people. Whether you're running from something God has clearly asked you to do, sitting in a dark place that feels like death, struggling with God's grace toward those who've hurt you, or needing a second chance after failure, jonah's story speaks directly to our most honest human struggles.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the God Chaser podcast, the ultimate destination for those yearning to cultivate a passionate, intimate relationship with God. Join your host, Evan Evans, as he explores the depths of Scripture, shares inspiring testimonies and provides practical guidance to help you become a true God Chaser. And provides practical guidance to help you become a true God Chaser, Discover the transformative power of pursuing God's presence and be inspired to reignite your spiritual journey. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts and get ready to embark on an adventure that will change your life forever. Welcome to the God Chaser Podcast. Let the chase begin.
Speaker 1:Last week we explored Joel's powerful message about restoration, how God can restore what the locusts have eaten in our lives. Today we're diving into Jonah. You know I've been thinking about this story all week and I keep coming back to one question who are your Ninevites? That might seem like a strange way to start, but hang with me. By the end of this episode that question might hit you right in the heart, as it has me.
Speaker 1:We all know the basic outline of Jonah's story. God calls him to preach to Nineveh. He runs away. Big fish swallows him. Three days later the fish spits him out. He preaches Nineveh, repents Sunday school, 101, right. But there's so much more going on here.
Speaker 1:This isn't just an ancient tale about a reluctant prophet. It's a story about us, about running from God, about prejudice, about mercy we don't want others to receive. Let's start at the beginning. Chapter 1, verse 1, tells us the word of the Lord came to Jonah, son of Amittai. Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.
Speaker 1:Now, to really understand this story, we need to grasp who Jonah was and what Nineveh represented. Jonah wasn't just some random guy. He's actually mentioned in 2 Kings 14, verse 25, as a prophet during the reign of Jeroboam II, around 786 to 746 BC. He was from Gath-Hefer in Galilee, the same region Jesus would later come from. And Nineveh, this wasn't just any foreign city. This was the capital of Assyria, israel's most feared and hated enemy. I can't overstate how much the Israelites despised the Assyrians. These people were known for unimaginable cruelty in warfare. They would skin their enemies alive. These people were known for unimaginable cruelty in warfare. They would skin their enemies alive. They'd impale people on stakes outside city walls. They'd build pyramids of human heads as monuments to their conquests. Imagine the worst terrorist group you can think of, the kind that posts beheading videos online. That's how Israelites viewed Assyrians. So when God tells Jonah go to Nineveh, it's like telling a Jewish Holocaust survivor to go preach to Nazi Germany, or telling someone who lost family on September 11th to go minister to Al-Qaeda leaders.
Speaker 1:Have you ever been asked to do something that made your stomach not up, something that went against every natural inclination you had? That's where Jonah stood. His response is so honest it hurts. Verse 3 says but Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He doesn't negotiate with God. He doesn't offer excuses. He just runs in the exact opposite direction. Nineveh was east, tarshish was as far west as ships could sail in those days.
Speaker 1:I had a moment like this several years ago. God was clearly calling me to reconcile with someone who had deeply hurt me. Every time I prayed, every scripture I read, every sermon I heard seemed to point in the same direction. But I didn't want to do it. I didn't think they deserved forgiveness. So I ran, not physically, but emotionally and spiritually. I filled my schedule with busyness. I avoided quiet times with God. I ran.
Speaker 1:So Jonah boards a ship, he pays the fare, he's all in on his escape plan. But then verse 4 tells us the Lord sent a great wind on the sea and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. Notice, this wasn't punishment, it was pursuit. God loved Jonah too much to let him run. Think about that. The storm wasn't God's anger, it was his love. Sometimes the storms in our lives aren't punishments. They're God pursuing us, loving us too much to let us keep running. The sailors are terrified. They're throwing cargo overboard. They're crying out to their gods.
Speaker 1:And where's Jonah? Verse 5 tells us he had gone below deck, where he laid down and fell into a deep sleep. That detail always gets me. Who sleeps through a life-threatening storm? Someone who's emotionally exhausted from running from God? Someone who's so done? They just want to check out. I've been there. Maybe you have too so spiritually and emotionally spent that you just want to pull the covers over your head and sleep, even while life's storms rage around you.
Speaker 1:The captain finds Jonah and says something that should sound familiar to anyone who's ever tried to escape God's call. How can you sleep? Get up and call on your God. Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish Verse 6. When the lots are cast to find who's responsible, the lot fell on Jonah Verse 7.
Speaker 1:The sailors ask him a series of questions and his answer tells us something important about the human heart Verse 9. I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land. Isn't that interesting? Even while running from God, jonah acknowledges him as the true God. Even in our rebellion, we often still know the truth. I think of Paul's words in Romans, chapter 7, verse 15, I do not understand what I do, for what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate I do. The sailor's next question cuts to the heart. What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us? Verse 11. Jonah's response is astonishing Pick me up and throw me into the sea and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you. Verse 12.
Speaker 1:This is our first glimpse of Jesus in this story. Jonah willingly offers his life to save the sailors, men who don't even share his faith. This pictures Christ, who gave his life to save us. As Jesus said in John chapter 15, verse 13, greater love has no one than this to lay down one's life for one's friends. The sailors don't want to do it. They try everything else first, they row harder, they pray to Jonah's God, but finally they do as he asked and immediately the raging sea grew calm. Verse 15. Look at what happens next in verse 16. At this, the men greatly feared the Lord and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. These pagan sailors came to faith through Jonah's sacrifice. This pictures how people from every nation come to faith through Jesus' sacrifice. As Jesus would later say in John chapter 12, verse 32, when I am lifted up from the earth. I will draw all people to myself.
Speaker 1:Now comes the part of the story we all know. The Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights Verse 17. Jesus directly connects this to himself in Matthew, chapter 12, verses 39 to 40. As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of man will be three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish. So the Son of man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Jesus sees Jonah's experience as a prophetic picture of his own death and resurrection. Both were buried, spent three days in darkness and were restored to life by God's power, but with this crucial difference Jonah was in the fish because of his disobedience. Jesus went to the cross because of his perfect obedience. As Romans chapter 5, verse 19, puts it through the obedience of the one man, the many will be made righteous.
Speaker 1:What happens inside that fish? Jonah prays, and his prayer in chapter 2 is raw and real. In my distress I called to the Lord and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help and you listened to my cry Verse 2. Jonah felt like he was dying or already dead. His language is vivid. The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me, seaweed was wrapped around my head To the roots of the mountains. I sank down, the earth beneath barred me in forever.
Speaker 1:Verses 5 to 6. I've talked with so many of you who've been in that place where it feels like you're drowning in your circumstances, where you've sunk so low you can't imagine coming back up, where you're trapped with no way out. It's a place many of us have been. But notice what Jonah says next. But you, lord, my God, brought my life up from the pit Verse 6. Even from the depths, god hears us. Even from what feels like death, god can bring life. As David wrote about the coming Messiah in Psalm 16, verse 10,. You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead. Jonah's prayer ends with these powerful words salvation comes from the Lord, verse 9. The Hebrew word for salvation here is Yeshua, the very name of Jesus. Even in the fish's belly, jonah proclaims a truth that points directly to Christ. After three days, the Lord commanded the fish and it vomited Jonah onto dry land verse 10. Not the most dignified exit. But Jonah wasn't exactly in a position to be picky.
Speaker 1:Chapter 3 begins with a fresh start. Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time verse 1. I can't tell you how much hope that verse has given me over the years. God gives second chances. After all Jonah's running and resistance, god still has a plan for him. As Peter would experience after denying Jesus three times, god restores and recommissions even those who've failed him. The command is the same Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you. Verse 2. This time Jonah goes. He walks into this massive city so large it would take three days to walk through it and delivers about the shortest sermon ever recorded. Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.
Speaker 1:Verse 4. Eight Hebrew words, no grace offered, no mercy mentioned, no call to repentance, just judgment. It's as if Jonah is hoping they won't repent. 40 days and you're toast. Message delivered, duty done.
Speaker 1:But something astonishing happens. The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth Verse 5. Even the king gets involved, covering himself with sackcloth, sitting in ashes and issuing a decree that everyone should call on God, give up their evil ways and hope for mercy. Their repentance is genuine. It includes belief. They believed God, physical humility, fasting, sackcloth, prayer, calling urgently on God, changed behavior, giving up evil ways. And it works. Verse 10 tells us 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.
Speaker 1:Jesus would later point to this as an indictment against his own generation. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah. And now something greater than Jonah is here Matthew, chapter 12, verse 41. Think about that. These brutal Assyrians repented at Jonah's reluctant eight-word sermon, yet many refused to repent at Jesus's full message of grace.
Speaker 1:I've often wondered about this. What made the Ninevites so responsive? Maybe they'd heard about the Hebrew God's power from traitors? Maybe they'd been experiencing their own crises that softened their hearts? Or maybe Jonah himself was a sign. Some ancient sources suggest his skin might have been bleached from the fish's digestive acids, making him a walking visual of what happens when you disobey God. Whatever the reason, their response challenges us. If Nineveh could repent, what's our excuse?
Speaker 1:Now comes the most shocking part of the story. Most children's versions end with chapter 3. Jonah preaches, nineveh repents, happy ending. But there's a chapter 4 and it's a doozy. But to Jonah this seemed very wrong and he became angry.
Speaker 1:Verse 1. Let that sink in. Jonah is angry that God showed mercy. He's upset that Nineveh repented and was spared. Can you imagine? This reveals Jonah's true motivation for running in the first place, which he admits in verse 2. Isn't this what I said, lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. There it is. Jonah didn't run because he was afraid of the Ninevites. He ran because he was afraid God would forgive them. He wanted them destroyed, not delivered. He desired their judgment, not their salvation.
Speaker 1:This is where the story gets painfully personal for me, and maybe for you too. If we're honest, we've all felt this way at times. We want God's mercy for ourselves and those we love, but his judgment for those who've hurt us or represent what we oppose. We all have our Ninevites, people we struggle to want God's best for Jonah's attitude contrasts sharply with Jesus who prayed for his executioners Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. Luke, chapter 23, verse 34. Jonah was so upset he said Now, lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live, verse 3. Think about how twisted this is. Jonah would rather die than see his enemies receive mercy. That's how deeply hatred had poisoned his heart.
Speaker 1:God gently asks Is it right for you to be angry? Verse 4. I love this response. God doesn't lecture Jonah. He asks a question that invites self-reflection. It reminds me of how Jesus often responded with questions that made people examine their own hearts. Jonah doesn't answer. He stomps out of the city, makes himself a shelter and sits down to see what will happen. It seems he's still hoping God will destroy Nineveh after all.
Speaker 1:What follows is one of Scripture's most beautiful object lessons. God causes a leafy plant to grow up over Jonah, giving him shade to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant Verse 6. But the next day God sends a worm to chew the plant so it withers. Then he sends a scorching east wind and blazing sun that makes Jonah so uncomfortable. He again says he wants to die. When God asks is it right for you to be angry about the plant? Jonah insists it is. I am angry enough to die verse 9.
Speaker 1:Then comes God's powerful lesson. You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than 120,000 people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and also many animals? Verses 10 to 11.
Speaker 1:The contrast is striking. Jonah cared about a plant. God cared about people. Jonah was concerned for his comfort. God was concerned for souls. Jonah valued a temporary plant. God valued eternal beings. I've found myself in Jonah's shoes more times than I'd like to admit, caring more about my own comfort than others' salvation more concerned with being right than seeing people redeemed. And that's where the book ends. We never find out if Jonah's heart changed. Did he embrace God's mercy toward his enemies or remain bitter? The open ending invites us to examine our own hearts. Will we align with God's heart of mercy or cling to our prejudices?
Speaker 1:Now let me pull together the many ways Jonah's story reveals Jesus. First, jesus himself identifies with Jonah. In Matthew, chapter 12, verses 39 to 40, he connects Jonah's three days in the fish to his own death and resurrection. As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of man will be three days and three nights. This is more than a passing reference. Jesus sees Jonah's experience as a prophetic picture of his own death and resurrection. Both were buried in darkness. Fish's belly tomb Spent three days in their grave, were restored to life by God's direct intervention, emerged to complete their mission.
Speaker 1:Second, jonah's sacrifice for the sailors pictures Christ's sacrifice for us. When Jonah says, pick me up and throw me into the sea, he's willingly offering his life to save others. Jesus said greater 15, verse 13. The sailors' response pictures how people from every nation come to faith through Jesus' sacrifice. They were pagan men who ended up worshiping the true God because of Jonah's willingness to die for them.
Speaker 1:Third, jonah's message to Nineveh and their repentance points to Jesus' ministry. Jesus himself makes this connection in Matthew, chapter 12, verse 41. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah. And now something greater than Jonah is here. The Ninevites' repentance included exactly what Jesus would later preach genuine belief, changed behavior and hope in God's mercy. Fourth, god's pursuit of Jonah pictures Jesus' mission to seek and save the lost. The storm wasn't punishment, it was pursuit. God loved Jonah too much to let him run away. Jesus said For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost. Luke, chapter 19, verse 10. Fifth, god's mercy toward Nineveh reveals the same heart Jesus demonstrated toward all people, even enemies. When Jesus told us to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you Matthew 5, verse 44, he was expressing the same heart God showed toward Nineveh.
Speaker 1:But Jonah also contrasts with Jesus in ways that highlight Christ's perfection. Jonah ran from God's call. Jesus embraced the Father's will, saying Not my will, but yours be done. Luke, chapter 22, verse 42. Jonah resented God's mercy to enemies. Jesus prayed for his enemies' forgiveness. Jonah preached reluctantly and briefly. Jesus preached passionately and extensively. Jonah cared more about personal comfort than people's souls. Jesus sacrificed all comfort to save souls. These contrasts highlight Jesus' perfect obedience and love where Jonah and we fall short.
Speaker 1:So what does Jonah's story mean for our lives today? First, for those running from God's call Some of you, like Jonah, are fleeing something God has clearly asked you to do. Maybe it's forgiving someone who deeply hurt you, having a difficult conversation with a family member Serving in a ministry that feels beyond your abilities, taking a stand that might cost you relationships, loving someone who seems unlovable. Jonah's story tells us God will pursue you because he loves you. The storm, the fish these weren't just punishment. They were divine pursuit. You can't outrun God's love. I think of a woman I counseled years ago. She knew God was calling her to reconcile with her estranged father before he died. For months she ignored the promptings. Then her car broke down in front of his exit on the highway, miles from where she was heading. It was my fish moment, she told me later. I knew God wasn't going to let me run anymore.
Speaker 1:Second, for those in a dark place that feels like death. Maybe you're experiencing a depression that won't lift, a grief that feels overwhelming, a failure that seems final, a addiction you can't break, a situation with no visible way out. Remember God heard Jonah's prayer from the depths. He still hears yours and just as he brought Jonah out of the fish and Jesus out of the tomb, he can bring you out of your darkness. I think of my friend Mark, who lost his business, his marriage and nearly his life to alcoholism. I hit my fish's belly. He told me three days in detox wondering if I would live or die. But that's where I finally cried out to God from the depths and that's where he heard me. Today, mark is 15 years, sober, remarried and running a ministry to addicts from fish belly to new life.
Speaker 1:Third, for those who've received a second chance, like Jonah maybe you failed in your first assignment, ran from your responsibilities, disobeyed clear direction, needed divine intervention to get back on track. God gave Jonah a fresh commission after his failure and he offers the same to you as Lamentations. Chapter 3, verses 22 to 23, promises because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. I think of Peter, who denied Jesus three times. By all rights. His story should have ended there. A failed disciple who couldn't stand the pressure, but Jesus specifically sought him out after the resurrection and restored him to ministry. Second chances are God's specialty.
Speaker 1:Fourth, for those struggling with God's mercy toward enemies Like Jonah some of you find it hard to accept when people who have hurt you, opposed you or represent what you stand against. Experience God's grace. Jesus taught us to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Matthew, chapter 5, verse 44. This doesn't mean excusing wrong or ignoring justice. It means wanting even our enemies to experience the grace we've received.
Speaker 1:I think of Corrie ten Boom, who faced one of her Nazi concentration camp guards years after the war. He had become a Christian and asked for her forgiveness. She said her hand felt like lead as she struggled to extend it to him. Jesus, help me. She prayed silently. I can lift my hand, I can do that much. As she took his hand, she said love flooded her heart. That's what happens when we take even a small step toward aligning with God's heart of mercy.
Speaker 1:Fifth, for those whose ministry hasn't turned out as expected perhaps you've preached without seeing the response you hoped for, served without seeing the results you anticipated, prayed without seeing the change you desired, invested in people who haven't valued your investment. Remember Jonah delivered just eight reluctant words, yet an entire city repented. God can work through even our most half-hearted efforts. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3, verse 7, is anything but only God who makes things grow. Next week we'll explore the prophet Amos and see how his call for justice reveals Jesus.
Speaker 1:But today, remember what Jonah teaches us about Christ. He is the resurrection hope who brings life from the darkest places. He is the willing sacrifice who gives his life to save others. He is the one from the darkest places. He is the willing sacrifice who gives his life to save others. He is the universal Savior whose message reaches all people. He is the pursuing God who won't let us run from his love. He is the merciful Lord who extends grace beyond our boundaries. This is Evan Evans, reminding you to keep chasing God's heart Until next time. Remember if you're running from God's call, he loves you too much to let you go and if, like me, you sometimes struggle to accept his mercy toward others, he's patient enough to teach us his heart. This has been the God Chaser podcast. Join us next week as we continue finding Jesus in every story of the Bible. This episode of the God Chaser podcast is proudly sponsored by God Chaser Apparel, the clothing line designed to empower and inspire your spiritual journey.
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Speaker 1:May you not just chase God but find him in the blessings, big and small, that he has in store for you. And there we have it, folks. Another episode of God Chaser wrapped up. We hope you've been blessed by today's discussion and we look forward to diving into more life-transforming topics with you in the future. Stay blessed and keep chasing after God.