Fish Stories: Jonah’s Rebellion – Friday
Jonah 1:15-16
“Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard. And the stormy sea became calm. The men saw what had happened. Then they began to have great respect for the LORD. They offered a sacrifice to him. And they made promises to him.” (NIRV)
In 2015, I was blessed with the opportunity to go to the Holy Land. I am so thankful for that experience, and it truly shifted a lot of things into perspective for me. On our way to Capernaum, we took a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee. Yes, THE Sea of Galilee. You know, where Jesus calmed the storm? We went out when the weather was calm, but it wasn’t difficult to imagine what it would be like with raging winds and huge waves in our little boat.
As I read through the story of Jonah, I couldn't help but notice the parallels between Jonah’s story in the storm, and that of Jesus calming the storm in Matthew 8. Ancient Jewish people saw the sea and other great bodies of water as fearsome places of chaos and darkness. Biblical writers often use the sea to describe terror and danger. And it’s no wonder—the Sea of Galilee could whip up violent storms out of the blue, catching fishermen completely off guard.
As both the sailors of Jonah’s story and the Disciples of Jesus frantically tried to get control over their storms, the ones with the ability to calm them slept below. For Jonah, he could calm their storm by repenting. For Jesus, he calms the storm with a simple order to the winds. In both instances, the sailors and Disciples went from fearing the storm to fearing God.
Friday’s Reflection
Just as Jonah was cast into the sea to bring peace to the waters, Jesus is cast into the sea on our behalf. The peace we receive from accepting his sacrifice is immediate, just as the waters were stilled instantly. Have you accepted His peace? Jesus took on the sins of the world so that we might have eternal life with Him. He offers to calm the storms inside of us, if we only accept his gift.