In the continuing series focusing on people on the move to new places, the Rev Richard Baxter considers the meaning of Jonah 1:1-17

NINEVEH was the last place on earth Jonah wanted to go. He had never been there, but he knew it was terrible. He had never met anyone from Nineveh, but he was convinced they were all awful. He didn’t know anyone who had preached there, but he was certain no-one would listen.

It might be fair to say Jonah carried a few pre-conceived ideas and prejudices in his head! But was he unique? Don’t we all jump to conclusions about places we have never seen and people we have never met? Aren’t we all challenged to be a bit more tolerant in our perceptions of others?

God asked Jonah to go to a new place, but the prophet had no intention of stepping anywhere near Nineveh, the Assyrian city close to modern Mosul in northern Iraq. In fact Jonah tried to get as far away from the place as he could. Instead of going east, he travelled to Joppa and boarded a ship heading west, to Spain. Considering how little experience he and his compatriots had in seafaring, that can only be seen as a desperate choice.

Many people have sensed some sort of calling from God – to ministry, to an area of service or to a new way of life – and have headed off in the opposite direction. Truthfully, most of us manage to follow God’s call, but usually not until we have exhausted all the other options. We’re not as dissimilar to Jonah as we’d like to think.

“His actions are wholly illogical, yet they reflect a way of thinking common to many of us.

Of course, the runaway prophet doesn’t escape so easily. A terrible storm puts the sailors, their passengers and Jonah in danger. After a bizarre process of attributing blame by lottery, Jonah is held responsible for their predicament. He admits his culpability, and explains: “I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made land and sea.” The obvious question in response to that might be: “So why did you think you could run away from the God who made land and sea by going to sea?” What was Jonah thinking of?

Exposed to view, Jonah’s actions seem ridiculous, and they are ridiculous. Yet so often we act as if God could only see or hear us when we are in church or at particular moments in our lives. We know that’s not the reality, but do not act as if we know that. Jonah’s story reminds us that we are constantly in God’s presence, and contradictory actions make fools of all of us.

It takes the familiar Jonah story of being swallowed up by a great fish and vomited out three days later before he sees sense. Only then does he do what was asked of him in the first place. Jonah’s story is among the funniest in the Bible. His actions are wholly illogical, yet they reflect a way of thinking common to many of us.

What could be worse than going to Nineveh? As it turns out, not going to Nineveh is worse. We could dismiss Jonah as a ridiculous fool, but first we should question ourselves. If we ask, “What could be worse than following God’s call?”, the answer might be, “Not following God’s call!”

The Rev Richard Baxter is Transition Minister at Glasgow: Wellington.