Jonah's manliness

Several writers point out the brevity of the book of Jonah. This however, by no means detracts from its value to the reader. Indeed, short stories can be powerful communicators because of their intense focus on a single idea rather than an unfolding argument or exposition. 

Writing in The Christian Science Journal in January 1925, Anna Friendlich has written a marvellous article about this short book. It is called "The Awakening of Jonah" and may be located on jsh-online at https://journal.christianscience.com/issues/1925/1/42-10/the-awakening-of-jonah or at your local Christian Science Reading Room (if it holds back copies of the Journal). 

The first arresting thought she presents is Jonah's "manliness", which, she suggests, is revealed by the "purifying and molding processes and changes which become operative in thought as the spiritual idea enters and unfolds into manifestation."

An indication of these processes and changes is evident when Jonah not only expresses remorse for his mistake in heading off to Tarshish instead of Nineveh and also honestly admits his error to his shipmates, but he also recognizes that disobedience has disrupted the peace on board and caused such harm. Friendlich comments insightfully: 

"His [Jonah's] words are, "They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy." As Christian Science teaches, we are punished by our sins,--not for them,--since mortal mind shuts itself out from divine Love."

One might feel at this point weighed down, discouraged, disheartened, ashamed. But the story does not end there! 

Our writer explains that while Jonah has already learned some great lessons, the greatest of them all is now to be learned - how to love, despite anger, disappointment, perplexity, weariness, confusion and impatience. He must repent. 

While Friendlich neatly captures the barb and garb of resistance:

How often do mortals resist their spiritual promotions, because so often these promotions come garbed in an unlovely seeming!

she also points out the Jonah, like all of us, has a second chance to get it right - "to work his problem over again". He has everything he needs to learn and apply the lessons learned.

A great article. I recommend it. 

Julie Swannell

Jonah: One little book, loads of inspiration

JONAH

In his argument about the style of Jonah, or rather whether it is history or not, Dummelow thinks of it as a parable, comparing it to the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. And he finishes the section, Character of the Book, with: “It is of great interest to observe that in the OT, as in the NT the natural human love of a story is so often appealed to, so that 'truth embodied in a tale may enter in at lowly doors.'”

In his Commentary of the Bible Dummelow's next sub-topic is Aim and Teaching of the Book. The writing about God and man's relationship to Him is beautiful. He considers that no other book of the Old Testament approximates I John's great saying: “...For love is of God, and every one that loveth is begotten of God and knoweth God” (I John 4:7). He concludes that Jonah provides a high-water mark of Old Testament teaching, and that it is of priceless value: a great teaching of the love of God for man.

For myself, I don't think I had really appreciated, before this reading, what a good man Jonah was when he got the call. God knew he could accomplish the task. He must have proved himself before this message came. He listened and eventually was obedient and God's purpose was fulfilled. The sailors on the ship seem to have been converted to worshipping Jonah's God, or rather to appealing to Him as “Lord”. Thus in Jonah 1:14: “We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood.” Though it could be that they merely added Jonah's God to their list of gods.

However, Jonah was displeased with the outcome. He didn't feel that the city deserved to be saved from the effects of their sinning ways.

I finally thought to look on www.jsh-online.com for items about Jonah. 

I found a poem which includes the lines: Can you flee / God's good command? See "Nineveh-bound" by NANCY LAVENDER BRYAN in the August 1986 issue of The Christian Science Journal.

I also found Jonah, by Journal Staff, (April 1903 edition of The Christian Science  Journal helpful. See https://journal.christianscience.com/issues/2003/4/121-4/jonah

A couple of other ideas I noted include: 

1. The Nineveh people had invaded Israel and been cruel to the Israelites, so, no doubt Jonah felt he had good reason not to be part of their pardon. 

2. Don't wish evil on anyone, or about anyone; rather, claim their son-ship with the Father, God.

Now I have found an article about Jonah by Madelon Maupin Miles. (The Christian Science Journal January 2004 - https://journal.christianscience.com/issues/2004/1/122-1/jonah-a-little-book-with-big-lessons). 

Madelon lists four ways in which Jonah's story has helped her - it is a great favourite of hers: 

• For comfort
• For guidance
• For help in relationships
• For encouragement

All the JSH Online articles on Jonah provide evidence that one simple story can bring different inspiration to each one who reads it. How grateful we are for that treasure-trove of good thoughts and examples that make up the web-site JSH On-line!

My heart is singing, “I found it on JSH.”

Joyce Voysey

Jonah and Jesus and the sea

Wikipedia's article about the book of Jonah notes that: 

In Judaism, the story of Jonah represents the teaching of teshuva, which is the ability to repent and be forgiven by God...The Book of Jonah is read every year, in its original Hebrew and in its entirety, on Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement, as the Haftarah at the afternoon mincha prayer.

The article also indicates that the story remains popular among Christians and is retold in the Quran.

Further, Wikipedia mentions the Psalm in chapter 2. I hadn't noticed that! So I looked it up in the New King James Version which has cross-referencing. And there they all are in verses 2 to 9. Most of the verses are noted as being from Psalms, others are from I Kings, Lamentations, Jeremiah, Hosea and Ecclesiastes.

What an example for us as Bible students to learn Bible verses off by heart! The calling of them to mind can even rescue you from the belly of a whale.

Dummelow's A Commentary on the Holy Bible likens the story of Jonah asleep for three days with Jesus being asleep when a storm hit the disciples' ship. He says, “For the story of the sleeper in the storm cf. Mk 4. 'Jonah was peaceful because he thought he was far from God's hand, Jesus was confident because he knew he was hidden in God's hand'”

The relevant verses in Mark 4 have: “And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4: 37-39).

Joyce Voysey

Ed. Isn't it wonderful to learn of those cross-references? How good it is to read across our Bibles instead of just in a particular book or passage.

Nineveh: the largest city in the world of 700 B.C.

Although we might consider cities a modern phenomenon, from ancient times the world has known some great cities. Today, the largest cities are found in Asia (notably China, Japan, India, South Korea and the Philippines) and also Brazil, Mexico and Egypt. In 2000 Tokyo's peoples numbered more than 26 million.

Just over one hundred years ago, London was the world's most populous city with 6.6 million inhabitants, while prior to that, according to Wikipedia, Rome (for 400 years from 1 C.E.) and Alexandria (600 B.C. - 300 B.C.) held the records, hovering around 1 million. 

So where did Nineveh, famed as the city to which the Biblical Jonah was commissioned (which duty he at first avoided) fit in the scale? It is believed that around 700 B.C., Nineveh had the then huge population of 100,000, topping the then-known world. The ruins of this ancient city are still visible near Mosul, Iraq.

Julie Swannell

Here are some helpful images - there are many more online.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Discoveries_among_the_ruins_of_Nineveh_and_Babylon%3B_with_travels_in_Armenia%2C_Kurdistan_and_the_desert-_being_the_result_of_a_second_expedition_undertaken_for_the_Trustees_of_the_British_museum_%281859%29_%2818167083711%29.jpg

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-ab&tbm=isch&q=ancient+cities&chips=q:ancient+cities,g_4:persia&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiBsu_In-3aAhUJQLwKHZ72DgwQ4lYIMigC&biw=1280&bih=565&dpr=1.25#imgrc=gGDPQSCtGEh2xM: