What we should learn from the life of the prophet Jonah
Biography of Jonah

The Book of Prophets is divided into two groups, the earlier Prophets and the later Prophets. Today's biblical scholars refer to the writings of the early prophets as historical texts. This book covers the prophets and their work for the people, the message, the plan of salvation. Those who speak the word of God or convey the word of God to the people are called preachers. They are supernatural or divine in nature. They are also variously described as those who give people new knowledge or messages from the supernatural. They appeared after the time of the judges and did not fear kings and lived in fear only of God. They appeared in different eras, pointed out the mistakes of the people of Israel, gave advice to people to live according to God and guided them, and told them about the blessing from God, the punishment given by God if they walk in an evil way, and God's plan of salvation (Jesus' birth, work life, death, resurrection). They are called by different names like prophet (1Sam 10:10), servant of God (Amo 3:7), ruler (1Ki 13:1), watchman (Isa 62:6), bishops (Jer 17:6). They are called by God. Among them, they can be divided into three categories: Prophets who have not written books in their name, Major Prophets and Minor Prophets.
In that way, books like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel can be called the books of great prophets. It is called the Book of the Great Prophets because it contains more authority. (Example: Isaiah 66 chapters) Similarly, books with smaller chapters are called minor books. The reason for this is that the teachings given by them are given in brief. In accordance with the proverb 'The mustard is small but the salt is big', although they speak less, their thoughts and messages are teachings that are not less spicy. Thus Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi are the twelve minor prophets.
Among them, when the Prophet looked at Jonah,
Jonah, the son of Amita, who lived in a town called Keth located in Oreb during the reign of Herodotus II of Judah, is the fifth of the twelve prophets. Jonah means dove. The 'dove' is the symbol of Israel. Jonah, who preached the sweet promise that 'Jeroboam will have the kingdom of Israel from Hamath to the sea of the desert', has a narrow-minded attitude that God's love and mercy should only be with the people of Israel, and that all other nations that persecute Israel should be punished by God and perish. He should be a normal speaker. While he is shown in the book of Jonah as one who flees from God's command, he is also seen as one who boldly preaches God's judgment to the people. Jonah Nomeketorai, who is depicted as a prophet from about the 8th century, was a prophet who was called to preach the gospel to the people of the city of Nineveh, which was living in the mire of sin. Jesus Christ mentions him in verses (Matthew 12:39-41). History shows that it was Jonah who converted the people of Nineveh. And even though God, who teaches the people of the city that 'Nineve is going to be destroyed', is angry with God for not destroying Nineveh, God shows His nature by showing mercy to him.
The city of Nineveh is situated on the banks of the river Tygiris. It was also the capital of Assyria. It is 5m long, 2m wide and has an area of 1800 acres. It takes three days to cross. 'Nineve' means 'I am, there is no one like me' arrogance, lies, robberies, immorality, evil acts of worshiping false angels were seen as the birthplace of corrupt evils. The prophet Jonah is called to go to such a country and preach. Although prophets are usually called to punish wicked countries or cities for sin, Jonah was not called by God to convert the people. Rather he is sent. 'Go and go to the city of Nineveh and tell the people there that it is about to be destroyed. The Lord called Jonah saying, "The evil they do there is piled up before us" (Jonah 1:2). Jonah tries to escape from this task. Because he thought that if the people changed their minds while teaching them to change their minds in that sinful city, the Lord would not destroy the city. Even if he thinks about it, he cannot do it. God's will was fulfilled here. It was God's will that Jonah go to Nineveh on a mission. So if he tries to escape the first call, he calls Jonah again the second time. 'Go to the city of Nineveh and tell them the message I am telling you' (Jonah 3:23) thus saving him from many hardships and making him fulfill his mission. He also boldly repeats the bitter news that 'Nineveh will be destroyed in forty days' (Jonah 3:4). Thus the call of Yena is seen.
He tries to escape to Tarshish without heeding God's call to go to Nineveh and preach the gospel. However, he is unable to do so. That is, when the one who was supposed to travel to the east wanted to travel to the west, God created a great storm in the sea and those on the ship prayed to their gods. He also threw the cargo on the ship into the sea to lighten the ship's weight. When the passengers, who were not sure what to do, threw lots to find out who was the cause of this, when Jonah's name came up, Jonah revealed himself as God's call and felt that this was happening on his own. While the whale kept him in its stomach for three days and nights, he realized his mistake and prayed to God. God has mercy on him. The whale lands him in Nineveh. He boldly proclaimed the message of the merciful Lord. In front of the announcement of the news that the country of Nineveh will be destroyed in forty days, all the people from the king of Nineveh dressed in sackcloth and put away their evil ways and bad deeds and sat on ashes without tasting food and repented to God. Thus the merciful Lord forgave them and averted the coming destruction. All escaped destruction. Enraged by this, Jonah scolded God. Thus he prays to God to take his own life. Leaving the city of Nineveh, he pitched a tent east of it and sat watching what was about to happen to Nineveh. He gets angry again saying that the castor plant that grew there has died. To that, God the Lord 'shows His compassion for the people by talking about the castor plant.' (Jonah 4:9-11) This is how He answers Jonah. Although Jonah's message did not come to pass, it is clear that Jonah's mission was successful in God's eyes.
Jonah's life challenges us to live like God in today's society. So what God asks of us is difficult, and why we may not be able to do it. Even proclaiming the good news about God's sovereignty can be a challenge for us. But we must not forget the truth that Jesus Christ said, 'All things are possible with God' (Mt 10:27). It is an undeniable truth that we must not forget that nothing in this world is impossible for God. Jonah, who sails away from the mission, realizes that everyone is going to die by himself, and voluntarily throws himself into the sea. Here Jonah's courage, selflessness and unwavering faith in God are revealed. God wants us to have such qualities. In the beginning, he did not listen to God's word, but he acted according to his own will, but he felt the will of God and realized his mistake and repented.
In today's modern world, it is not possible to even feel sorry that what one is doing is wrong. Do we seek to get out of such feelings? Many social disorders are happening in our society today. Do we dare to tap such social evils? Do we protect and care for victims with compassion? Are we ready to follow the living Christ? Today's young men and women, why even boys are spending their useful time unnecessarily by getting caught up in social networking sites like Bulanam, computer games, home page, TV drama, Keechakam etc. Do all Christians observe this when the first commandment of the Church is to 'attend the full Mass on Sundays and Lent'? Calvary Sacrifice becomes a mere obligatory sacrifice. Are we trying to think of all these things? It is a fact that humans are weak. Evil thoughts such as anger, jealousy, deceit, irritation, theft etc. occupy him in their life. So all humans can make mistakes. However, it is our duty to realize it and live according to God. This is what Jonah's experience teaches us.
God can redeem any person at any place and at any time. God is the one who can see even those who are in turmoil. By Him we breathe and live, and it is our duty to obey Him. By obeying, we can thank God. H should not lose faith in God in any case. He should obey the will and walk. We should know the responsibilities that God has given us and live by them with faith. God is just, merciful, and forgiving, longing for people to repent and walk righteously. He loves everyone. Hugging is more natural than hitting. He does not want the destruction of sinners but their conversion. Treats everyone as equal. As human beings, we must remove the distinctions of poor, rich, weak, brave, big, small, powerful and powerless and realize that all are equal in the eyes of God. Our Lord wants those who have gone astray to repent and walk on the right path just as the Lord seeks the lost sheep.