JONAH: A SIGN OF GOD’S OUTRAGEOUS GRACE

JONAH: A SIGN OF GOD’S OUTRAGEOUS GRACE
🚶🏼🌴🏛🚶🏼🐳🛳🏃🏼 Reflection by Rev. Fr. Joseph Osho, OSJ.

A CREW IN A TALE

What a strange prophet is Jonah, God’s word bearer sent to the people of Nineveh. He boards a ship going in the opposite direction to flee from God! Was he afraid the Ninevites would kill him? Perhaps not, because he asks no less than three times for death! Fear of death doesn’t seem to be a problem.
Poor Jonah, he sleeps through God’s response to his desertion, and then how he must have cringed at the reverence of the pagan crew who cannot believe that he would do such a thing.

A FISH IN A TALE

The big fish spits Jonah on the shore and for a second time he is given his commission as prophet to preach God’s word of conversion to the Ninevites. We don’t know what Jonah says really. I imagine after asking the people on the beach for directions, he told them their whole land would soon be destroyed by God. His unhappy and unwilling presence, his uninviting and perplexing personality did not bring hellos and smiles from the Ninevites, but to his surprise conversion was totally embraced. Even the king says, ‘let everyone renounce evil behavior and the wickedness they have done’.

GOD’S PEOPLE IN EVERY GENERATION ARE CALLED TO REPENTANCE

If the people of Nineveh could believe in the words of God through Jonah then the generation of Lord Jesus and our generation have no excuse not to repent and believe in the power of Jesus’ resurrection and the authority over all things. Just as Jonah came out alive from those terrible experiences, so also Jesus rose from the dead.How better to demonstrate to the simple Ninevites that God is a God of life, a God who brings life from the dead. What better way to show hope than for God choice of this hopeless prophet”? God’s grace has no boundaries and all are worthy of God’s grace.

THERE IS NO PLACE TO HIDE…GOD IS COUNTING ON YOU

Christ equips those He calls. So, no one no matter how insignificant in the eyes of the world, is useless in the eyes of the Creator. Whoever you are, God can still make use of you as long as you co-operate with Him. What is keeping you from answering God’s call today? Is it your sufferings or pains, worldly possessions and achievements, or is it your sins? Remember the words of Paul in Romans 8:38 ‘nothing can separate us from the love of God…’ Even you can be a very useful instrument in the hands of God as long as you are willing to heed His word and turn away from evil. He wants your co-operation in the building up of His kingdom here on earth. But are you ready and willing to co-operate with Him? Remember when the day of judgment comes there is no place to hide. REPENT NOW…
God is counting on you!

Fr. Osho