A prophet receives a perfectly clear command from God and immediately buys a ticket in the opposite direction, to the end of the known world. The story of Jonah (Jonah 1-4) is a prophet’s story turned upside down: pagans pray while he sleeps, a whole great city repents, and he is furious. The sermon asks why we run from the mission entrusted to every one of us, and what happens when our heart is out of step with God’s heart. Listen and consider where your Nineveh is.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Jonah 3 all of Nineveh, from the king down to the animals, repents in response to one short sentence from the prophet. What does this reveal about the power of God's word, since it clearly did not come from Jonah's zeal or skill?
- In Jonah 4:2 Jonah is furious precisely because God is gracious, compassionate and slow to anger. Why might God's mercy toward cruel Assyria have been so hard for an Israelite to accept?
- The book ends with God's question about the plant and the people of Nineveh, and no answer is given. What does this question expose in Jonah's heart, and how would you answer it?
- The speaker lists excuses: it's not my gift, I don't know enough, I have no time, I'm afraid of being laughed at. Which one is closest to you, and what in Jonah's story challenges it?
- According to the sermon, Jonah's real problem was a heart out of tune with God's heart, which is full of compassion for the lost. Toward whom do you find it hardest to show that compassion, and why?
- Where is your Nineveh: who around you does not know Jesus, and how could you share with them this week what God has done in your life?
