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Jonah 1:17-2:10
Jonah 1:17-2:10
When people look at me, I hope they see Jesus. I know that I have a few titles. Some good, like husband — and some bad, like sinner, over-sharer. And I recognize, that when I look at myself, I want to see myself in light of my achievements, my success and failures, my skills and abilities.
I don’t always know what other people see when they look at me, but I hope they see Jesus.
Think about Jonah from the Bible. Jonah was a prophet, a man of God who was called by God to go and share the Word of God with people who God loved. It just so happened though, that while God loved these people, Jonah did not.
“And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. 1 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying, “I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. 3 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me.” 4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ 5The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head 6 at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. 7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. 8 Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. 9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!” 10 And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.
Jonah 1:17-2:10
Jonah runs from what God is asking him to do and ends up getting swallowed up by a giant fish. He was there for three days and three nights.
Here is what gets me about this story, is that even in His running, in Jonah, people can see Jesus. Jonah and Jesus were sent by God to a people who did not deserve their love or mercy. The people of Nineveh were wicked, and they had no reason to expect that God would show them compassion. But God loved them anyway, and he sent Jonah to them with a message of hope and salvation. Jonah and Jesus were also both, left for dead, they both spend three days in a cold dark place, one still alive in a belly of a fish, and one dead in a tomb. It’s in Jonah that we get a reflection of Jesus.
Even in Jonah’s running from the will of God, God still used him so that others might see a truth about Jesus — that Jesus would die and then He would rise again three days later.
Reflect Jesus.
My prayer is that I would be like Jonah. That in me, people would see a reflection of who Jesus is, that every piece of my life would point to some greater truth about Jesus.
You and I were created to reflect Him to this world. That’s part of being Jesus’ hands and feet. We were created to show truths about Jesus to the world around us, and while we aren’t perfect at this, we hold onto the truth that we are covered in Christ’s righteousness. We can trust that when we mess up, God looks at us and sees Jesus’ righteousness covering us.
As you consider this scripture and reflect this week, respond to the following questions:
1. What is one way you can show Jesus’ love to someone today?
2. Now that you have thought about what you can do, GO and DO it. Take note of what happens.