The book of Jonah is a cautionary tale of a prophet who hated a group of people (the Ninevites) more than he loved God. The last two chapters parallel the first two in many ways.* Here are the 12 key movements of the book, followed by one sentence of explanation or devotion.

1-God spoke. God told Jonah to go to the Ninevites, the people Jonah most feared and hated.

2-Jonah ran. Fully committed to disobedience, he booked a trip 2500 miles in the wrong direction.

3-God sent a storm. Storms might be sent to save you, not destroy.

4-Jonah sunk (into the sea and into the belly of a beast). Jonah hated the Ninevites more than he even loved himself, so he chose death over repentance.

5-Jonah cried out. In the depths of despair, Jonah begs for help (yet only acknowledges the sins of the Ninevites, not his own).

6-God heard. God listens, even when we are swimming in the mess we made.

7-God spoke (again). God repeats his command.

8-Jonah obeys (finally). His heart seems detached, but he does preach to the Ninevites.

9-The Ninevites repent (surprisingly). When horrific people repent, we are surprised, but God is not.

10-God shows grace (abundantly). His grace is sufficient, and he desires salvation for all people.

11-Jonah pouts. Just like the older brother in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Jonah resents the Father’s grace.

12-God rebukes. God scolds Jonah for feeling more emotions about a shady plant than 120,000 Ninevites in need of God’s light.

And just like that, the book ends with Jonah throwing a temper tantrum. God is the hero of this story, just as he is the hero of every book of the Bible. If we look to men and women to be our greatest heros, we’ll always be disappointed, even if the disappointment pales in comparison to our frustration with Jonah.

God saves. God speaks. God loves all people. God invites us to be part of his story, and he is full of surprising second chances.

If you’d like to watch the four sermons I preached on Jonah, go here. Or listen to them on our podcast here.

*Note the parallels of ch. 1-2 with ch. 3-4. (I adapted/revised this chart by Tim Keller.)

jonah ninevah repentance