There are some people who are so famous you just have to sort of hint about them and everyone knows who you’re talking about.
A dunk from the free throw line? That’s Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time.
Moonwalk on stage. Everyone thinks of the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson.
Just ask, “Who ya gonna call?” and everyone will yell out in unison – “Ghostbusters!”
Okay, some of those examples are better than others. But you get the idea. There are plenty of pop culture, sports, and entertainment references that most of us get without having a lot of backstory or explanation.
It’s the same way in the Bible. There were people who were so famous that all you needed to do was make a reference, an off-handed quote, or present a picture. A shepherd? That’s probably David. Talk about bread in the desert? You’re talking about Moses. And calling fire down from heaven onto the mountain, well that’s gotta be Elijah.
Elijah was perhaps the most important prophet in the entire Old Testament. Jonah was a prophet too. He’s actually part of what are known as the “Minor Prophets,” due to the length of their books not for some lack of importance. Of course, we’ve said the book of Jonah is full of irony, so maybe the label fits.
In the last chapter of Jonah, we find our reluctant prophet completing his work. And he’s mad. He’s mad because God will forgive the people of Nineveh, and he doesn’t want that. So he goes outside the city and sits under some shade.
5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city.
8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”
Jonah 4:5, 8
If you were an Israelite reading that in the days of Jonah, you’d immediately see the reference. It was like Jonah was moonwalking to the free throw line for a slam dunk. He was taking on the persona of the most important prophetic figure around – Elijah. The words are practically lifted from 1 Kings 19 where Elijah does the same thing, says the same thing.
But in this instance, Jonah is anything but a great example. He feels down on his luck not because he’s being pursued by his enemies and feels abandoned and all alone. He feels bad because God is going to do what he does best, show some mercy and loving-kindness.
Jonah is, basically, a parody of a great prophet. He’s a laughing stock at this point. He’s anything but Elijah. He’s like the opposite of the greatest example. He’s what we should never do.
That’s one of the reasons I like this book so much. It takes some other tales and flips them on their side. And in the process, it not only entertains but enlightens.
When we take our lives and turn them, what do we see? Are we reflecting the same mercy and grace of God? Are we sprouting loving kindness wherever we go?
Or are we rolling over and asking God to just kill us now?
You get to choose. Do you want to be a parody or an example? We can be what the world thinks of when they think of hypocritical believers. Or we can smash the concept to pieces and put God’s love on display. It’s up to us.
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